Domino is a flat, thumbsized rectangular block characterized by its face bearing either blank lines or one to six dots: 28 such pieces make up a complete set. Domino can also refer to any game played using tiles which feature such patterns – usually by matching ends of adjacent pieces to lay them out in lines or patterns on a board surface.
The most widely played domino sets include double-six (28 tiles), double-12 (51) and double-15 (136). Although larger sets are theoretically possible, they rarely see play. Indeed, any domino with more than six pips on any end would likely prove too challenging and time consuming to build for most games.
Dominoes are usually set up in long lines. When one domino in a line is tipped over, it causes its neighbor to tip as well – creating what is known as “domino effect.” Some players have taken to creating elaborate domino art designs using multiple layers and grids of dominoes that form pictures as they fall, or three-dimensional structures like towers and pyramids; such projects may take days or even hours of effort and precision must be employed when placing each piece so as to stay secure as they fall.
Many domino games involve drawing or placing dominoes and then scoring points for any tile that matches it according to the rules of the game. The player with the most points after a given number of rounds wins. Points may differ according to rules; for example, two dots on either end could count as either single tiles or double tiles and double blank tiles could score anywhere between zero and 14 points.
Draw and Capture dominoes is an immensely popular game requiring two or more players, typically drawing their inspiration from classic board game dominoes. Each player starts out with an equal set of dominoes in his hand; when tiles are placed down they must be covered either by someone who cannot play an existing domino or with “sleeping” domino from another player’s hand.
Each domino has two ends that are labeled according to its number of dots or pips, and additional tiles may be added as needed. When placing dominoes into an arrangement, an open end of a double is available for connecting with other tiles; its short side should usually straddle another tile within the layout while its other long side can connect in any direction so as to increase complexity within a domino layout as shown below. Depending on game rules dominoes can even be placed into three-dimensional arrangements called tetrahedrons – see diagram below of one made up entirely out of dominoes below!