Dominoes (also known as bones, cards, men, or pieces) are a type of tile that features a line down the middle to divide it visually into two squares. Each square is marked with an arrangement of spots, or pips, that range from six to none or blank. Each pips represents a value, and a domino may have a higher value than another based on the number of pips it has. When a domino is played, it adds its own value to the chain and may also help to connect the other players to the next player.
As Hevesh creates her mind-blowing domino installations, she follows a version of the engineering-design process. She starts by considering the theme or purpose of the installation and brainstorming images that could relate to that purpose. Then she lays out the biggest 3-D sections, followed by flat arrangements and finally lines of dominoes that connect all the sections together.
When a player plays a domino, the player must position it on the table so that one of the ends matches the number shown at the other end. This is the beginning of a domino chain, which increases in length as more tiles are added to the end of the line of play. In most domino games, the winner of the previous game opens the next game by playing a double, or a domino with only one end showing, and this is referred to as “stitching up the ends.”
Hevesh draws a hand of tiles from the stock based on the rules for the particular game being played, adding them to the dominoes she is already holding in her hands. If she has more than the required number of tiles, she must pass or buy them from the other players as explained in “Passing and Byeing” below.
Once the first domino falls, much of its potential energy converts to kinetic energy, the energy that propels the next domino over. And that energy continues traveling from domino to domino until the last one falls.
After Domino’s former CEO David Brandon was replaced by Doug Doyle, the company implemented several changes, including a relaxed dress code and leadership training programs that focused on listening to employees. In addition, the company sought to address customer complaints by talking directly to them.
When the game has ended, the loser of a hand or the entire game scores by counting up the pips on the dominoes that remain in the losers’ hands (see “Counting and Scoring” below). This score is then added to the winner’s score.
When a new game begins, the winner of the previous game is determined by the highest number of doubles held by the other players or by the player who has drawn the highest number of tiles in his hand. In some cases, a player who holds the heaviest single may open the game. If no player holds a high-valued double, the player with the lowest total of pips takes the first turn.