Dominos is a game of strategy and skill that has captivated people around the world for centuries. The game is played with rectangular tiles, which are normally twice as long as they are wide, and have either a number or blank, or both, showing on each end. The game has numerous variations and a variety of rules, which vary from region to region.
In many domino games, a tile may have both a number and blank or a suit of dots (sometimes called spots). The number represents its rank in the suit, and the blanks or pips represent its value. Hence, a domino with both a number and blank is often referred to as a double-blank. There are three suits of dominos: the spades, clubs, and hearts. Each suit contains thirteen pieces, and each piece has a different color.
Most domino games are played with a standard double-six set, which contains 28 tiles. These are shuffled and formed into the stock or boneyard, and each player draws seven tiles for his or her hand. When a player draws more tiles than he or she is entitled to, the extra dominoes are drewn back into the stock before play continues.
The player drawing the highest double makes the first play, although some games have special rules for determining who will make the first move. Some of these rule that the first play should be made by a player who has no doubles in his or her hand, while others require the highest-ranking double to be the first to be played.
Once a player has his or her hand of dominoes, the tiles must be positioned edge to edge in front of the player, and each piece must be able to touch an end of another, which forms a chain that gradually increases in length. This is the basic playing style of domino, and it is used in the most popular type of domino games, which are called layout games.
Many of these games fall into four categories: bidding games, blocking games, and scoring games. A few other types of domino play exist, but these are not as common.
There are also a number of variants that use the same layout but have different rules. Some of these are called alternating-tile games. A number of games also allow the players to buy a domino from the stock, or bonyyard. The rules for buying and passing are different for each game.
When a player has used all of his or her tiles, play ends and the winning player is the player whose combined total of all the pips on his or her remaining dominoes is the lowest. Some games have the additional rule that a player can only play a tile with a higher or equal value than one of his or her opponents.