A domino is a small, flat rectangular block used as a gaming object. Dominoes, also referred to as bones, men, or pieces, are used to play a variety of games and test a player’s skill. Each domino has a unique arrangement of dots, called pips, on one side and is blank or identically patterned on the other. These pips were originally designed to represent the 21 results of throwing two six-sided dice (2d6). Different sets of dominoes have been used for centuries to play a variety of games in various parts of the world.
Dominoes are so versatile that they have been employed in the design of buildings, bridges, and train tracks. They are even used as a form of art, with artists creating intricate domino setups that can take hours to complete. These setups are often displayed at domino shows, where builders compete to create the most complex and imaginative domino reaction or effect before a live audience of fans.
For many people, domino is simply a game played on a table with a group of friends. But for the world’s top domino players, it’s a sport that requires immense focus, concentration, and patience to excel. The best players are able to anticipate the moves their opponents will make and then strategically place their own tiles in order to win the game.
A basic Western domino game starts with the 28 pieces in a double-six set being shuffled and placed face down on a table. Each player draws seven of these tiles to begin the game. The remainder of the set, referred to as the stock or boneyard, is left behind. The first player to reach a specified number of points wins the game. The most common scoring system involves a player placing a tile end to end with another, where the matching ends of the tiles must match (i.e., one’s touch one’s and two’s touch two’s). The number of points is then counted and the next player takes a turn with the same goal in mind.
In addition to traditional positional games, dominoes have been used for centuries in a wide range of puzzle-type games. These usually involve a pattern and the placement of tiles on it based on arithmetic properties of their pips, such as totals of lines of tiles or tile halves.
The popularity of these types of games has risen in recent years as more people look for new ways to enjoy classic favorites. And this trend is reflected in the number of online videos and blogs dedicated to domino. For example, a YouTube user named Hevesh is a professional domino artist who creates amazing domino setups for movies, TV shows, and events–including the album launch for Katy Perry. Hevesh has worked on projects involving hundreds of thousands of dominoes, which can take several nail-biting minutes to fall. These incredible displays are possible thanks to the law of inertia, which states that objects will remain still unless pushed.