A domino is a small, flat, rectangular block used as a gaming object. It consists of a face, bearing an arrangement of spots or pips, and a back. Dominoes are also called bones, men, pieces, or stones. The first dominoes were made of wood, but they are now typically made of plastic or other durable materials. Dominoes are used in a variety of games, most involving positioning and scoring of the domino pieces on a line or other surface. Some games use a single domino, but many use an entire set, which is called a deck.
The most common domino sets are double-six (28 tiles) and double-nine (55 tiles). Larger sets can exist, but are often used only for very long domino games. The most popular type of domino game is a “layout” game, in which the goal is to build a line of dominoes in which each end matches the value of a previously played domino on one of its ends. The most basic layout games are simple, and can be played with as few as two players.
Other games, which are more complex and usually require multiple players, are characterized by a more strategic approach to arranging the dominoes on the board. These games involve a greater degree of skill and planning than the layout games, but also allow for more creative strategies.
Most domino games are won by a player who has a higher total score than his or her opponent after the last piece is laid down. This is determined by counting the open ends of the dominoes that have not been scored yet. Each open end is worth a certain number of points, which can be added up to determine the winner of the game.
Dominoes have an inertia that resists movement unless there is an outside force pushing against them. Hevesh, the domino artist whose YouTube channel has more than 2 million subscribers, creates domino setups that take several nail-biting minutes to fall. She has built domino structures for TV shows, movies, and even a pop music album launch.
The word domino comes from a Latin phrase, dominus, meaning “lord” or “master.” In its earlier senses, it referred to the long hooded cloak worn together with a mask at carnival or masquerade events. The domino pieces were once commonly made with ebony blacks and ivory faces, which may have reminded people of the priest’s hood and surplice.
The modern meaning of the word is related to the domino effect, a term that describes a chain reaction in which one event causes the collision of several others within a short period of time. The term can be applied literally to a series of actual dominoes or metaphorically to the causal linkages in complex systems such as global finance or politics.