The Basics of Dominoes
Originally known as a masquerade mask, the domino first appeared in Europe in the early 18th century. It is often played in pairs, with the aim of reaching a set number of points. There are many variations of the game. The most popular are the games of multiples of five.
Players take turns drawing dominoes from a supply. In some versions, both players must chip out their tiles. During the early nineteenth century, craftsmen used thin animal bones affixed to ebony to make the pieces. The first dominoes to come in white and black were made from these materials. The game became popular in France in the mid-18th century. It was then introduced to England by French prisoners of war. The domino game spread to Europe, and to Austria and Germany in the late 1700s. It was also introduced to the United States in the 1860s. The game spread around the world by 1889.
Most domino games involve the game of multiples of five. A player can play one tile that has a number at either end of the chain, and this is called a “stitch up.” However, some games consider all four sides of the doubles open. In these games, the player’s score is based on the total number of pips at the open ends of each domino. This number is usually 61, and can be modified based on the number of players.
A domino’s name is derived from the word “pip” – a hard seed of some fruit. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for “spot” – the number of pips on a dice. It is also the name of a particular kind of domino.
There are several types of dominoes, including European and Chinese style sets. Typically, European style dominoes are made from ivory or dark hardwood such as ebony. Chinese sets differ in that they are longer than the typical European dominoes. They also divide the dominoes into two classes, the military and the civil. Some Chinese sets also have duplicates of some throws, and they do not require matching.
The first domino drawn is usually a double-six. It is also possible to play a double-blank, which is counted as either 0 or 14. The first two tiles played are 6-6 and 5-5. The third tile is also a double, but it is vertically placed, producing open ends of 4-6 and 5.
The first double played is a “spinner,” or a domino that can have up to four dominoes played on it. Spinners are generally metal, and are usually rounded off to avoid scratching the tabletop. A “spinner” is also called a “pivot” or a “pivot bar.” The spinner is positioned in the center of the dividing bar. It is used to hold the two domino materials together, and makes it easier to rotate the dominos in place.
A domino’s “sewn up” sign means that the game has ended. However, this term can also refer to the first player’s ability to play all of the dominoes in his or her hand.