Domino is a game of skill and strategy, in which players place dominoes on the table, either face down or side-by-side. Each domino has a number of dots or squares that indicate its value. Players then try to play tiles that match the values on the dominoes already on the table, in a sequence called “setting.” The first player to set all their pieces wins the game. Dominos are also used for educational purposes to teach counting and basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
While domino is a game for two players, it can also be played with more than two people. The number of players affects the rules and scoring, with more players adding to the excitement. Dominos can be played on a small table or on the floor with a domino board, which is designed to allow for more pieces and easier movement of the tiles.
The word domino means “fall or topple.” It’s a fitting name for this exciting game, since it takes only one domino to start a chain reaction. In fact, there are even domino shows, in which skilled builders create impressive arrangements of hundreds or thousands of dominoes that all fall with a single nudge.
In most domino games, only the ends of a tile that touch are open for play. The rest of the domino must be fully covered by a subsequent tile, and the tiles must be lined up in an order that is compatible with the rules of the particular game being played. For example, a double is placed cross-ways in the layout, straddling the end of the tile it is connected to.
Although the modern game of domino was developed in the early 20th century, the concept has been around for a much longer time. The earliest known domino sets were made in the 12th or 13th centuries. They were affixed to wood boards with glue or plaster, and some were painted or stained. In addition to the traditional white and black pips, these original dominoes were sometimes inlaid with precious stones.
Later, dominoes were manufactured with a variety of materials, including bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother-of-pearl), ivory, and ebony. Many of the more expensive dominoes on the market today are produced using polymer, although there are still some sets available in natural materials.
In the early days of Domino’s, its founder, Peter Monaghan, focused on placing stores near college campuses. The idea was that students were in a hurry to get pizza and would be willing to walk a few extra blocks for a quick meal from a company that had built a reputation for speedy delivery. This savvy business move helped Domino’s quickly grow into a nationwide company. Today, technology is a major component of Domino’s success, and half of the company’s employees work in software analytics. The company is also continually experimenting with new ways for customers to order pizza and use its delivery services.