Dominoes – How to Play the Game

domino

Domino is a popular tile game played by groups of people. It is similar to card games and has a number of different options. The goal of the game is to build a stable tower using the dominos that you have. A number of variations are available and can be played with your family, friends, or even the computer.

Several versions of the domino game can be played, including scoring, blocking, and layout. All variants involve drawing and playing tiles. Players take turns to add dominoes to the platform. When a player is finished, he or she chips out. If the player’s hand is empty, he or she draws from the other players’ unused tiles. In some games, both players must chip out to win.

Dominoes can be placed in any direction. They are usually twice as long as they are wide. One common size is two inches. Some games have smaller or larger sets. As the set grows, it becomes harder to tell the number of pips on an individual domino.

Most dominos have numbers that range from 0 to 6. The most popular sets have the pips arranged in two different suits. For example, a single tile is in the suit of threes, while a double is in the suit of nines. However, some larger domino sets use Arabic numerals instead of pips.

To begin a game, players will draw twelve tiles each. Each tile has a number on one side, with the other side blank. Usually the first tile that is drawn is a double-six. This is called the “start” tile, and the next tile will be to the left of it.

Before each game, each player should determine a target score. The winning team is the player who gets closest to their target. The winning team must have fewer spots on their dominoes than the other team. Unlike most card games, the rules of dominoes differ. There are also variations in how many players can play.

The first player draws the domino that he wants to play. If he chooses to play a double-six, he must then lay the second tile, which is to the right of it. Alternatively, he may play a domino with a numbered end. He will then place the domino so that the numbered end is touching the end of the tile he is trying to place. Alternatively, he may only play the tile with the number on the end of the chain.

Once a tile is played, the next player must match that end of the domino with a portion of the first tile. Then, the next player must either add a tile to a line or remove a tile. Depending on the variation, some games allow for tiles to be added to all four sides of the domino. Other games, like the Concentration version of the game, require the total pips on a domino to be at least 12.

After each round of play, the first player places the last tile in the middle of the table. Then, he or she draws another tile and the same process is repeated until all of the players have drawn their last tile.