The Game of Dominoes – Origins, Rules, Variations, and Scoring

domino

The game of dominoes is a family of tile-based games. Its rectangular tiles have two square ends marked with numbers. The goal of the game is to score as many points as possible by stacking the same-colored tiles together. In this article, you’ll learn the game’s origins, rules, variations, and scoring.

Origins

The origin of the domino is still debated. Some believe it comes from the Latin word dominus, which means “lord” or “master”. Other historians suggest that it was originally a hood worn by monks in medieval Europe. Whatever the case, the game was soon known as domino.

The game originated in France, and it is believed that French prisoners of war brought the game to Britain. Over the centuries, the game spread throughout Europe and the Americas. Before the invention of decks of cards, the Inuit played a game similar to domino using bone-like objects. The game has undergone several modifications throughout the centuries.

Rules

The main objective of the game is to create enclosed spaces between dominoes, called ‘cells’. Each cell has a size of half a domino tile and creates one point for the player who creates it. There are several tactics that can be used in this game. Below is a graphic illustration of some of the possible cell creation strategies.

The game originated in China around 1120 CE. Emperor Hui Tsung was first introduced to the game, and it soon became popular throughout the country. The game has since undergone several variants and variations, and it is today one of the most popular board games.

Variations

The game of domino can be played with a number of different variations. The general objective of the game is to create an empty hand by matching tiles, but the variations vary in the rules of the game. In most variants, a player starts with one tile and plays until he or she has no more tiles remaining. In some variants, doubles may be placed anywhere along the line of play, and in others, the player can block the line of play.

Some popular domino game variations include races and games in which the player with the lowest score wins. For instance, in one variation, a player must play a domino with a particular number at one end of the chain. Another variant is to play as many games as possible without scoring. Other game variations may involve a game with the highest score at the end of a series. The variations of domino can be endless.

Variations in scoring

A number of variations exist in the scoring of dominoes. One variant is known as bogus play. A player who plays a domino out of turn is considered to have bogus play. Other variations allow a player to play a domino off the side or end of the first double. These variations are popular in the United States and can be found in a number of tournaments.

In one variation, players have a different number of turns to score. In the other, the players count the number of pips on their remaining tiles. If the numbers are different, the lowest player scores, and if the players are equal, the next lowest person scores.

Players

There are several strategies that players in domino can use to get a winning hand. Players can make a low bid and keep dominoes in their hand, or they can increase their bet and take more dominoes. Players can also “double down” and “split” by adding one or more domino tiles to their hand. If they don’t have enough dominoes in their hand to make a winning bid, they can choose to turn the hand in and lose their bet.

A domino game’s point value is determined by the number of dots on a domino tile. When a player has more points than tiles, their score increases.