The game of dominoes has numerous variations. One of the basic variants involves a double-six set of dominoes. Then, each player draws seven tiles and alternately extends the line of play. When the game is completed, the winner scores according to the total pip count of the loser’s hand. If the winner has a higher total pip count than the loser, they win. In most cases, this is true even if one player wins by a single point.
Another variation of domino is called the Draw Game, which is more common in many countries. In this variant, players start with fewer dominoes, and must pick a sleeping domino before they can move forward. Eventually, the sleepy dominos run out. So, for example, a player with two dominoes would start with seven tiles, a three-player set would have five tiles, and so on.
Chinese dominoes were first known as pupai (meaning “little square”), a term that refers to the way the dominoes are laid out. Later, this character was changed to pu, though the pronunciation remained the same. In addition to this variation, traditional Chinese domino games include Pai Gow, Che Deng, and Tien Gow. A thirty-two-piece Chinese domino set represents each possible face of two dice thrown. Some of the dominoes contain no blank sides.
The first recorded game of dominoes was played in the Song dynasty of China. It was introduced to England by French prisoners during the 18th century. Although the Chinese game of dominoes never became the game we know today, it is thought that Italian missionaries in China brought the game to Europe. Today, dominoes are played all over the world. So, what are the rules of dominoes?
A game of dominoes can get quite competitive. For instance, a game of 42 is similar to the card game spades. Four players are paired into teams, and each player draws seven dominoes. The dominoes are then played into tricks. Each trick counts for one point, and any domino with multiple dots counts towards the total of the hand. A game winner has a total of 42 points, which is equivalent to 35 “five counts” plus seven tricks.
The first rule of dominoes is that they must all add up to a multiple of five or three. A player may also add the answer to the score. In this case, a player may use one domino to each side or end, and all other doubles are played on an angle to the line. Depending on the number of dominoes in the set, the player may score 8 points for being the first to finish. Another player can be the first to finish, but this may not necessarily mean a winner.
Traditional domino sets contain a unique piece for each combination of two ends with pips from zero to six. These spots are generally arranged like the numbers on a six-sided dice. The blank ends of the set are arranged to create seven faces, which yield 28 unique pieces. However, some variations allow players to add tiles on all four sides. Therefore, players who do not have any dominoes in their hands must draw from the rest of the tiles on the table.