Author: !Undertaker!
BrainKing.com is a success with a brilliant organization. Site has tournaments, ratings, forums, statistics and specially many and many games. However, there are games very interesting and known, but unfortunatelly don’t exist in BrainKing.com. So, I propose a new game: Domino.
Domino History
Dominoes are the descendants of dice sticks and dice. Although possibly used as a method of divination, fortune telling and certainly for gambling there is no doubt that dominoes have developed and evolved as a popular form of entertainment in which all players, regardless of literacy skills, can enjoy exciting games of chance and skill. Believed to originate from early Chinese tile games in 12th and 13th centuries, dominoes their more identifiable form of the game as we know now it was first recorded in 14th century China. The game appears to have reached western civilization when it first became popular in the courts of Mediterranean Europe trading nations in the 1700’s. Its popularity then spread though the rest of Europe in the 18th century and the game became known by the French word referring to a black and white hood often worn by catholic priests in cold weather, “Domino”.
The Domino
Traditional dominoes tiles are rectangular with a centre line dividing the domino face into two ends. Each end being marked black spots, commonly referred to as pips, arranged similar to those on a six-sided die (dice). It has become popular to also add a blank face to the domino set so that there seven possibilities on each domino end. A standard set of double six dominoes includes seven dominoes tile combinations featuring a blank (including a blank-blank), six with a one (including a 1-1), five with a two (including 2-2), four with a three and so on for a total of 28 unique dominoes. For longer games, games with more people or rule variations (such as Chicken Foot or Mexican Train) other domino sets such as double 9’s (55 tiles), double 12’s (91 tiles) and even double 18 (190 tiles) domino sets have become available.
Metal pins or studs were also inserted into the face of the domino between the two halves are known as “spinners” or spinner dominoes. These allowed the dominoes to spin more freely and make them easier to mix or shuffle while face down, as well as helping to protect the face of the dominoes.
Originally used to reduce cheating, at one point dominoes where made with ebony, matching the black pips, or another material on the back of the domino to prevent being able to see pips the face of the domino while they were face down. This two tone or bi-colour feature today is used to simply to add professional and unique look to a set of dominoes.
Modern commercial are mostly made from a durable resin and although they are available in a variety of sizes, materials and colours the traditional domino is ivory (off white/cream) coloured with black pips and usually measures about 1 inch long, ½ inch wide and ¼ inch thick.
Domino Rules and Types of Domino Games
There are many ways to group or categorize domino games. Via scoring methods (scoring during play or after the game ends), draw or no draw games, number of players, game family, suit matching or point matching and although there are many variations of domino games and rules we have included a few of the more popular domino rules sets along with popular variations on each.
Suit Matching Game
Draw: Draw until able to play.
Spinners Not Allowed. No playing off ends of doubles.
Scoring: At end of game. Opposing players pips in hand.
Object: To be the 1st player to play all ones dominoes from their hand. Common games consist of multiple rounds of play and the 1st player to reach 100 points is the winner.
The Deal & Set: All Dominoes are shuffled or mixed face down to create a pile (boneyard) to draw from.
In a 2 player game each player should draw 7 of the face down dominoes to create their starting hand. With 3 or more players each player should draw 5 dominoes.
Set (who goes 1st and places the starting domino) is determined by possession of the highest double tile. The player with the highest double tile starts the games, normally the double six domino, by setting the domino in the centre of the table (See Image) To do this while keeping dominoes concealed any player can make a call asking if anyone has the double six. If someone does they reveal and set the domino in play, otherwise a call is made for the next lower double domino and so on. If no one has any doubles then all the dominoes are reshuffled and redrawn.
Once the starting double in set in play, that players turn is over and play then proceeds clockwise around the table.
The Play: One each player's turn each player must either:
- Place a domino from their hand onto an open and matching end of the domino chain in play.
Example:
matches
, but
does not match
.
Dominoes may be placed to form a corner when the matching domino end so as to turn the chain, preventing play from leaving the table or blocking off other ends of the domino chain. Doubles are placed crossways. (See the above image)
- If the player is unable to play a domino, he must continue to draw dominoes from the boneyard until he is able to play.
A player may draw a domino from the boneyard, even if that player could place a domino. If the boneyard is empty and a player is unable to play he must pass. If all players have consecutively passed then the game ends and the player with the lowest number of points is considered the winner, just as if they placed all their dominoes.
Scoring: The Game or round ends when either a player has placed the last domino in his hand, or all players have consecutively passed.
The winning player earns a number of points equal to each dot (pip) on all the unplayed dominoes in all the other players' hands.
Example: If one player has these tiles left in their hand
,
,
and
, then the winner would add 26 points to their score.
Standard Rules Variations
"Spinners" - Playing off doubles: Dominoes may be played off either end of doubles in addition to off the opposite side. (See Image) This allows for more matching potentials and more interesting domino chains.
Draw one: When unable to play a domino, players must drawn only one domino from the boneyard. If unable to play at that time they must state "pass" and play passes to the next player.
Restricted Boneyard: The Boneyard may not be emptied during the game. Two dominoes must remain in the boneyard in a 2 player game and 1 domino must remain undrawable in larger games. This increases the uncertainty and allows for more skill and strategy during play.