How to Play Domino
Domino is a game of skill and chance in which players arrange a series of dominoes on a table so they form a line of play that eventually extends around the entire table. The first player to complete this line of play wins the game. The game is typically played with a standard double-six set comprising 28 tiles. However, larger sets are sometimes used for games with a greater number of players. These are known as extended dominoes and can include up to double-nine and even double-twelve sets. In addition to standard plastic dominoes, some sets are made of more exotic materials like silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory or dark hardwoods such as ebony. These often have a more luxurious feel and are a bit more expensive than polymer versions.
The first step in playing domino is to determine which player will make the first play of a hand, according to the rules of the particular game being played. This may be determined by a random draw, the highest double in one’s hand or the rules of a specific game that requires a certain amount of pips to win. Once the order of play is determined, a supply of dominoes called the stock or boneyard is shuffled and each player draws seven dominoes for his or her hand.
Once a player has seven dominoes in his or her hand, the player will draw tiles from the stock to determine how many dominoes are to be played during that turn. The remaining tiles are not to be played and may later be “bought” by another player. Depending on the rules of the game, some of these extra tiles may be used to create a chain of dominoes that leads to a winning score.
After the player has drawn his or her tiles, the next step is to position the dominoes on the table so they are arranged in a line of play that gradually increases in length. Each tile must be positioned so that its two matching ends are touching completely. If a tile is placed on top of a double, it must be positioned so that the open end faces the center of the pair.
Hevesh makes test versions of each section of her installations before she begins building them. She then films these in slow motion to be able to see whether the dominoes are working properly. The largest 3-D sections go up first, followed by flat arrangements and then the lines of dominoes that connect all of the sections together.
While Hevesh’s dominoes are stunning to behold, they are also much more powerful than we might think. A 1983 study by University of British Columbia physicist Lorne Whitehead demonstrated that the simple action of pushing down one domino actually has the potential to knock over objects about one-and-a-half times its own size. The domino effect is even more impressive in the hands of expert domino artists who create enormous displays to be viewed by hundreds or thousands of people.