Domino is a game of chance and skill. The game’s rules vary according to the region and country in which it is played, although most games have similar and sometimes identically named pieces and the same basic rules. A domino is a flat, round or rectangular piece of wood with an arrangement of dots, called “pips,” on one side and blank or identically patterned on the other. The domino is set up in a line, and the first one to touch an adjacent pips causes those pips to fall, which sets off a chain reaction of events that continues until all the pieces are knocked down.
Counting the number of pips on the ends of the lines of play is an important element of many domino games. In some cases, the total of all the pips on a single tile is used to determine who wins the game. In others, the score is based on the number of matching sides of a double, with the two halves of the tile touching fully at each end.
A domino can be played by one or more players, and each player takes turns playing a domino and passing the turn to the left. There are several different ways of determining who will make the first play, including drawing lots or seating players in a prearranged order. The player who is seated closest to the end of the domino chain will have the opportunity to play a domino first. The order of play is usually clockwise, but some players may prefer to play in a counter-clockwise rotation.
When a player has completed his or her line of play, the winner is determined by the partner with the highest total number of pips on his or her remaining tiles. The winning player is awarded the points on those pips. In the case of a tie, there are various methods for determining who will receive the most points, including counting the number of pips on each of the losers’ dominoes, adding up all of the pairs of pips and dividing that sum by the total number of pips in each pair.
Lily Hevesh’s grandparents gave her a classic 28-piece domino set when she was 9. She loved setting up a long, straight or curved line of dominoes and then flicking the first one to watch them all fall with perfect timing. She now creates stunning domino setups for movies, TV shows and even an album launch by pop star Katy Perry. She also teaches others how to build these amazing structures on YouTube. Her most popular video has more than 2 million views. Hevesh works out the details of each of her domino creations by making test versions and then filming them in slow motion to correct any mishaps. Similarly, when you’re plotting your novel, thinking about the “domino effect” can help you come up with a story that builds tension and excitement.