Dominoes, which are usually called “dice” in the West, originated in China around the 12th or 13th century. Although the origin of the game is unclear, it is widely known that the pieces were made of ebony blacks with ivory faces. There are a variety of different variations of dominoes, from a scoring game to a layout game. The traditional Chinese domino set is composed of 32 pieces. However, there are also larger sets that use Arabic numerals instead of pips.
When playing a domino game, you must know how to properly position each tile so that it will either touch one end of a domino chain, or knock another tile off the table. If you are playing a game with more than two players, you may wish to play with a double-nine or double-twelve set. These sets offer a large number of tiles, allowing more players to participate in the game.
Traditionally, European-style dominoes are made of dark hardwoods such as ebony, or a mother of pearl oyster shell. But newer versions can be made of other materials, such as metal and plastic. A large double-nine set has 55 tiles, whereas a double-twelve set has 91. Another common set is a double-18, which has 190 tiles.
In a domino game, the player who has the highest score wins. A common rule is to have a point limit of 150 or 200. This is determined before the game begins. Players can then play a certain number of rounds before the point limit is reached. Each round is played until the points are reached, with the winner being the player who has a higher total.
Once the point limit is reached, the next round of dominoes is played. The first round is played in a clockwise direction. As the game proceeds, each player takes turns drawing dominoes from the stock. They are placed on the edge of the table. Depending on the size of the set, the number of players, and the rules of the game, there can be several rounds of play.
At the beginning of the game, the two opposing players will each mentally note the numbers of the available tiles. In some games, a player is required to chip out, which means that he must remove a certain number of dots from his hand. To achieve this goal, the player must place one or more of his tiles perpendicular to the long side of his double. Other games allow for all four sides of a double to be open, allowing more tiles to be placed.
During the first round of dominoes, each player draws a fixed number of tiles. For example, the first player may draw six tiles, while the second draws five tiles. Depending on the game, the number of players, and the number of rounds, each player can draw a different amount of tiles.
After the first round of play is over, the next player in line leads the game with the next heaviest double in the suit of the heaviest domino. For example, the player with the second heaviest double in the suit of six leads with a double-four.