Domino, also called bones, cards, men, or pieces, are small flat rectangular blocks used for various gaming purposes. They are normally twice as long as they are wide and have a pattern of spots, known as pips, on both sides. These pips usually represent the values of certain numbers when a domino is placed next to a other tile, but some pips are blank and may have no value or be of different colors.
Dominoes are a key component of many popular games and are often used to create elaborate artwork. This art can take many forms, from straight or curved lines of dominoes that fall when flicked to grids that form pictures and 3D structures like towers and pyramids. A domino artist can make these structures out of paper, cardboard, or even wood.
As with any game, there are many rules governing the playing of domino. The most common are positional games where each player places a domino edge to edge against another in such a way that the adjacent faces either match, or form some specified total. Each player then plays a domino in turn until the chain of play has reached some end point. Then play passes to the next player. If a player cannot lay his or her hand for any reason, then that player “knocks,” or raps, the table and play continues with the players whose combined sum of remaining dominoes is the least.
In addition to traditional domino games, there are many other variants that use the same basic mechanism but involve different scoring or blocking strategies. These games can be played with any number of players and are primarily used to test skill, strategy, and patience.
Some dominoes are made of natural materials such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory or a dark hardwood such as ebony with contrasting black or white pips. These are often more expensive than polymer sets, but have a unique look that some people prefer.
One of the more interesting ways to play domino is to draw a number of tiles for your hand and then place them in front of you without looking at them. You then try to match the tiles and match up the pips on them with the ones in your other hand. If you are successful in matching the pips, then you begin to make the first move in the game. This technique is sometimes referred to as “chip out,” “knocking,” or “taking the lead.”
The new CEO of Domino’s knew that he needed to address the company’s main complaint, and he decided to do so by implementing a series of domino-like moves. He implemented training programs and spoke directly to workers, to find out what they wanted from the company. In addition, he started to offer new ordering options, such as ordering by text or using devices like Amazon Echo. Those changes sparked a domino effect, and the company was able to improve its financial situation considerably.