Domino is a game that has many variations, but all of them involve laying down dominoes on the table. Each domino is marked with a number on one side and a blank or identically patterned face. The numbered faces are called “pips” and they are used to indicate the value of each domino when it is matched with another. In Domino, the first player begins by choosing a domino from his or her hand that matches the value of the most recent domino played. This domino is then placed on the table and the rest of the pieces are picked by players in turn. When the first player cannot play any more dominoes, the second player begins.
The word domino is also used in some other games to refer to the set of all the numbers that are needed for a specific total, such as a double or triple of a number. This can be used to determine the winner of a game, or it can be a way for the players to organize their sets to make them easier to manage. The game of domino is popular all over the world and is even played by Inuits (Eskimos) who use a similar game to Western Dominoes, although it is likely that this was an imitation of the European game.
In the early 19th century, domino puzzles were produced wherein you were given a pattern and asked to place tiles in such a manner that the ends of the tiles matched or formed a certain total. These were popular in the UK and it is thought that they arrived there from France toward the end of the 18th century, possibly through French prisoners of war. The term domino is also used to describe a chain of events that can be predicted from observing the behavior of other objects or persons, such as in the mechanical domino effect. The word is also sometimes used metaphorically to refer to a series of causal linkages within systems such as global finance or politics, but this is less common than the usage of the game itself.
The game of domino is also a common tool for building leadership skills, especially in large organizations. For example, Domino’s CEO David Brandon quickly put into effect a number of changes when he took over the company from longtime leader Dave Doyle in 2013. He relaxed the dress code for employees and emphasized the importance of listening to customers. This echoed the company’s core values and helped to increase employee morale.
The most traditional dominoes are made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony. Other materials, such as marble and granite; metals; ceramic clay; or even frosted glass are also used to create sets of dominoes for those who wish to have a more unique look and feel. Traditionally, these sets are more expensive than those made of polymer or resin.