Alternatively, domino sets have been made from many different natural materials: stone (e.g., marble, granite or soapstone) other woods (e.g., ash, oak, redwood, and cedar) metals (e.g., brass or pewter) ceramic clay, or even frosted glass or crystal. Some sets feature the top half thickness in MOP, ivory, or bone, with the lower half in ebony. Construction and composition of domino sets Įuropean-style dominoes are traditionally made of bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or a dark hardwood such as ebony, with contrasting black or white pips ( inlaid or painted). : 181–182 In Britain, the most popular league and pub game is Fives and Threes.ĭominoes have sometimes been used for divination, such as bone throwing in Chinese culture and in the African diaspora.

Other popular forms include Texas 42, Chicken Foot, Concentration, Double Fives, and Mexican Train. The most commonly played domino games are Domino Whist, Matador, and Muggins (All Fives). Despite the coinage of the word ' polyomino' as a generalization, there is no connection between the word 'domino' and the number 2 in any language. The name 'domino' is probably derived from the resemblance to a kind of carnival costume worn during the Venetian Carnival, often consisting of a black-hooded robe and a white mask. European dominoes may have developed independently, or Italian missionaries in China may have brought the game to Europe. Modern dominoes first appeared in Italy during the 18th century, but they differ from Chinese dominoes in a number of respects, and there is no confirmed link between the two. The earliest mention of dominoes is from Song dynasty China found in the text Former Events in Wulin by Zhou Mi (1232–1298). Another form of entertainment using domino pieces is the practice of domino toppling.Ī boxed domino set dating from the late 19th or early 20th century A domino set is a generic gaming device, similar to playing cards or dice, in that a variety of games can be played with a set. The traditional European domino set consists of 28 tiles, also known as pieces, bones, rocks, stones, men, cards or just dominoes, featuring all combinations of spot counts between zero and six. The gaming pieces make up a domino set, sometimes called a deck or pack. The backs of the tiles in a set are indistinguishable, either blank or having some common design. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also called pips or dots) or is blank. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ends. For other uses, see Domino (disambiguation).ĭominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces. For the pizza restaurant chain, see Domino's.

Dominoes number