Domino is a type of game involving the placement of tiles on a flat surface. Players try to get the most points for the tiles they have in their hand. The player who scores the most points wins. In many versions, the winning team is the one who first plays all of their tiles. Other versions allow a player to add a tile to any line. Occasionally, the game is played in pairs, with the winner being the partner who has the least spots on the dominoes.

Dominoes are made from wood, ivory or bone. They are generally placed face down on a flat surface. They are marked with a design of pips. A set of dominoes usually has twenty-eight or thirty-two pieces. European dominoes are commonly made of dark hardwood such as ebony or ivory. Several types of dominoes are blank, including double-blank and double-crossways.

Before playing, the dominoes must be shuffled and mixed up. The player who plays the first domino must lay it face-up in the middle of the table. Each other player then takes turns placing a tile on the edge of the table. When all players have put down a tile, the play is halted until the next player can knock.

For the game to begin, all players must agree on a target score. Each person draws a hand of seven or ten tiles. They must then place the tiles in order to reach the target score. This is often a 61-point total. If a player cannot complete the target, they lose the game. The winning team can then pick their next tile.

To score, the winner must match the number of pips on both ends of a domino. If the tile is double, both the number of pips on the left and the number of pips on the right are counted. Doubles are always laid crossways across the end of the chain.

Double-six is a special type of domino set. The 91 tiles in this set are designed so that each of the possible faces of two thrown dice may be represented. Traditionally, the dominoes were made of ebony, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell, or ivory.

The game of domino originated in Italy in the early 18th century. It became popular in France and later in England. By the mid-18th century, the domino game had spread to France, Austria, and Germany. During the 1860s, it appeared in American literature and was popular in various variants.

Most versions of the domino game involve blocking opponents’ play. Two to four players take turns picking a tile from the stock of dominoes. One or more players then adds the tile to the edge of the platform. Depending on the game, players also alternately extend the line of play. Often, the game is scored by awarding pips on opposing player’s tiles.

Some versions of the domino game include the use of spinners. Spinners are small, metal or plastic devices that can hold two domino materials together. These devices are also used to rotate the domino in place.