Dominoes are a series of flat, rectangular pieces that are arranged in a line or row. They are marked on one side with an arrangement of dots that resemble the spots on a die, called pips. Dominoes can be used to play a variety of games, including blocking and scoring games. Often, players work together to set up a chain reaction that causes all the dominoes in their opponent’s hands to fall over, earning the player an award for the accomplishment. This type of game is popular at parties and in schools, where students can learn about probability, strategy, and problem solving.

Most domino games involve two or more players. The game is played on a table, and the tiles are arranged in a line, a string, or a layout that is called the line of play. The line of play is formed by matching the pips on the open ends of the dominoes. The basic instructions listed on this site apply to most of the domino games shown here, but some of the games have slightly different rules. For example, solitaire domino has a different rule set than the games that involve teams.

Each player draws his or her hand of tiles according to the specific rules for the game being played. After drawing their hand, each player plays a domino according to the rules of the game being played. If a player does not have a domino that matches the pips on the open end of the domino being played, he must draw another hand and play a new tile. Once a player has played a domino, that domino cannot be returned to his or her hand.

When a player makes a mistake while playing a domino, it is called a misplay. If a mistake is not discovered before the next player’s turn, that mistake stands and does not affect any score that might have been made on it. However, if the mistake is discovered before the next player’s turn, the misplay must be recalled and the game is over.

At the end of a game, each player (or team) calculates his or her points based on the number of dots on all the dominoes in the opponent’s hands. The winner earns a point for each multiple of 5 in the opponents’ hands, plus one additional point for every double domino played (as long as it is not a spinner) and for each full set of seven played.

While it is possible to construct a domino rally by simply placing all the tiles in a line and nudging them, this is not very exciting. The excitement comes from setting up an elaborate sequence of dominoes, each of which is capable of toppling over itself with a single nudge. That’s the kind of effect that writers need when they want their stories to be compelling. To do that, they need to think about each scene domino in their story: each point to illustrate a character or argument, each of which can then naturally influence the next scene.