Dominoes are small tiles used to play games of chance, similar to playing cards and dice. A domino has a rectangular shape and is marked with an arrangement of dots, called pips, on one face. Each pips represents a number. The most common domino has a double-six design, producing 28 unique pieces. A domino is typically a little larger than a credit card and is thick enough to stand on edge.

Whether you play with your children, entertain friends, or use them for educational purposes, domino are fun toys that will last for generations. They can be arranged in many ways, from lines to patterns and even 3-D sections. Some players like to throw them, while others prefer to line them up and knock them down. No matter how you play, the beauty of domino lies in its ability to inspire creativity.

While there are hundreds of different games to play with domino, the basic concept is simple: each domino has two ends – either a number or blank. If you match a domino with another by its matching end, it becomes a part of a chain that continues to grow in length as additional tiles are added. Each new tile that is played to the chain must have its matching end touch a previous domino completely (except for doubles, which can be placed cross-ways or straddling). As a result, chains develop in a snake-like fashion as the game progresses.

Most domino games involve blocking or scoring, with the winner determined by the first player to reach a set number of points in a given amount of time. The number of points awarded may be based on the sum of the pips on opposing players’ tiles, or it may be calculated by counting the number of dominos that are left over at the end of the game. In addition, each player may choose to count or ignore doubles (a 6-3-6 counts as 6; a 7-4 counts as 4).

In the early days of Domino’s Pizza, founder Tom Monaghan emphasized putting locations near college campuses, hoping that college students would be more likely to order delivery. He also recognized the importance of addressing customers’ concerns. When he saw that Domino’s workers were complaining about their low salaries, he responded by giving more money to the employees and offering to match competitors’ wages. This approach helped boost sales and morale and fueled the company’s rapid growth.