Domino is a game played by two or more players. It is a variant of card games, but unlike cards, dominoes are marked with an arrangement of pips. The two pips on each domino are associated with a number of spots. Some versions of the game require both players to chip out.

Dominoes can be made from wood, plastic, or bone. Traditionally, European-style dominoes are made from ivory or dark hardwood. They are also often referred to as cards or bones. However, there is an unproven origin for the term.

During the late 1700s, prisoners of war from France brought the game to England. In the mid-18th century, the game spread to Italy, southern Germany, and Austria. Later in the 18th century, the dominoes came to America. By the 1860s, they appeared in American literature.

In the game of dominoes, the first player starts the game by playing a domino. If he or she chips out, the play stops. The second player then chooses seven dominoes and picks them up. This is done by placing them edge to edge against each other.

If the first domino is tipped, the next domino in the line is tipped and so on. As the chain continues, the dominoes continue to tip and fall until they all tip over. When the last domino reaches the bottom, the game is over. Depending on the size of the domino set, the number of pips on each domino can vary. For instance, a single tile might belong to the suit of threes or the suit of blanks.

A double nine domino set has 55 tiles, and a double twelve domino set has 91. These are the most common sets. Larger domino sets are used for games with several players. Other sets use Arabic numerals instead of pips.

Despite their appearance as a generic gaming device, dominoes have a complex and obscure origin. They were originally used in religious settings to circumvent religious proscriptions against playing cards.

Eventually, however, the domino game spread worldwide. It first appeared in Italy in the early 1800s, and then in France and Austria in the mid-18th century. Since then, the domino has been used in many different types of games. One of the most popular is the scoring game. Another type is the trick-taking game. And yet another is the cross-over game.

Each domino has a face that is divided into two squares called ends. Each face has a number of spots, and each face must be in the same total as the faces that are adjacent. Occasionally, a domino will be blank on both sides.

Normally, a domino is twice as long as it is wide. However, this is not always the case. Often, dominoes are placed in rows or lines, and each tile has to be positioned so that it touches one end of the line. To achieve this, the player can either knock or rap the table.

The fall of a domino is similar to a nerve impulse. The pulse travels through the body at a constant speed, and it does not lose energy as it travels.