Dominoes, also known as bones or cards, are a type of board game that is played by four players, using a variety of tiles. Each player takes turns adding a tile to the game platform and then drawing their hand. Before the game begins, each player agrees on a target score for the game. The player who reaches this target wins the game. Typically, the opposing players’ tile pips are awarded to the winning player. However, there are a few variants of the game that allow tiles to be added to the board at any time.

Traditionally, European style dominoes are made of dark hardwoods such as ebony and ivory. Several variants of the game, such as doubles, are played with a total of 12 pips. These games require that players place the doubles perpendicular to the line, so that a pips on each half of the face of the doubles equals the number of pips on the other.

The first tile played is typically the double-six, which consists of six pips. This domino is also the heaviest. Depending on the game, additional tiles can be added to the board only against the long side of the double. When the second tile is played, it is a 6-five. If a third tile is played, it is a 4-6. In the Concentration version of the game, players are required to play a total of twelve pips.

To play, a player must place a tile on the table, and then use a certain number of pips to calculate their score. In most of the versions of the game, the pips are numbered. Generally, the lower number is listed on the front of the domino and the other is on the back. Some large sets, however, have Arabic numerals instead of pips.

The first domino is typically placed in the middle of the table, and the other pieces are placed edge to edge. The chain of dominoes, called the “deck,” is then laid out in a particular way. It is divided into two squares, called ends, and the ends are only open for play in the game. Normally, the chain is twice as wide as it is tall, but in some versions, a player can lay a single domino on the end.

Unlike traditional playing cards, dominoes bear a special mark on their faces. This mark indicates the arrangement of pips on one or both ends of the domino. They are marked in such a way that they can be identified from a distance. A domino is said to be “stitched up” if a player is able to play a domino that has the same number at both ends.

Dominoes are played in many different ways, and can be found in games all over the world. There are several versions of the game, including Mexican train, chicken foot, matador, and trick-taking. Most versions of the game are adaptations of card games. Others have a unique character.