Domino is a game of skill, strategy, and timing. It can be a simple game for a family, or it can be played competitively with friends or strangers. The game is popular around the world and has many variations. Dominos is also used as a tool to teach math skills. Students can create addition equations from the dots on each end of the dominos and use them to solve problems. The game can also be used to practice the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.

A domino is a rectangular tile with an arrangement of spots or pips on one side and blank or identically patterned on the other. Its value is determined by the number of pips on the dominant side and may be zero, meaning there are no pips on that side of the piece, or it may be higher, such as a double-six, which means it has six pips on one side. Dominoes are sometimes called bones, cards, men, or pieces, and can be found in almost any color.

There are countless games that can be played with dominoes, and new ones are being created all the time. Some are very simple, such as a dominoes board where each player has a number of dominoes that they must place in order before taking their turn. Others are complex, such as a domino show, where players construct amazing domino reactions and effects before an audience.

In many domino games, the player with the highest value domino leads. Normally, if this domino is a double, it will be called “the opening double” and the other players will try to match it with their own dominoes. Players continue playing until one player cannot take a turn, or the entire table is filled with dominoes and no matches are available.

The most commonly played domino game involves placing dominoes in a grid, and then trying to create horizontal or vertical lines of matching numbers. The first player to do this wins the game. There are also several other versions of the game, and some involve blocking or scoring points. In some cases, dominoes are arranged in a ring and then flipped over, like a die, with each turn resulting in the flipping of one or more dominoes.

The game can be played on a flat surface, or it can be played on a floor that is designed to prevent the dominoes from sliding off. It is best if the players play on a hard surface, since it will make it easier for them to stand the dominoes on their edges. This is important because, if the dominoes are on a carpet, they will slide over each other and become untidy. A set of dominoes can be purchased at most toy stores, and they can also be bought online. They are usually made from silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), bone, ivory, or dark woods such as ebony, with black or white pips inlaid or painted on the pieces.