Domino is a game in which players place dominoes (also called stones, cards, men, or pieces) on a line or arc to make them fall over. Each domino has one or more numbered sides, either blank or with an arrangement of dots or pips (sometimes called spots) that resemble those on a die. A domino’s value is determined by its number of pips, and it may also be described as “lighter” or “heavier” depending on the number of pips it has. The most common domino sets have 28 dominoes.

The game is played by taking turns placing tiles in the proper order, with each player attempting to create chains of dominoes that lead to victory. Many different games may be played with the same set of dominoes, though most fall into four categories: blocking games, scoring games, and positional games.

A domino set is often made from a natural material, such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory, or ebony black; polymer dominoes are also available. These are generally lighter and more durable than wood, but they are often less visually appealing. In the past, sets were also made from a variety of other materials, such as stone (e.g., marble, granite, or soapstone); other woods (e.g., hickory or cedar); metals (e.g., brass or pewter); ceramic clay; and even frosted glass.

In addition to the games described above, dominoes can also be used for art and can be arranged to form a variety of shapes. They can be stacked in straight lines, curved lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, or 3D structures like towers and pyramids. The possibilities are almost endless.

As a form of artistic expression, domino art can be done in two ways: creating patterns on the surface of the dominoes and drawing arrows to show how they will fall. It is also possible to sculpt the pieces into more artistic shapes and to paint them.

When playing a domino game, the first thing to do is decide who will make the first play. This may be based on the rules of the game being played, or it may be determined by luck. After this, the player draws the number of tiles he is allowed to take from the stock and adds them to the ones he already has in his hand. The tiles he draws may be passed to other players or discarded, depending on the rules of the game. If he does not have enough tiles to continue, he can buy (See Passing and Byeing below) additional ones from the stock. Then he makes his play. If a mistake is made, the tile must be recalled. A player who has no more than one tile in his hand may pass a turn, but only if the other players do not object to it. Similarly, if he has no more than two tiles and his opponents do not object, he may draw another tile from the stock.