Dominoes are a kind of game piece, similar to playing cards but much more colorful and larger. They are marked on one side with an arrangement of spots, or “pips,” and blank or identically patterned on the other. When a domino is laid down, it must be matched with another domino of the same color or pattern on both sides. Dominoes are used in a number of different games, including a variant of poker called dominoes and a game of chance, in which players place chips or other markers on the ends of dominoes that are then flipped over. The first player to score a set amount of points wins the game.
Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan had a strong determination to make his business a success and was willing to take on challenges that many others would not. Despite lawsuits and competing with established chains such as Pizza Hut and Little Caesar’s, Domino’s continued to grow. He also was able to take on and win over new franchisees.
The earliest sets of dominoes consisted of just the 21 results of throwing two six-sided dice (2d6). Eventually, other sets of dominoes were developed for use in various countries around the world. These later sets included duplicates of some dice throws and were divided into suits, with each suit containing a certain number of each domino piece. Some sets were also longer than European dominoes.
In modern times, domino has been used as a game for children, as well as in more sophisticated games for adults and for competitions. For example, some artists create intricate domino arrangements, such as the one by Finnish acrobat Hevesh that is featured in a popular YouTube video with over 2 million views. These massive setups can take several nail-biting minutes to fall as the pips slide together and push each other until they finally tip over.
Another type of domino game involves putting down a domino of the same color as an existing tile, and then matching it with other dominoes of the same color to form chains that can reach across the board. These chains can be manipulated to cause the resulting dominoes to stop at any point desired, a feature that has become known as a “domino cascade.”
In some domino games, the total number of pips on each end is used to determine the winner. In other games, the pips on the open end of the domino are added together to get a total that is divisible by either 5 or 3. This total, or “score,” is then awarded to the player who has the highest score.
In writing, the concept of a domino effect can help writers create a logical chain of events for their scenes. If a scene doesn’t advance the story or have any logical impact on the scene ahead of it, the writer may need to rethink the plot. For example, if a character does something immoral, the writer will need to provide logic for why this action is justified.