Domino is a small, flat rectangular game piece. It has a line or ridge running down the center of the domino which divides it into two square halves marked with different arrangements of dots. Each half is usually identified with a number, similar to those on a die, but some squares are blank (usually indicated by the word zero). A domino is made of a material like wood or bone and has a face, which is visible when it is placed on the table or in your hand. The back of the domino may be blank or decorated with a design. Dominos have a history dating back hundreds of years. Traditionally, the pieces have been made of a material such as bone, ivory or plastic, but they can also be made of paper or cardboard.

The name “domino” comes from the Latin dominum, meaning ‘little mountain’. Dominoes were once made of ebony blacks and ivory faces, so the name suggests the shape of these pieces. In its earlier sense, domino meant a long hooded cloak worn with a mask at a carnival or masquerade event, so the association with these games may be even older.

In its most basic form, the game involves laying down each domino in turn until all players have no more to play. Each player then counts the total number of dots on the exposed ends of their dominos. If the total is a multiple of five, the winning player receives that amount as their score. If the total is not a multiple of five, the winning player adds to his score the total of all of the opponents’ unplayed dominoes that have a count of more than five.

In other variations, each domino is played off the ends of other dominoes or off the sides of a double. A player can also place a double in a “spinner” position, allowing it to be used off both sides and later on one end. This makes for a more complicated and strategic game.

One of the most common strategies for winning a domino game is to block all of the opponents’ plays by laying your own dominoes across from them. If all the other players are blocked, you cannot make any plays and must wait until your turn again.

If you’re a writer, you probably know about the domino effect, where one scene naturally leads to the next. This is especially true if you’re a pantser, meaning that you don’t plot your book ahead of time. If you’re a pantser, you might find that some of your scenes don’t make much of an impact because they are at the wrong angle or don’t have enough logical impact on the scene ahead of it.

Domino’s is known for their pizza, but the company is also a leader in innovation and marketing strategy. They have been at the forefront of many advertising trends and are a model for other fast food chains. For example, they made a huge splash during London Fashion Week of 2019 by partnering with designer Liam Hodges to create a line of comfy clothes for Domino’s fans who want to stay in and watch a movie or TV show on their own at night.