How to Play Dominoes—and Why You Should! - By: Groshan Fabiola

In the United States, too often the dominoes game is a pastime that falls by the wayside. We’ve got dozens of card games, chess, checkers, board games, and video games from which to choose when we’re looking to liven up an evening. That doesn’t even count the TV, movies, shopping, sports, and other entertainment that fills our free time.

Most of the rest of the world would list playing dominoes games among their favorite pastimes—if not as their most favorite pastime. You know those European and Asian “domino rally” tournaments where they set up thousands—or millions—of dominoes for hours only to knock them all over and watch a pretty pattern form for a few minutes? Well, that kind of dominoes game is not the only pastime on their minds!

The dominoes game is a game that’s been played for nearly nine hundred years. It combines the expansive table-top play of chess or checkers with the luck and approach of card games. Read over the dominoes rules below, but don’t let yourself get confused! The dominoes rules seem more complex than they are.

The most frequently played version, Double Six, is played with 28 tiles, or “bones,” each with two numbers of dots, or “pips,” from zero to six. The bones on which there are two of the same number of pips are called “double-that number,” with the double-six being the highest value bone.

To play the dominoes game, which can be played with two to four players, shuffle all of the bones facedown and let each player draw six bones that they keep hidden from the view of the other player(s). Place the leftover pile of dominoes aside, still facedown.

What’s the first of the dominoes rules? Whoever has the double-six bone plays that bone to start the dominoes game. If no one has the double-six, the next highest double-numbered bone is played. If no one has a double-numbered bone, the bones are reshuffled and the players draw again.

Play continues to the left of the first player. The next player must place a bone with at least one number that matches the first double-numbered bone. For example, if the first double-numbered bone was the double-six, the next player may play a tile that has six pips on one end and four pips on the other. He or she lines up the new tile perpendicularly to the first tile, with the matching numbers touching.

After this, there are always two chains of play as an option for each player. In this example, the next player may play another bone with six pips on one end at the opposite end of the first double-six bone or they may play any bone—double-numbered or not—with a four on it at the other end.

The double-numbered bones are the only bones that appear on the dominoes game playing table perpendicularly to the neighboring bones. Otherwise, tiles should be laid end-to-end, unless the players run out of room on the dominoes game table. If there is no more room, players are allowed to start a new chain of bones at a right angle to the other chain.

If at any time a player does not have a bone with the right number of pips to match either chain of play, they must continuously draw from the leftover bone pile until they are able to place a bone and then the play passes to the next player. If there are no leftover bones left to draw, the player must knock on the table and announce that they have to pass.

The first player to run out of bones in his or her hand wins! If you would like to play more than one dominoes game, you and the other players can decide on a predetermined amount of points, like 100, that will decide the overall winner. When a player wins a game, the other player(s) count up the pip value of al of the bones left in their hands and that amount of points is awarded to the winner.

If you can’t find anyone with whom to play a dominoes game—especially considering its inexplicable lack of overall popularity in the United States—head to the Internet to play a dominoes games online! One place to play a completely free online dominoes game is http://www.dominomatch.com.

You can start playing your free online dominoes game at DominoMatch.com against one to three computerized players until you get the hang of the game. If at any time you need a refresher on the dominoes rules, click on DominoMatch.com’s information page or “help” button. Once you get used to the dominoes rules and play, try playing against one to three live Internet players from around the world!

The dominoes game can be every bit as fun as Poker and every bit as challenging as checkers. With free online dominoes game sites like DominoMatch.com, playing the dominoes game is easier than ever. Take a crash course in the dominoes rules and start playing dominoes games online today!

About the Author

For more resources about dominoes games online or even about online dominoes please review this website http://www.dominomatch.com

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Groshan-Fabiola/3770

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