How about a game of Dominoes?

From the streets of Spanish Harlem, down to the Caribbean and all across the globe, the game of dominoes has been considered to be one of the most popular games in the world. There are tournaments held annually in many countries and local clubs in those areas. You can even find personalized domino sets and tables that represent either your nationality or favorite logo.

It is said that dominoes originated in china in the 12^th century, but there have also been theories that suggest Egyptian and Arabian origins. It did appear later on in the early 18^th century in Italy and from there it spread to the rest of Europe becoming one of the most popular games in both family parlors and pubs.

Dominoes have also been said to be an evolution of dice. The numbers in a standard double –six domino set represent all the rolls of two six-sided dice. The traditional Sino-European domino set consist of 28 dominoes nicknamed bones, cards, tiles, tickets, stones and spinners and can be assembled in numerous ways to create wide range of games.

One of the simplest and most popular domino games is block and draw, a game mainly played with 2 opponents. The dominoes are laid faced down and are then shuffled. The person who takes lead is chosen by drawing the highest valued domino (the one with the most spots). Each person draws seven dominoes and sets them on a domino tray in a way that their opponent cannot see the spots. Each player plays one domino in turn. The player must match the open end of a dominoes already played.

If one player is blocked, the opponents goes on until a domino is placed that the blocked player can match. The games ends when one player domino (goes out) or when both players are blocked and no moves can be made. The score is accumulated by the total number of spots a player has on their remaining tiles. From there, the player with the fewest spots is declared the winner.

Another popular game played is All Fives. Besides Block and Draw, many consider All Fives one of the very best domino games. This game is played using a double-six set for 2 to 4 players. The goal in this is not just to go out but also to make open ends of the layout add up to 5 or multiples of 5.

After shuffling the dominoes, each player draws a single tile to determine who goes first, like Block and Draw the highest valued tile leads the game. The tiles are then placed back to the stock and are reshuffled. The number of tiles drawn by each player is determined by the amount of players. The remaining tiles are then sent to the “bone yard” or stock until a draw is needed.

The first player places the first domino, which can be of any value but when a double tile is placed it can be played off of on all four sides. The rest of the game begins clockwise with each player placing one domino to an open end, if possible. If no move can be made then the “bone yard” becomes useful as a player can continue to draw until a move is possible. Once the stock has been depleted the player must pass.

Since the game objective of this game is to strategically make moves that add up to 5 or multiples of 5, once that move is made that player will receive that amount of points. The game is generally played to 100 or 200 points, or whatever is decided before the game starts.

Now that you know a few things about dominoes and a couple of games you can play, it would be a great time to check out our latest inventory. If you’re asking yourself what goes great with a Chinese Roaster? A domino set and table could be your answer, especially while you’re waiting for a great meal!