Domino is a game of skill, chance, and timing. It involves placing domino pieces in a line, either lengthwise or crosswise. Some of the tiles have a specific number, while others are blank or identically patterned on both sides. Dominos also feature an arrangement of dots, or pips, on one face that identify the piece. The heaviest double or single begins play, depending on the rules of the game. If there is a tie, the winner of the previous game may open the next game by drawing new hands.

Once a domino is set in motion, the rest of the pieces fall down in a chain reaction. In a domino show, builders use thousands of pieces to create complex patterns and reactions before an audience. The smallest nudge can cause the entire domino line to fall, just like nerve impulses travel at a constant speed through the axons of neurons.

The first domino to fall is called the “leader.” It sets the pace of the entire sequence, and the other players must follow suit in order for the game to continue. If the leader fails to play a tile, he loses his turn and must draw another hand from the stock. Some games allow ties to be broken by drawing additional hands from the stock, while others simply declare a winner by counting the number of pips remaining in the losing player’s hands at the end of a hand or game.

Some games require the use of a stock, or boneyard, where all the remaining tiles are placed. Normally, the players draw seven tiles from this stock and place them on-edge in front of themselves, so they cannot see the pips of the other players’ tiles. A player who draws a domino that is not his to play must immediately reveal it, and the player who drew it must take it back into the stock.

While the majority of domino games are played with just a double-six set, there are many more that have been developed over the years. These additional sets are known as domino expansions, and they allow for more elaborate and challenging games. They can be added to existing sets or used as a starting point for a new game.

When a player draws more dominos than he is entitled to, it is referred to as an overdraw. When this happens, the player to his right takes the extra tiles without looking at them and returns them to the stock. The dominos in the overdrawn hand must then be reshuffled before anyone else draws them.

Domino’s is the most well-known name in domino, and it was the company that introduced a radical change in leadership techniques in 2019. The old style of management was ineffective, so the company implemented a new model that places emphasis on developing leaders who stand out and make their own marks rather than those who are “cloned” from the top down.