Dominoes are a variant of playing cards. They are marked with an arrangement of pips and a line in the middle. The game of dominoes can be played by two players, with each taking turns placing tiles.

Dominoes have a long and complicated history. The origins of the word are unknown, but the first recorded use of the word was in a 1771 Dictionnaire de Trevoux. It probably originated as a word for a masquerade mask. Interestingly, the term was also used to refer to a black and white hood worn by Christian priests during winter.

There are several different games of dominoes, all of which have different characteristics and play styles. Most are adaptations of card games, but there are some unique forms. For example, some of the Chinese versions don’t involve matching. Another form is called the concentration variant, and it requires the total number of pips in the player’s hand to be at least twelve. This variant is played with a double-six set.

The European-style dominoes were traditionally made of ebony, ivory or dark hardwoods. During the 18th century, the dominoes were popular in Italy and France, and the game spread to England. One theory is that the dominoes were introduced to Britain by French prisoners of war.

Dominoes can be laid on a flat surface, either horizontally or vertically, and can be stacked on end in long lines. To play the game, the first player chooses one tile and places it face up in the center of the table. Next, the second player takes another tile and matches one end of it to a part of the first tile.

Typically, dominoes are laid out in rows, but they can be laid out in other directions. Some versions of dominoes require both players to chip out, but others allow for a player to lay down a tile to change the direction of the line.

In addition to being placed on the table, dominoes must be shuffled before they are played. When a domino is tipped over, it is removed from the layout, and the next domino in the line is placed on top. Sometimes, a single domino can tip over on its own, causing the entire layout to fall.

Doubles are usually placed in cross-ways in the layout. However, in some games, all four sides of the double are considered open, and the player can add additional tiles to the end of the chain.

A few of the more common sets of dominoes are the double-12 set, which contains 55 tiles; the double-18 set, with 190 tiles; and the double-18+ set, with 253 tiles. These sets are too large to be useful in most domino games.

In addition to playing a domino, some people create fun courses for their friends. Using dominoes, they can make a series of links in a row or a chain, or they can even make a “L” shape by placing tiles in straight angles.