Domino is a game played with a set of small rectangular blocks, each having one or more faces that are blank or marked by dots resembling those on dice. A domino is normally twice as long as it is wide, and the pips on the ends indicate its value. Typically, the most common domino set has 28 unique pieces (although extended sets may contain more). Dominoes are also known as bones, cards, tiles, stones or tickets, and a common nickname is “the game of chance”.
The game has many variants, but in general play begins with each player choosing the highest double in his or her hand. This is called an opening double. If the highest double is not available, the player must wait until one of his or her opponents chips out and then begin by playing a domino with a value that adds to the sum of the already played dominoes. A domino’s value is determined by the number of pips on each half of its face; a domino with three pips on one end and five on the other is a triple, while a domino with six pips on both ends is a double-six.
Each time a player plays a domino, the other players must follow suit by placing their own dominoes on the table in front of them. When all the players have played, the game is over and the winners are those whose combined total of spots on their remaining dominoes is the least. Depending on the variant, the dominoes can then be re-stacked in a new configuration for another round of play.
The domino effect, also known as the law of large numbers, states that a single event can cause a chain reaction with far-reaching effects, even if that first event is small. This principle has been used to explain everything from earthquakes to stock market crashes. Regardless of the origin of the principle, it is important to recognize the impact of the domino effect, and understand how to apply it to everyday life.
Domino’s Pizza CEO Don Meij takes the idea of the domino effect seriously and has instituted a system that he calls the “domino theory” at his company. The domino theory involves addressing the primary complaints of Domino’s customers to make sure the chain can meet customer demands. In this case, the dominant complaint is delivery service issues. So, the Domino’s delivery van initiative is meant to address that issue and improve the customer experience.
In the 1977 Frost/Nixon interviews, Richard Nixon defended the United States’ invasion of Chile on the grounds that it would lead to a domino theory, whereby Communist Cuba and Communism in Latin America could create a “red sandwich” that the US couldn’t penetrate. Although this theory has been criticized for being simplistic, it has served as the basis for several political and military actions in the twentieth century.