A domino is a small rectangular wood or plastic block with a face divided into halves, each half marked by an arrangement of dots resembling those on dice. Dominoes are used in games of chance or skill and can be arranged in straight or curved lines to form complex structures called a domino table. Dominoes are also the basis for the popular card game Twenty-One and a popular board game called Connect Four. The word domino is sometimes used as a metaphor to refer to a situation where one event causes a series of related events that unfold at an ever-increasing rate. A common example of this is a country expected to react politically in a certain way after an event, such as the end of colonial rule in Indochina, which was predicted by some who believed that once the French left, other nations would follow suit, like dominoes falling on each other in a line.

Dominoes are used to play a variety of games, and the basic rules for each game vary slightly. The instructions for each game are printed on the backs of the tiles or are listed on this website under the specific game name. For most games, players draw a hand of tiles and then place them on the domino table in a line that is referred to as the “line of play.” The winner of a game scores by counting the number of pips on the ends of the losing players’ remaining dominoes. Some games allow players to buy tiles from the stock, which is usually kept shuffled and available for play.

In business, the term domino is a metaphor for a process that contributes to a larger goal. A good domino is a task that requires a significant amount of time and effort but has a positive ripple effect in the future. For instance, creating a financial plan is an ideal domino because it allows you to set goals for your money and then create strategies for reaching those goals.

Jennifer Dukes Lee is a domino artist who learned to make dominoes as a child, when she’d visit her grandparents. Her fascination with the toys grew into a career, and now she’s a world-renowned expert in constructing large-scale domino scenes. She uses her YouTube channel, Hevesh5, to demonstrate the art of domino crafting and has even created sets for movies, TV shows, and music videos.

At Domino’s, the company prides itself on its open lines of communication with employees. Listening to employee feedback has allowed the company to turn around a declining reputation in the eyes of consumers and shareholders. Domino’s CEO, Brandon Doyle, has made this a core value of the company and has instituted new policies to encourage employee feedback. The Domino’s brand is now viewed as one of the best places to work. The company’s success demonstrates the Domino Effect, in which a change to one behavior triggers a chain reaction that influences other behaviors.