Domino is a popular game in which domino pieces are stacked on end in long lines and tipped over to cause the next domino to fall and so on. The result can be a complex layout that is fun for adults and children alike. It is also a metaphor for the “domino effect,” which describes how one simple action can have much bigger consequences. For example, making your bed every morning is a small action that can lead to many other positive side effects like getting more sleep and eating better.

The first domino is usually a blank tile with a number of dots or pips on it. Unlike playing cards, the most basic dominoes do not have matching values on each end; instead, only the number of dots or pips determines a piece’s value. In the most basic Western games, each player draws a random number of dominoes to play. The remainder of the dominoes are left behind and are called the stock or, in the US, the boneyard. The first player to play all of their dominoes wins.

Aside from block-and-draw dominoes, other types of games have been developed that feature more advanced rules and scoring systems. These include variants of solitaire and trick-taking, which were once popular in places where religious laws forbade playing cards. A traditional domino set has 28 unique pieces: two dominoes each with all possible combinations of six spots on their ends, plus the blank pieces.

Hevesh is also known for her domino art, in which she creates elaborate curved or straight lines, grids that form pictures when they fall, stacked walls, and 3D structures such as pyramids. Her largest installations can involve hundreds of thousands of dominoes and may take several nail-biting minutes to fall. Hevesh is able to create her amazing displays because of one physical phenomenon: gravity. She says she starts each project by making a test run in the backyard to see if the design works before bringing it inside for the big show.

The most important thing to remember when creating a domino art is that the structure must always be stable. If a domino is too heavy, it will topple over and destroy the entire setup. This is why Hevesh carefully tests each section of a domino display before assembling it. She even films each one in slow motion, allowing her to make precise adjustments if something isn’t working. This attention to detail has helped her achieve some incredible feats, including a Guinness record for the most dominoes in a circular arrangement.