Usually, in Dominican rules, if one player is blocked, he cannot play, has to pass, and does not draw from the bone yard; so those 27 bones are completely out of the game. In the variants of different cultures, sometimes the blocked player must draw one bone every time he passes, and in others must continue to draw bones until he has a play. But that is the game's objective: block the other team's moves, while getting your bones onto the board. It sounds easy, but there is a complicated tango of mathematics and shrew guesswork involved. Dominoes is a game that permits, even necessitates, "card" counting, and it is this dance of four intelligences, drawing on their own wisdom and experience of the game, that makes for the competitive aspect.
Here is the most important thing to know about Dominican dominoes: Never, ever, place a bone neatly on the board. Bones must be slammed down hard enough to wake the neighbors, or slid across the tablecloth with a flourish and a swagger. Dominicans -- and people of all cultures -- become very immersed in the competitive aspect of their games, whether or not there is money on the line. The domino game is a simulated combat, a chance to reveal sharp analytical skills. Old men relish dancing circles of wisdom around less tutored minds, and younger men develop mind-borne tables of chance and averages to maximize their odds. Dominoes is a useful outlet for the aggression and competitiveness natural to our species -- the drive to be the most evolutionarily fit -- especially since, once the game is done, no one is the worse for sharing a beer on the front porch. It is a way to test one's self without leaving the comfort of society and sunny afternoons, and a way to divert from the long day behind, and the longer one ahead.
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The players share ideas by laying down their bones, by subtle facial and body cues, by communications sub-vocal but just as evocative as the spoken word. It is important to follow one's partner, to try and decode the thoughts of the other team expressed in their choice of plays, to be immersed in the mood and conversation unspoken but burgeoningly present at the table. In this way social skills are improved.
The spoken conversation comes when a hand is done. Then, a younger player teamed up with an old hand, is sure to hear about each of his missteps, and comes to slowly realize -- with experience and time -- that they were not failures of analysis, but of communication. A winning player recounts every nuance of wisdom which guided his hand, and a sore loser demands that another hand be immediately dealt. Throughout, friendships have been forged and hardened by a shared, pleasurable experience.
Games will be around as long as there are people to play them. They fill deep needs of the human psyche and provide a backdrop for the experiences of bonding and friendship. It might be said that the human brain evolved too big for the needs of society, most people do not get to fully exercise their minds on most days. Games are an outlet for analytical exercise as well, helping to hone social and analytical skills. From the ancient Egyptians to American sidewalks, games are, have been, and will yet be.
Bibliography
1. Dominoes. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web 23 March 2010
2. Board Games. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web…
