Dominoes are small, rectangular blocks used as gaming objects. They are normally made of a rigid material such as bone, silver lip ocean pearl oyster shell (mother of pearl), ivory or dark hardwood such as ebony and have one side bearing an arrangement of dots resembling those on dice. The other sides are either blank or identically patterned. Each domino is also marked with a number, which determines its rank, or weight, as indicated by the total value of all its pips.

Dominos are usually stacked on end in long lines, with each domino able to topple over the next in a sequence of events called a chain reaction. This can create very complex patterns of interconnected tiles that can lead to a climactic display.

Lily Hevesh, 20, was hooked on dominoes as a kid. Her grandparents gave her a 28-piece set, and she quickly started creating dazzling designs that grew more elaborate as she got older. She now makes her living creating amazing domino installations for films, TV shows and events, including a recent album launch for pop star Katy Perry. Her domino installations can take hours to build, and many of them feature dozens of thousands of tiles that all need to fall in just the right order.

Hevesh uses science to make her installations possible, and it starts with understanding the principles of gravity. “When you stand a domino upright, it stores some potential energy,” she explains. “But when you knock it over, that potential energy is converted to kinetic energy—energy of motion.” And then some of that energy is transmitted to the dominoes around it, causing them to push on each other and continue the chain reaction.

She also explains that a domino has open ends, which are meant to be played onto. A tile can only be played against a domino with matching ends, and these must be adjacent to each other if the tiles are to form a complete chain. Unless the tiles are doubles, which are placed cross-ways across the ends of the chain, additional tiles may be played to any of the four open sides of the doubles, but never against a single, closed, or short side of a domino.

Although many games can be played with dominoes, they are most commonly used in positional games. In these games each player in turn places a domino edge to edge against another, positioning it so that the two adjacent sides match in number and/or color (e.g., 5 to 1). If the two adjacent dominoes match, they are said to be in a “trick,” and the player then takes the next turn. In these games the winner is determined by the first player to place a domino with all of its pips touching the matching pair on adjacent sides. A domino that is not touching a matching pair is referred to as a “bumper.” Some domino sets use different types of materials for the tiles, including a variety of stones; other woods such as birch and maple; metals like brass or pewter; ceramic clay; and even frosted glass and crystal.

Baccarat is one of the most popular casino games in Asia and Europe and now it’s making its way to America. With a high potential for profitability and the fact that it’s one of the few casino table games that can really put a hurt on the house, you shouldn’t be surprised to see more tables offering this game at your favorite casino.

The simplest way to play Baccarat is to place your chips on either the Player or Banker hand. Each player is dealt two cards and the goal is to get a hand that is closest to nine. When the score is calculated, all pips count (the dots on a card that are clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades) are added up. Tens, face cards and aces count as zero, while the rest of the cards are worth their pip value.

When a Player or Banker hand is declared the winner, the winning bet is paid out. The payout on a tie bet is 95% of the stake, while the losing bets are split evenly. Baccarat is a game of chance, but there are some strategies that can help you win more often.

One of the most important things to remember when playing baccarat is that if a player’s hand totals 8 or 9, there is no need to draw a third card. This is known as a natural and is a very rare occurrence. The other hand that must be drawn is when the player’s total is less than 10 and the banker has a 9. A third card will then be drawn on these hands to determine the winner.

In the 19th Century, Baccarat made a name for itself with its fine glassware, particularly its milky-white vases that were prized for their prismatic lustre. The company also produced opulent lighting fixtures for exhibitions and royalty. Its most famous work, though, was the 1867 ‘Jusivy’ table service that was designed for an exhibition at Paris’ Exposition Universelle.

Whether you’re a newbie or an experienced gambler, free online baccarat is the perfect place to practice your skills without risking real money. You can try out different betting systems and learn the rules of the game before you decide to play for real cash. You can also find a number of great websites that offer live dealer Baccarat games, which provide the same thrills as a real casino floor. Try out a game today to see how you fare!