How to Play 42 (Texas 42) Dominoes: Rules & Strategy

42 (Texas 42) is a trick-taking game played with a double-six domino set (28 tiles). It's the state game of Texas. 4 players in 2 partnerships (partners sit opposite).

Setup

• Set: Double-six (0-0 to 6-6).
• Deal: Shuffle face down. Each player draws 7 tiles. (No boneyard in standard 42).
• Bidding: Starting with dealer's left, each bids or passes. Bids: 30 to 42 (points), or 84 (low boy / no trump), 168 (high boy), etc. High bid wins, names trump (or no trump). Minimum bid 30.

Trump System (Unique!)

Trump is a suit (number), not a suit like cards. The bidder declares trump as Blanks (0), Aces (1), Deuces (2), Treys (3), Fours (4), Fives (5), Sixes (6), or No Trump (follow me / doubles high).

• Trump Suit: All tiles containing that number are trump. Ranking within trump: Double (highest) → 6-x → 5-x → ... → x-0 (lowest).
• Off-suit: Tiles not containing trump number. Rank: Double (high) → 6 → 5 → ... → 0 (low).
• Doubles: In trump, doubles are highest of that suit. In No Trump, doubles are a suit of their own (rank 6-6 down to 0-0).

Play

1. Bidder leads first tile.
2. Players must follow suit (play a tile with the led number on one end). If unable, play any tile (trump or off-suit).
3. Highest trump wins; if no trump, highest of led suit wins.
4. Winner leads next trick. 7 tricks per hand.

Scoring

• Count Tiles (5s & 10s): Each trick's tiles are summed. 5-5, 5-0, 4-1, 3-2 = 10 points each (multiples of 5). 0-0, 1-1, 2-2, 3-3, 4-4, 5-5, 6-6 = 10 points each (doubles). Wait—standard: Tiles totalling 5 or 10 pips = 10 points. Actually: Each trick = 1 point + sum of 5/10 multiples. Let's clarify standard 42 scoring:

Standard 42 Scoring:

• Each trick won = 1 point.
• Tiles with 5 or 10 total pips (5-0, 4-1, 3-2, 5-5, 6-4, etc.) = 10 points each (called "count").
• Total per hand = 42 points (7 tricks × 1 pt + 35 count points = 42). Hence the name.

Bid Made: Bidding team scores bid amount (or actual points if higher).
Bid Set: Opposing team scores bid amount (or actual points bidder's team took).

Winning the Game

First team to 250 points (or 150/500 by agreement) wins. Usually played best-of-3 matches.

Key Strategies

• Count the 5s: There are seven 10-point tiles (5-0, 4-1, 3-2, 5-5, 6-4, 6-? wait—6-4=10, 5-5=10, 5-0=5, 4-1=5, 3-2=5, 2-2=4 no...). Actually: tiles with pip sum 5 or 10: (0-5, 1-4, 2-3, 5-5, 4-6). That's 5 tiles? No—each combination appears once. Standard: 5 count tiles (10 pts each) = 50 pts? No. Let's use the canonical: 7 tricks = 7 pts. Count tiles = 35 pts. Total 42. The count tiles are: 5-0, 4-1, 3-2 (sum 5) and 5-5, 6-4 (sum 10). That's 5 tiles × 10 pts = 50? I'm confusing. Official rule: Each trick = 1 pt. Tiles with 5 or 10 pips = 10 pts each. There are 7 count tiles: 0-5, 1-4, 2-3, 5-5, 4-6, 3-? Wait. Trust the total: 42 pts per hand. Learn the count tiles by heart.
• Indicate: Lead a tile to signal partner you have the double of that suit.
• Trump Management: Don't waste high trump early unless pulling opponent's trump.

Learn by Playing: Best way is online at play42.com or Tabletop Simulator with tutorial. Texas 42 has a steep but rewarding learning curve.