Why they call it forty-two

The Handbook of Texas entry on forty-two is short about the name. Dennis Roberson writes that the name comes from the forty-two points in a hand. That is the whole claim.

The same entry says a double-six set is used, that partners bid and name trump, and that the first team to 250 wins. Those are the Handbook's lines. They sit next to the naming sentence. They do not unpack how the forty-two points are counted tile by tile.

On this site the puzzles treat seven tricks as one point each and five count tiles as the other thirty-five. That count is how the hands here are drawn. The Handbook says a hand is forty-two points. It does not print that five-tile list in the entry. Friday's note already said so in the open. This one is only the name.

If somebody at your table says "forty-two" and means the score of a made bid, or the game itself, or the points still out — that is table talk. The Handbook's naming line is thin paper next to that chatter, and thinner than a full scoring lesson. Both can be true at once.

Sources:

• Dennis Roberson, "Forty-Two (Domino Game)," Handbook of Texas Online. Original publication September 4, 2009. Most recent revision January 5, 2012. tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/forty-two-domino-game