How to play Texas 42 dominoes

A double-six set, twenty-eight dominoes, blanks through sixes. Four people. Two teams. Partners sit across the table, not beside each other.

On this site you can sit South with an AI partner and two AI opponents, so a full table is always waiting. No credits, no lobby.

• Double-six set28 dominoes. Nothing bigger.
• Four playersYou, a partner, two across.
• Partners oppositeNorth–South vs East–West.

Each domino has two ends. Those numbers are the suits, blanks, aces (1s), deuces, treys, fours, fives, and sixes. A double (6-6, 5-5, and so on) is the high domino in its suit when that suit is trump.

Most dominoes are just dominoes. Five of them are count, they are worth extra points when you take the trick they sit in:

• 10 points
• 10 points
• 5 points
• 5 points
• 5 points

The first game of a sitting, draw from the whole 28 face down — one to a chair, high domino shakes. After that, the side that won shakes, and their two chairs take turns.

Someone shuffles (some folks say “shakes”) the dominoes face down. Each player draws seven. Nothing is left face down to draw from. The dealer (shaker) rotates after each hand.

On this table you sit South. Your partner is North. West and East are the other team. Bidding starts to the left of the dealer and goes around once.

You are saying how many of those 42 points your team can take. Each player gets one chance: bid higher than the last bid, or pass. No talking across the table about what is in your hand.

1. 1Bids start at 30 and climb one point at a time through 41.
2. 2Next comes 42, which is one mark. After that you bid marks: two marks, then three, and so on.
3. 3Highest bid wins. That player names trump (or follow-me) and leads the first trick, unless an optional extra like Splash hands that job to partner.
4. 4If everybody passes, Tournament shuffles again and the shake moves. We do not force the dealer to bid 30. House (or Custom with Forced bid on) makes the last seat open at 30 when the first three passed. See Rules.

The bid winner names the contract before the first domino is led. In Tournament 42 you may name:

• A suit: blanks through sixes. Those dominoes are trump. The double of that suit is the highest trump.
• Follow-me: no trump. The high end of the lead is the suit. Doubles play in their pip suit.
• Doubles: the seven doubles are trump, 6-6 high down to 0-0. On in Tournament; you can turn it off in Custom.

House tables may also offer Nello, Sevens, Splash, and Plunge. Those are explained with live-or-soon badges on the Rules encyclopedia.

Four dominoes make a trick (three, if partner is sitting out on Nello). Highest trump wins. If nobody played trump, the highest domino in the suit that was led wins. Winner leads the next trick.

You must follow suit if you can. This site uses Austin-style follow, the way tournament 42 is commonly written:

• The suit of the lead is the high end of that domino, unless the domino is trump, in which case the suit is trump.
• A domino that is not trump can follow either of its ends. The 6-5 can follow sixes or fives.
• A trump domino is trump only. If sixes are trump, the 6-5 is a trump, not a five. You cannot use it to follow a five lead. Follow with a real five, or dump if you have none.

Follow suit if you can. The table does not block a wrong domino; a renege can be caught and costs the hand. If you cannot follow, you may play any domino, including trump.

After seven tricks, we count. Your team's points are tricks you took (one each) plus any count dominoes in those tricks.

• A bid under 42 is made if your team takes at least that many points.
• A bid of 42 or more marks means you must take all seven tricks.
• If you make it, your team writes the marks you bid. If you get set, the other team writes those marks instead.

This site's Tournament preset races to seven marks, first to seven wins. That is the common modern race, used in tournament play (Pagat). The Handbook race is a running point total: first team to 250 points (TSHA). The table can be set to a different marks-to-win number; this site scores in marks. Origin, TSHA 250, and marks as a labeled variation live on History.

The fastest way to feel a hand is to sit down. Tap Play solo, pick a style for your partner (Steady is a kind table-mate) and the two opponents, then Deal. The bots bid and play with you. They are programmed 42, not a chatbot, and they will not let the table stall. A first-hand coach sits above your dominoes for bidding and tricks; turn it off any time and we will not nag.

Keep this page nearby the first time if you like, or just play. House rules and the encyclopedia wait under Rules. Private rooms are still warming up; Create and Join deal a solo hand with the bots you picked so you can play now.