Rules encyclopedia

Texas 42 rules · tournament & house

Tournament 42 and every optional extra on the table, in the same language as the house-rules panel. New to bidding and tricks? Start with How to play. Badges tell you what this solo table will actually deal today.

Tournament baseline

Live in play

The Tournament preset is this site's straight 42. It matches what the table saves as Tournament, not a guess at every hall in Texas. That spirit matches N42PA-sanctioned play: bylaws name no plunge, nello, or sevens; this site also turns Splash off (Star tournament coverage). This site is not affiliated with them; read their story on History.

Partnership four-handYou and partner vs the other pair. First to 7 marks.
Doubles as trumpBidder may name the seven doubles as trump.
Follow-me / no-trumpAlways offered as a contract. Not a separate toggle.
Nello, Splash, Plunge, SevensOptional extras stay off.
Forced bidOff. Four passes shuffle again and the shake moves.
Moon3-player table off, and not live in this solo engine.

House turns every house-play option on, including Moon, which still only saves your preference. Custom lets you mix. Nothing is paywalled. Race is 7 marks (House is also 7).

Encyclopedia

Every option on the panel

Follow-me is always on the contract pad. The rest match the toggles in Table rules: same names, same meaning (Pistol in 84). Live in play means this site will deal it. Not available yet means the switch saves and the page tells the truth.

Follow-me (no trump)

No-trump · Doubles-high

Live in play

What it is

No trump suit. The high end of the domino that is led is the suit everyone follows. Doubles belong to their pip: the 5-5 is a five, not its own suit. Highest domino in the led suit takes the trick.

When you can bid it

Always available after a normal bid. Not an optional extra. Tournament and House both allow it. Name it when you win the bid, same as naming blanks through sixes.

Marks

Same as a regular contract: make the point bid, or take all seven tricks if you bid 42 / marks.

Forced bid

Live in play

What it is

If the first three seats pass, the last seat must open at the minimum bid instead of passing. In 42 that is 30. The last seat may bid higher. Four passes never happen, so the shake does not move on an all-pass.

When you can bid it

House (or Custom with Forced bid on). Off in Tournament. Austin / N42PA-style halls typically shuffle after four passes.

Marks

Not a contract. It only decides whether the last seat may pass.

Doubles as trump

Doubles trump

Live in play

What it is

The seven doubles become their own trump suit. 6-6 is highest, then 5-5, down to 0-0. Off-double dominoes follow the high end of the lead, same as a regular suit.

When you can bid it

On in Tournament and House. Turn it off in Custom if your home table does not play doubles as a trump. After you win a normal bid, tap Doubles on the contract pad.

Marks

Same as a regular contract. A 42 or marks bid still means you must take every trick.

Nello (Low)

Nel-O · Nillo · Low · Low-boy

Live in play

What it is

A reverse contract: you try to take zero tricks. There is no trump. Doubles are their own suit; if a double is led, you follow with a double if you have one. Your partner sits this hand out. You play three-handed against the other pair.

When you can bid it

House (or Custom with Nello on). After you win a normal bid of 42 / one mark or higher, you may name Nello. Splash and Plunge cannot become Nello.

Marks

The marks you bid (usually one). Make it by taking no tricks. If you take even one trick, you are set and the other team gets those marks.

Splash

Bump · three-doubles jump

Live in play

What it is

You hold at least three doubles and jump to an all-tricks contract. Your partner names trump and leads, without talking it over with you. Kitchen tables disagree on the mark count. This site uses two marks.

When you can bid it

House (or Custom with Splash on), and you actually hold three or more doubles. Offered on the bid pad as Splash. Hidden in Tournament.

Marks

Two marks. Your team must take all seven tricks. One trick to the other side sets you, and they get both marks.

Plunge

Crash · four-doubles jump

Live in play

What it is

Like Splash, only bigger. You hold at least four doubles. Partner names trump and leads. Some kitchens call this Crash.

When you can bid it

House (or Custom with Plunge on), with four or more doubles in hand. Offered as Plunge on the bid pad. Hidden in Tournament.

Marks

Four marks. Sweep required. Get set and the other team writes all four.

Sevens

Live in play

What it is

No regular trump. Each play must be the domino in your hand whose pips add closest to seven. Closest to seven wins the trick. If two dominoes are equally close, the one played first wins.

When you can bid it

House (or Custom with Sevens on). After a normal bid of 42 / one mark or higher, you may name Sevens. Play is forced: the table will only light the legal dominoes.

Marks

Sweep: all seven tricks to make. One trick to the other side sets you.

Moon

Texas Moon · Shoot the Moon

Not available yet

What it is

Three players, each for themselves, not partnership 42. Different seats, different scoring. Folks sometimes gamble at Moon; this site will not.

When you can bid it

The toggle remembers your preference for when a 3-player table ships. House turns it on; Tournament leaves it off.

Marks

Not available yet. This solo table stays four seats and two teams. Turning Moon on does not change bidding, trump, or tricks today.

How this site keeps score

All-pass, or Forced bid. Tournament, the default, lets all four players pass. We shuffle again and the next dealer shakes. House (or Custom with Forced bid on) makes the last seat open at the minimum bid when the first three passed: 30 in 42, 50 in 84. That last seat may bid higher. Austin / N42PA-style halls typically do not force a bid.

One bid each. Around once, left of the dealer. A 42 bid is one mark. Two marks is offered as 84. Splash is two marks with three doubles; Plunge is four marks with four doubles. Those are Pagat-ish defaults. Other houses use three-mark Splash; we say so rather than pretend.

Follow is Austin-style. Lead suit is the high end, or trump if the lead is trump. Off-trump dominoes may follow either end. Trump dominoes are trump only. Walked through in How to play.

Not encoded. Helping-hand 30s and indicating with a sluff are home-table habits. They are not toggles, and the bots will not speak them. Forced bid is a toggle. Fair-play / no table-talk still applies when humans share a room.