42 (Texas 42) - Quick Rules

Overview

• Players: 4 players (in fixed partnerships, sitting opposite each other).
• Equipment: A standard double-six domino set (28 tiles).
• Objective: Be the first team to reach 7 points (marks) by winning tricks and "count" tiles.

Setup

1. Shuffle all tiles face down. Each player draws 7 tiles.
2. Play proceeds clockwise.

Bidding

Starting with the dealer, each player makes exactly one bid or passes.

• The minimum bid is 30. The maximum bid is 42 (or a "Mark").
• A bid represents the number of points the team expects to win in the round.
• The highest bidder declares Trumps (a suit like "Fours", "Ones", or "Doubles" / "No Trump").

Gameplay

The highest bidder leads the first tile.

• Following Suit: Players must follow the suit of the high end of the tile led (e.g., if a 5-3 is led, players must play a "Five", unless Fives are trump).
• If a player cannot follow suit, they may play a trump or any other tile.
• The highest tile of the suit led wins the trick, unless a trump is played.
• The winner of the trick leads the next one.

Scoring

There are 42 total points available in each round:

• Tricks: Each trick won is worth 1 point (7 points total).
• Count Tiles: Tiles with pips totaling 5 or 10 are worth their face value:
  • 5-0, 4-1, 3-2 are worth 5 points each.
  • 6-4, 5-5 are worth 10 points each.

Round Results:

• If the bidding team meets or exceeds its bid, it scores 1 mark toward the game total.
• If they fail, the opposing team scores the mark.

Tile Ranking

• Within the Trump suit: The Double is the highest tile, followed by others in descending order.
• In a non-trump suit: The Double is also the highest, followed by the others.