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42, also known as Texas 42, is a trick-taking game played with a standard set of double 6 dominoes. It was created in 1887 in Trappe Springs (now Garner), Texas by 12 year old William Thomas and 14 year old Walter Earl, members of a strict conservative Southern Baptist sect who were forbidden to play with cards. It is often referred to as the "national game of Texas".
Rules
Object
The game is played by four people, in teams of two each, who sit facing each other across the table. The object of the game is to be the first team to reach seven "marks" (points). The game consists of a number of hands, each of which is worth one or more marks, depending on the bid.
The bid
Each hand of the game is begun by a "shake" (shuffle) of the dominoes. Players draw their dominoes, with the dealer drawing last. The person to the left of the dealer either declares a bid for a contract, or passes. The amount of the bid must be at least 30, and can go as high as 42, which is the total number of points in the game. There is also the option of wagering 2 or more marks, in which case 42 points must be scored. Bidding continues to the left of the dealer. Each player must either bid higher than the previous person, or pass. If the first 3 players pass, the dealer is forced to bid (and has the option of declaring "low", see below).
The hand
The winning bidder then designates his trump, which can consist of calling a particular suit trumps, doubles as trumps, or "follow me" (in which there is no trump suit). Play then proceeds to the left of the person who played. Each player must follow suit if possible. Each domino is considered to belong to the suit of its higher end, unless that domino contains the number of the trump suit, in which case it is considered a member of the trump suit. The highest number of the suit lead wins, unless a trump is played, in which case the highest trump wins. The winner of the trick takes the dominoes into their posession and leads on the next trick. Play continues until the bidding team has made their contract, or is "set" (denied the possibilty of winning) by the non-bidding team. At that time, the appropriate team is awarded one or more marks.
Scoring
Each trick is worth one point. There are a number of "count" pieces, those whose spots total five or ten, which are worth that number of points. The blank-5, 1-4 and 2-3 are worth 5 points each; the 5-5 and 6-4 are each worth ten. The total of all the count pieces (35) plus the seven tricks total 42, which is the number of points in a hand, hence the name of the game.
Special contracts
Low
In the event of a forced bid, the dealer may "go low" (also known as Nello and Low Boy). When one goes low, the dealer's partner does not play, and the dealer attempts to lose every single trick. The dealer wins if he does so, and is set if he does not.
Plunge
There is one other special contract, called Plunge. Having four doubles in the hand is a requirement to declare this contract. In Plunge, the bidder wagers 3 marks and plays first, but the bidder's partner declares the trump suit.
Terminology
There are a number of special terms in the game of 42:
- dominoes: rocks, bones
- shuffle: shake, wash
- points: marks
- 1s: aces
- 2s: dueces
- 3s: treys
- low: nullo
- to not follow suit when appropriate: renege
- trump: the verb meaning to play a trump on a non-trump
See also
External links
References
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