Forty-Two
A Texas-style domino trick-taking game for 4 players in 2 partnerships.
Overview
Forty-Two is played with a standard set of 28 dominoes (double-six). Players form two teams (P1&P3 vs P2&P4) and compete to reach 250 points.
Equipment
- 28 dominoes (0-0 through 6-6)
- 4 players in fixed partnerships
Setup
All 28 dominoes are shuffled and dealt equally — 7 dominoes per player. Players cannot see their opponents' dominoes.
Bidding
Starting left of the dealer, each player gets one chance to bid or pass (single round):
- Minimum bid is 30, maximum is 42
- Each bid must exceed the current high bid
- If three players pass, the remaining player must bid (minimum 30)
- After all 4 players have bid/passed, the highest bidder wins
Marks (Multiplier)
When bidding 42, players can declare a mark (1–5) to multiply the round's scoring:
- 42×1 — standard (1× scoring)
- 42×2 — double scoring
- 42×3 — triple scoring
- 42×4 — quadruple scoring
- 42×5 — quintuple scoring
Mark rules:
- Bids below 42 are always mark 1
- You can bid 42×2 directly from below 42 (no need to bid 42×1 first)
- But marks must increase by exactly 1 — you cannot skip from 42×2 to 42×4
- 42×5 ends bidding immediately (maximum possible bid)
The winning bidder then declares a trump suit (0 through 6) or no trump.
Suits & Trump
A non-trump domino belongs to both suits matching its pip values. For example, [6|3] belongs to both the 6-suit and the 3-suit. When leading, the higher pip determines the led suit (e.g., leading [6|3] leads the 6-suit).
When trump is declared (e.g., trump = 3), any domino with the trump number on either end becomes a trump domino and belongs only to the trump suit. So [6|3] and [3|1] would both be trumps if 3 is declared — they no longer belong to the 6-suit or 1-suit.
Within a suit, dominoes are ranked by the other pip (the one not matching the suit). Doubles are always the highest-ranking domino within their suit.
Playing Tricks
The bid winner leads the first trick. Play proceeds clockwise. Each player plays one domino per trick.
Must-follow rule: If you have a domino belonging to the led suit (either pip matches), you must play one. If you don't have the led suit, you may play any domino. For example, if 5-suit is led and you hold [6|5], you must play it because it belongs to the 5-suit.
Trick winner: The highest trump played wins. If no trump is played, the highest domino of the led suit wins. Doubles are highest within their suit.
The trick winner leads the next trick. Seven tricks are played per hand.
Scoring
Each trick won is worth 1 point. Certain dominoes also carry count points:
| Domino | Count Points |
|---|
| [5|0], [4|1], [3|2] | 5 each |
| [5|5], [6|4] | 10 each |
Total available per hand: 7 (tricks) + 35 (count) = 42 points.
After all 7 tricks:
- If the bidding team earned at least their bid amount, they score their actual points earned × mark
- If they failed to meet their bid, the opposing team scores the bid amount × mark
Winning
The first team to reach 250 points wins the game. The dealer rotates clockwise after each hand.