How to Play Forty-Two
Forty-Two is a trick-taking game played with a double-six domino set rather than cards. Four players form two partnerships and bid against each other for the right to set the trump denomination, then play out seven tricks. Each trick is worth one point, and the six scoring tiles add a further 35 points, making 42 points available per hand, hence the name.
The game rewards both careful bidding and disciplined partnership play. It is fast enough for a family evening yet deep enough to hold the interest of competitive players. It is particularly popular in the southern United States, where domino clubs and tournaments are common, though it is enjoyed by players worldwide wherever a double-six set is to hand.
A little history
Forty-Two is traditionally associated with Texas, and its origins are said to date to the late nineteenth century, though the precise record is thin. The most widely repeated account holds that it was devised by young men in Garner, Texas, around 1887 as a way to play a card-like trick-taking game using dominoes, reportedly to sidestep religious prohibitions on playing cards in their community. Whether or not that story is fully accurate, its origins are unclear beyond the broad claim that it emerged in rural Texas in the 1880s and spread steadily from there.
Setting up
- Seat four players at a table. Players sitting opposite each other are partners.
- Turn all 28 tiles face down and shuffle them thoroughly.
- Each player draws seven tiles and stands them on edge so only they can see their own tiles.
- Determine the first bidder. Traditionally the player to the left of the person who shuffled bids first, or players may cut a tile to decide, highest total pips bids first.
How to play
- BIDDING. Starting with the first bidder and proceeding clockwise, each player either makes a bid or passes. A bid is a number from 30 to 42 representing the minimum number of points the bidding partnership promises to take in that hand.
- Each successive bid must be higher than the previous one. A player who passes may not bid again in that round.
- The player who wins the bid (the highest bidder) becomes the Bidder. They announce the trump denomination, a number from 0 to 6, meaning every tile showing that number on either end is a trump.
- Trump tiles are ranked among themselves from highest to lowest by their non-trump end: the double of the trump suit is the highest trump, followed by the tile pairing trump with 6, then trump-5, trump-4, trump-3, trump-2, trump-1, and trump-0 (if trump is not 0). If trump is 0, the double-blank is highest trump.
- Non-trump tiles belong to the suit of their higher end. The double of each non-trump suit is the highest tile in that suit. Tiles with a blank end belong to the blank suit unless blank is trump.
- LEADING AND FOLLOWING. The Bidder leads the first trick by playing any tile face up to the centre. Play proceeds clockwise.
- Each subsequent player must follow the suit of the led tile if they hold a tile of that suit. If a player has no tile of the led suit, they may play any tile including a trump.
- A trick is won by the highest trump played to it. If no trump is played, it is won by the highest tile of the led suit.
- The winner of each trick leads the next trick.
- SCORING. After all seven tricks are played, each partnership counts its points. Every trick taken is worth 1 point. In addition, five tiles carry extra points: the 6-4 tile is worth 10 points, the 5-5 tile is worth 10 points, the 4-1 tile is worth 5 points, the 3-2 tile is worth 5 points, and the 5-0 tile is worth 5 points. These five tiles plus the seven tricks total exactly 42 points.
- If the Bidder's partnership scores at least as many points as the bid, they score 1 mark. If they fail to reach their bid, the opposing partnership scores 1 mark instead.
- If the Bidder's partnership wins all 42 points they score 2 marks regardless of the bid amount, unless they bid 42 (a 'plunge bid'), in which case they also score 2 marks for making it, or the opponents score 2 marks if they stop it.
- Play continues with the deal passing clockwise to the next player. The first partnership to accumulate 7 marks wins the game.
Winning and scoring
The first partnership to reach 7 marks wins the game. Marks are scored one at a time per hand, except when all 42 points are taken in a single hand or when a bid of 42 is made, both of which score 2 marks. Because most hands score exactly 1 mark for one side, a typical game lasts seven or more hands, though a run of successful high bids or opponent failures can shorten this considerably. There is no bonus for winning by a larger margin; reaching 7 marks first is the sole objective.
The fine points
The most common dispute concerns suit membership when the led tile is a double. A double belongs only to its own suit, the double-4 is purely a 4s tile, not a 4-4 ambiguity, so a player holding only the double of the led suit must play it and cannot hold it back. A second frequent issue is the blank suit: blanks form a genuine suit of their own unless blank is named as trump, so a player must follow blanks when blanks are led, just as with any numbered suit. If a player cannot follow suit they are free to trump or discard, but they must not play a tile of the led suit from their hand if they genuinely have none; if it is discovered during play that a player has wrongly failed to follow suit, standard club rules award the hand to the non-offending partnership.
Bidding disputes most often arise over whether a player who passed may re-enter if the auction comes back around. Under standard rules a pass is final and a passed player may not bid again in that hand. On the question of a 'minimum bid': 30 is the lowest permissible opening bid; a player who does not wish to bid at 30 or above must pass. Some groups play that the dealer is forced to take the bid at 30 if everyone else passes, this is a recognised variation and should be agreed before play begins.
How to win more often
- Count your trumps before bidding. Holding the double of the trump suit and two or three additional trumps is typically the minimum for a reliable bid of 30 to 33.
- Identify the count tiles in your hand before you bid. The 6-4, 5-5, 5-0, 4-1, and 3-2 are worth 35 points between them. A hand that holds two or more count tiles, plus a strong trump suit, supports a higher bid.
- Lead trumps early once you have won the bid. Drawing out the opponents' trumps prevents them from ruffing your long non-trump suits in later tricks.
- Signal to your partner by leading the double of a suit to show strength in that denomination, inviting a return lead if your partner wins a trick.
- When defending, try to win tricks that contain the opponents' count tiles rather than leading low tiles passively. A defender who wins the 5-5 or 6-4 from the Bidder's side often single-handedly defeats the bid.
Variations
Nello (Nillo)
A player who bids Nello undertakes to lose every trick rather than win points. There are no trumps in a Nello hand. If the Nello bidder succeeds in losing all seven tricks, their partnership scores 1 mark; if they win even one trick, the opponents score 1 mark. Nello bids are typically ranked above a bid of 35 but below a bid of 36 in the auction, though players should agree the exact position before play.
Plunge
A Plunge bid is a bid of exactly 42, meaning the bidding partnership undertakes to take every single point in the hand. It is the highest possible bid and outranks all others. Making a successful Plunge scores 2 marks; failing it scores 2 marks for the opponents. Some groups restrict Plunge to a player who holds at least four doubles, though this restriction is optional.
Sevens
In this variant, instead of naming a trump denomination, the Bidder names a specific tile as the single highest trump for the hand. All other tiles are played as non-trumps in their normal suits. This reduces the size of the trump suit to one tile and creates a significantly more difficult bidding contract, favoured by experienced players looking for an additional layer of risk.
Doubles as Trumps
In this variation the Bidder may, instead of naming a number from 0 to 6, call doubles as the trump suit. All seven doubles then form the trump suit, ranked from double-6 (highest) down to double-blank (lowest). Non-double tiles are played in their higher-end suits as usual. Because there are exactly seven doubles, one per trick, this declaration makes every trick potentially capturable by trumping, creating a very different strategic dynamic.
Forty-Two: frequently asked questions
Can you play Forty-Two with fewer than four players?
The game is designed specifically for four players in two fixed partnerships. It does not adapt well to three players because the partnership bidding and signalling are central to how it works. If you need a two-player domino game, a different title would suit you better.
What happens if no one bids above 30?
If all players pass without making any bid, the standard ruling is that the tiles are reshuffled and redealt with no marks scored. Some groups instead force the dealer to accept a bid of 30; agree which rule applies before you start.
Does the double of the trump suit always beat every other trump?
Yes. The double of the named trump denomination is always the highest trump tile regardless of what number is on its other end, because a double has the same number on both ends, making it the unambiguous top of the trump suit.
What is the blank suit and when must I follow it?
Blank tiles that are not trump form their own suit. If a blank-suited tile is led and you hold any blank-suited tile (other than trumps if blank is trump), you must play one. Forgetting this is one of the most common errors made by new players.
Can I look at the tricks already played?
Once both players in a trick have seen the played tiles and the trick has been turned face down, it may not be examined again. Only the most recently played trick may be viewed before the next lead is made.
Which tiles count for extra points and how many points are there in total?
The five count tiles are the 6-4 (10 points), 5-5 (10 points), 5-0 (5 points), 4-1 (5 points), and 3-2 (5 points). These 35 points plus 7 points for the tricks themselves always total exactly 42, which is where the game takes its name.
What age is Forty-Two suitable for?
Children of around 8 and upwards can follow the rules once they understand trick-taking from a card game. The bidding element adds complexity, so many families teach the basic trick play first across a few practice hands before introducing full bidding.
If the Bidder's side scores exactly their bid amount, do they win the mark?
Yes. Reaching the bid exactly is sufficient to score the mark. The Bidder only loses the mark if their partnership scores strictly fewer points than the number they bid.