Texas 42 Rule Variations and House Rules

Ask three Texas families how they play 42 and you will hear three slightly different games. The core never changes: 28 dominoes, seven tricks, 42 points and a bid of at least 30. What changes are the special bids, how the score is kept and what happens when nobody wants to bid. This page explains the most common variations. The ones marked In our game can be switched on under House rules in the game's Settings.

Marks or points

In our game. The standard way to score is in marks: each hand is worth one mark to whichever side wins it (two marks for a 2-mark bid), and the first side to seven marks wins. Many players draw the marks as tally lines that spell out "ALL" after seven.

Some families prefer point scoring, which rewards a side for every point it takes. Our point game plays to 250:

• If the bidders make their bid, each side scores the points it took in the hand (a made mark bid scores 42 per mark).
• If the bidders are set, they score nothing and the other side scores the amount of the bid plus the points it took.
• If both sides pass 250 in the same hand, the bidders win if they made their bid.

Point scoring makes defending more rewarding, because every 5 and 10 you catch counts toward the game even when the bid is made.

Forced bid (or reshake)

In our game, on by default. If the first three players all pass, the shaker must bid at least 30. This keeps the game moving and makes the last seat a little risky. Some tables call it "the shaker gets stuck".

With the forced bid turned off, four passes mean the dominoes are tossed back in, reshaken, and the next player to the left becomes the shaker.

Nello

In our game, off by default. Nello (also spelled "Nel-O", and sometimes called "low") is a bid to lose every trick. A player must first win the bid at 1 mark or more. Instead of naming trump, they call Nello: their partner lays their dominoes face down and sits out, and the bidder plays alone against the other two.

• There is no trump.
• In our game the doubles form a suit of their own, the 6-6 highest. A double led must be followed with a double.
• If the bidder takes even one trick, the hand stops and the other side scores the marks bid.
• If the bidder loses all seven tricks, the bidders score the marks.

Tables differ on Nello's doubles: some make them the lowest of their suits ("doubles low"), others leave them high as usual. A Nello hand needs only low dominoes, such as blanks, ones and twos with few doubles.

Plunge

A Plunge is a special bid for a hand with at least four doubles. The player bids two marks or more (always at least one mark higher than the bid before) without having to hold a long suit. Their partner then names trump and leads, and the side must take all seven tricks. The idea is that four doubles give a partner plenty to work with. Our game does not offer Plunge.

Sevens

Sevens is a novelty bid played at some tables, worth at least one mark. There are no trumps and no following suit. On each trick every player must play the domino whose pips add up closest to seven; the domino closest to seven wins the trick, and the bidder must win every trick. It rewards a hand full of 6-1s, 5-2s and 4-3s and ignores everything else about the normal game. Our game does not offer Sevens.

Splash

A Splash is a smaller cousin of the Plunge, for a hand with three doubles. The player bids two or three marks (rules differ), their partner names trump and leads, and the side must take every trick. Some tables allow it only at a 2-mark bid. Our game does not offer Splash.

Other differences you may meet

• Doubles low. Some players treat the double as the lowest domino of its suit instead of the highest, usually only in no-trump or Nello hands.
• Doubles as their own suit in no trump. A few tables make doubles a separate suit whenever nothing is trump.
• Minimum mark bids. Some games cap the opening bid at one mark and let later bidders raise only one mark at a time.
• Stopping early. Many tables lay down their dominoes as soon as the bid is made or set. Our game plays out all seven tricks so the full count is shown, except in Nello.
• Game length. Seven marks is standard; long evenings sometimes play to 10.

New to the game? Start with the full Texas 42 rules, then read the Texas 42 strategy guide. Enjoy comparing house rules? See how families play Euchre too.