Texas 42 online
Texas 42 is the domino game of Texas: four players in two teams, seven tiles each, and play that works like bridge or spades, only with dominoes. You bid how many points your team will take, name the trump, and then play tricks. On PlayElephant you play it online with live partners, not bots.
At a glance
- 4 playerstwo teams of two, partners sit across from each other
- 28 tilesthe double-six set, seven tiles each, nothing left over
- 42 pointsin every hand: 35 on the tiles plus 1 for each of 7 tricks
- One round of biddingeveryone speaks once; the highest bid names the trump
- 7 marksa game is played to seven marks
- No chaintiles are not laid end to end; you play them into tricks like cards
A word on "bid". Here it has nothing to do with money. A bid is a promise: "my team will take at least this many points." If you make it, your team scores a mark. If not, the other team does.
How it is played, in short
- Deal. All 28 tiles are dealt, 7 to each player. You see only your own.
- Bidding. Starting left of the dealer, each player passes or bids once. A bid is a number from 30 to 41, or 42 or more to promise every trick. The highest bid wins.
- Trump. The player who won the bid names the trump: a number from 0 to 6, the doubles, or no trump at all ("follow me").
- Tricks. The bid winner leads any tile. Everyone plays one tile, following the suit led if they can. The strongest tile takes the trick and leads next.
- Counting. Each trick is worth 1 point, and a few tiles add more, such as 55 and 64 with 10 each. That makes 42 in all.
- Marks. The bidding team scores a mark if it reaches its bid, and the other team scores it if the bid fails. First team to 7 marks wins the game.
The complete rules, with worked examples, are on the Texas 42 rules page. If you know bridge, spades or euchre, you already know most of the ideas.
How we play on PlayElephant
Default table settings. They follow the rules most tournament players know, the ones used at the Texas state championship.
| Setting | Default |
|---|---|
| Players | 4, two fixed teams of two |
| Tiles | Double-six, 28 tiles, 7 each |
| Bidding | One round, lowest bid 30 |
| Everyone passes | The hand is thrown in and the next player deals. No one scores |
| Trump choices | A number 0 to 6, the doubles, or follow me (no trump) |
| Special bids | None: no Nello, Plunge, Splash or Sevens |
| Game | Played to 7 marks |
| Hand ends early | Yes, as soon as the result is settled |
| Claiming the rest | The server checks the claim. A wrong claim is simply refused |
| Undo | None |
Our promises
- A live partner, not a bot. Rated pairs, pair tournaments and clubs.
- Bots are always marked and only sit down in place of a player who has left.
- Every move is checked. You cannot play out of turn or fail to follow suit. The score is counted for you.
Fair play
Every shuffle is random and can be verified afterwards, so you can check that no one got "help" with the tiles. Bids are buttons, so there is no way to pass secret signals, and the table shows nothing about which tile a player is considering. A bid of 32 means 32 and nothing else.