One player from each team should collect all the tricks for that team, regardless of which player won the trick. When all four players have each played one tile, these four tiles are collectively a trick. The winner of each trick plays the first tile for the next trick, at which time he may play any tile in his hand. The player who plays the highest tile of the lead suit or the highest trump wins the trick. If a player is unable to follow suit because he does not hold that suit in his hand, he may play any tile from his hand, even a trump. If a player holds more than one playable tile in his hand, he may play any one of them. But if either end of the first tile played is of the trump suit, then the trump overrides the other number and everyone must follow suit with a trump. For example, if the 6-4 were played first, the other players would have to follow suit with a 6 from their own hand. In that case, the next three plays made must follow suit and be a trump tile with an end from the trump suit. The next three plays made by the other players at the table must “follow suit.” This means those three players must play a tile that is of the same suit as the highest end of the first tile played in that trick, unless the first player plays a tile with at least one end from the same suit as what was declared “trumps” for that hand. (A player never reveals the trump suit until he has won the bid and is ready to play the first tile.) The first player plays a tile from his hand. The player making the highest bid is the first player and the player to declare which suit is trump for that hand. Optional rules force the last person to involuntarily bid 30 and then play the hand. If all 4 players pass, all tiles are returned to the deck and then reshuffled by the player to the left of the last player to shuffle. A player must pass if he is unable to bid at least 30 or raise a previous bid. Each player has only one opportunity to bid. Bidding continues clockwise around the table, with the shuffler always having the last option to bid. A count scores extra points for the team that wins it in a trick. All 5-count tiles add up to a total of 35 points. There are three count tiles worth 5 points each: 5-0, 4-1, and 3-2. There are two count tiles worth 10 points each: 5-5 and 6-4. A domino whose ends add up to five or a multiple of five is a “count” domino. The double is the highest domino of each suit, followed in order by the 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and blank. The 4-0 for that hand would beat any tile that is not from the 4 suit. The other number on the trump domino only serves to rank trumps among themselves.įor example: If fours are trumps, the 4-4 is the strongest domino of the hand the 4-6 beats the 4-5 the 4-5 beats the 4-3 and so on, the 4-0 being the lowest trump. A trump domino only belongs to the trump suit and not also to the other suit represented on its face. Regardless of who plays it, the highest trump played wins any trick. Once trumps for the hand have been declared, all 7 dominoes of that trump suit rank higher than all 21 of the other dominoes. The word “trump” comes from the word “triumph.” A domino from the trump suit automatically “triumphs” over other dominoes played. If you hold 1 or 2 doubles in addition to 3 tiles from the same suit, this is considered a strong hand. That suit will be your trump suit if you win the bid. If you hold at least 3 tiles from the same suit in your hand, that is considered a potential bidding hand. However, if you win the bid, any points won by your partner during that hand will also count towards your bid.

Your bid should be based almost entirely on your own hand. Your bid is a prediction of how many of the 42 points you will win in that hand. The person to the shuffler’s left has the first option to bid. The shuffler, then, draws the 7 remaining tiles. All players, except for the shuffler, simultaneously draw 7 tiles from the deck. Number of dominoes drawn: Each player draws 7 tiles. Draw lots at the beginning of the game to determine which player shuffles first. Number of players: 4 players play as 2 teams of 2 players per team. Object of the game: To be the first team to reach 250 points or win 7 hands. In this game, a team of 2 players attempts to win all of the 7 tricks played (1 point per trick) and each of the 5-count dominoes (2 tiles worth 10 points each and 3 tiles worth 5 points each, for a total of 35 points) in the course of one hand, giving the team a total of 42 points (7 + 35 = 42). Thomas during his boyhood in Garner, Parker County, Texas, about 1885 then it spread throughout the southwestern United States. Also known as Texas Forty-Two, Four-Hand Texas, and Domino Rounce, Forty-Two is an adaptation of Auction Pitch.

Dominos game rules