☆ ☆ ☆ Updated 6 July 2022. Click HERE for appended CE 42 rules. ☆ ☆ ☆

The Official Lechner Hall 42 Rules

I. Games that can be played

A. Sevens: First person to play domino closest to seven wins

B. Low / Nillo / No Catchem:

1. Doubles can be called:

a) high in suit
b) low in suit
c) a suit of their own (double six high)
d) a suit of their own rank inverted (double six low double blank high)

C. No Trump / Follow Me:

1. Doubles can be called

a) High
b) Low

D. Straight 42:

1. You must call trumps

2. Only one trump can be called

3. Double are high in their suit

E. Plunge:must have four doubles

F. Splash: Must have three doubles

II. General Rules and Rules of the games:

A. Bidding

1. Bidding minimum at all times

a. 1 mark follow me, sevens, nillo
b. 30 for straight 42
c. 4 marks for plunge
d. 3 marks for splash

2. You may pass, unless you have last bid and no one has bid

3. The winner of the bid calls the game to be played (except when a plunge or splash is called) see rules II.B.l

4. To call "sevens" or "Nillo," you must bid at least one mark

5. No one can raise a bid by more than two marks at a time unless they are plunging or splashing where they must raise the bid by 4 or 3 marks respectively. For example-a player bids 30, the most the next player may bid is two marks, the next four marks, and so on.

B. Rules of Splash and Plunge

1. The bidder's partner (without table talk) must call trump and lead (unless Nillo is called)

a. Any suit can be called trump
b. Sevens can be called
c. No trump can be called
d. Nillo can be called (as well as what doubles are) by the bidder's partner and the original bidder must lead. Play continues like normal Nillo.

C. Sevens:

1. Place dominoes in order of the following formula:

let x= total # of dots on domino y=|x-7|

Play dominoes in order of smallest to greatest y (In other words play dominoes in order of you closest domino to seven)

2. Bidder or his partner must be First to play closest domino to seven.

D. Low / Nillo / No Catchem:

1. The bidder plays the game w/out his/her partner's help

a. The partner simply lays his/her dominoes down throughout the game

2. The person playing "Nillo" leads on the first trick

3. All players must follow suit at all times

a. If you can't follow suit, play anything
b. if doubles are a suit of their own:
1. When a double is led, everyone must playa double if they have one.
2. In doubles are a suit of their own, the double six is the biggest in the suit and the double blank is the lowest
3. In doubles are a suit of their own, rank inverted, the double six is the lowest and the double blank is the biggest.
4. If the person playing Nillo catches any trick, he is set and the other team gets however many marks were bid in Nillo

E. Follow Me / No Trump.

1. Everyone must follow suit

2. No trump exists. Biggest domino played in the suit win

3. The person bidding and his partner must win every trick

4. Doubles are highest i.e, double six bigger than the six:five

5. If doubles are called low in their suit then they are lowest i.e, the double six would be lower than the blank:six domino

6. Doubles can't be a suit of their own

F. Straight (forty-two):

1. The winning bidder calls trump and leads.

2. Trumps are a suit of their own i.e, if one's are called trump and the blank:one is led, you must play a domino with a one on it unless you have none.

3. Every Player must follow suit that is led (the highest number on the first domino played in the trick is the suit, unless the lower number was called trump)

a) If you can't follow suit you may play any domino including a trump

4. The bidding team must catch(win) at least the number of points they bid based on the following scoring system:

a) Each domino whose dot total is a multiple of 5 (e.g. the 1:4 and 5:5) is worth its dot sum
b) Each trick (collection offour dominoes) is worth 1 pt

5. If the bidding team does not catch at least their bid, they are set and the opposing team gains the bidder's bid. (Bids ranging from 30-42 are each worth one mark on the scoring sheet)

III. Game Set up

A. The game is played with a standard set of doubles six (28 count) dominoes.

B. Players will rotate shaking the dominoes

C. The Person to the left of the shaker has first bid and bidding (as well as playing) proceeds in a clockwise manner.

D. As a courtesy, the shaking team will refrain from drawing their dominoes until the other team has each drawn their seven dominoes.

E. The winner must win the game by two marks.

IV. Outlawed Games

A. Low Boy

B. Inverted Low Boy-also Big Bertha

C. Multiple trumps 42

D. Cajun Hokey Pokey

E. West Texas Rules

F. East Lansing deferred style Nillo

G. Eagle eye

H. Naperville Onesies

 

 

These rules were created by Matt Hurt and <a href::="mailto:eliot@cyberdude.com>Eliot Williams at Lechner Hall, Texas A&M University for use in the Lechner Hall 42 Tournament for the 1992-1993 academic year.

This information is NOT Copyrighted and is deemed to be in the Public Domain.

TAMU CE Lounge 42 Rules

I. Only Straight 42 is played (similar to N42PA rules):
    A. There is 1 exception for Nello: If all pass to shaker (a forced bid), shaker can bid 30 or Nello (for 1 mark).
    B. Cannot play Sevens, Plunge, or Splash. Nello only as a forced bid (as described above).
    C. None of the Lechner "Outlawed Games" can be played either.
    D. Winning bidder calls trump, or No Trump (Follow Me) or Nello.
    E. Doubles are always high in their suit.
    F. Doubles are never a suit of their own.
    G. No special double rules for No Trump (Follow Me) or Nello.

II. Bidding Rules:
    A. Bidding
          1. Minimum bids:
                a. 30 for straight 42
                b. 1 mark for Nello
          2. Maximum bids:
                a. Max initial "mark bid" is 2 marks
                b. Max raise is 1 mark
                c. Example: player 1 bids 31, the most the next player may bid is 2 marks, the next 3 marks, and so on. (Max bid is 5 marks.)
          3. Each player may pass except shaker when no one has bid (forced bid).
          4. The winner of the bid calls the game to be played.

III. Play of the Game
     A. Straight 42:
          1. The winning bidder calls trump and leads.
          2. Trumps are a suit of their own i.e, if ones are called trump and the 0-1 is led, you must play a domino with a 1 on it unless you don't have any.
          3. The suit is the highest number on the first domino played in each trick, unless the lower number is a trump.
          4. Everyone must follow suit that is led
               a. If you can't follow suit you may play any domino including a trump
          5. The bidding team must catch (win) at least the number of points they bid based on the following scoring system:
               a. Each trick is worth 1 pt
               b. Each count domino is worth 5 or 10 points (Count are dominos are 0-5, 1-4, 2-3, 6-4, 5-5)
               c. Bids ranging from 30-42 are worth one mark
          6. If the bidding team catches their bid (or more), they score their bid.
          7. If the bidding team does not catch their bid, they are set and the opposing team gains their bid.
     B. Follow Me / No Trump
          1. No trump is called. Largest domino played in the lead suit wins the trick.
          2. Doubles are highest i.e, if 5-5 is led, it takes the 5-6; if 0-0 is led it takes 0-6.
          3. Everyone must follow suit
          4. Only dominoes played in suit can win the trick (those played out of suit cannot win).
     C. Nello (Low / No Catchem):
          1. The bidder (shaker) plays the game without his/her partner's help.
               a. The partner lays his/her dominoes face down at start of the game.
          2. No trumps are declared (i.e., played like Follow Me)
          3. The bidder (shaker) leads on the first trick.
          4. All players must follow suit at all times.
               a. If you can't follow suit, play anything
               b. Nello bidder is set if he/she catches any trick. The other team gets the mark.

IV. Game Set up
     A. The game is played with a standard set of doubles six (28 count) dominoes.
     B. Players will rotate shaking the dominoes
     C. The Person to the left of the shaker has first bid. Bidding (as well as playing) proceeds in a clockwise manner.
     D. The shaker does not draw his/her dominoes until the other players have each drawn theirs.

NOTE: These rules were used in the Civil Engineering Lounge at Texas A&M University during the 1974-1979 academic years. (Likely they were used for prior years.) This document was created by Ken Walker, Texas A&M Former Student, Civil Engineering. This information is NOT Copyrighted and is deemed to be in the Public Domain.

About Ken Walker:
I learned to play 42 as a Civil Engineering major at Texas A&M in the late 70s (Aggie Class of '78). I was not aware of 42 prior to A&M. (What can I say? I was a city boy and didn't have any Texas relatives.)

42 has an interesting history in the CE department. It was played in the student lounge. When the Vet School moved to its current location, the CE Department moved into the (second) Veterinary Hospital in 1957. (It's now called the Haynes Engineering Building.) At some point, the large animal operating room was converted to the student lounge. It had 2 large concrete beams down the length of the room. A divider was added under one to create a "study side" and a "domino side". Eventually the large (2/3) side became the domino side, and the smaller (1/3) side became the study side. There was alway a game (or 2 or 3) going, with players changing based on their class schedule. (It's been said that some CE majors "minored in 42"; me included.) It was a great place to relax, visit, and play. The rules in the CE Lounge were basically Straight 42 (similar to N42PA tournament rules; nothing like the "almost anything goes" Lechner Hall rules). That's where and how and why I learned to play.

The CE Department had a relaxed tournament every semester. Instead of a 1 day event, it was played like the NCAA basketball tournament. Teams played about once a week and posted their results. It was single elimination; only the winners advanced to the next round. Mostly it was for bragging rights. I don't recall that any money or trophies were awarded. (I would remember if there were.) I know the Agricultural Engineering students also played 42 because they sponsored an All-Aggie 42 tournament. It was a serious 1 day event with entry fees and trophies.

-Ken Walker
4 July 2022

Visit the Aggie Forum and myBCS Forum and the Battalion Online for Texas A&M 42 history comments.


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