Winning 42: The Strategy and Lore of the National Game of Texas (Fourth Edition)

Winner, San Antonio Conservation Society Award

There are two types of people in Texas: those who play 42 and those who need to learn. Winning 42 is written for both. A team game that no one tires of, 42 relies on neither luck nor memory. Skill and strategy separate the best from the rest.

Veterans who relish the logic of each domino played will find challenge in the advanced chapters and fascination in the history and lore. Many who’ve grown up with 42 are nonetheless surprised by its utterly Texan heritage, reaching back nearly a century and a quarter. Beginners will find easy instruction in all the basics, from bidding a hand or setting an opponent to the challenge of the 84 hand, and can advance at their own pace.

Replete with championship statistics and stories from veteran players and strategists―including many celebrities from astronauts to presidents―Winning 42 illumines a cherished tradition that links Texans from all walks of life.

WHAT’S INSIDE

In a Nutshell: The Rules and Terms of 42
Bidding
How to Play Your Hand after Winning the Bid
Helping Your Partner Make a Bid
How to Set the Bidder
Concentration and Style
Taking Every Trick: The 84 Bid
Setting the 84 Bid
Doubles As Trumps and No Trumps
Tournament Scoring
Talking Across the Board
Advanced Bidding and Playing
Optional Variations: Nel-O, Sevens, and Plunge
Lone Star Domino Phenomenon: A Century of 42 Players
42-Playin’ Texas Celebrities
Statistical Odds