Strange that it took the otherwise comprehensive Handbook of Texas Online until this year to add a mention of this famous dominoes game. It took Texas by storm after two rural youngsters, one twelve, the other fourteen, conceived it in the tiny town of Trapp Spring (later absorbed by Garner) west of Fort Worth. The year was 1887, and the two boys began teaching their team game of cards-like bidding and trumps to the whole town.
Fifty years later, Forty-Two was widespread, particularly in rural Texas where it was passed down from generation to generation. It’s been called the National Game of Texas, and, indeed, a book about how to play and win, including such variations as Nel-O, Sevens, and Plunge, began its fourth printing this year by Texas Tech U. press. There’s also an online game. I once saw a championship game in Halletsville, another small town between Houston and San Antonio. It was played with strategy and finesse, and occasionally gleeful laughter.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 