FEBRUARY 2017 PARKER COUNTY TODAY |
Prior to the turn of the 20 th Century , two teenage boys from Parker County were left with a long summer on their hands after being disciplined repeatedly by their parents for playing cards , or so the story goes . At the time , playing cards was frowned upon by their strict Baptist parents , so William Thomas , 12 , and Walter Earl , 14 , turned the simple game of dominoes into a way to play a card-like game with the dominos , which were allowed . It forever changed the way many Texans passed the time on a hot summer ’ s day . It is said they developed the game first in 1887 . Both boys lived in the tiny community of Trapp Springs which is now part of Garner in western Parker County . The boys worked out the rules , scoring details and then introduced the game to their card-loving friends . Their game pitted teams of two players against each other to win the most points . A standard 28-piece set with the highest domino being a double six is used . The name 42 refers to the fact that 42 points are available in each hand . The first team to reach 250 points is the winner . The difference in the boy ’ s game and modern 42 has to do with when a trump may be played . Walter and William allowed a trump to be played anytime , even if a player could follow the domino suit that was led .
The boys taught the game to their families and to neighbors in their small rural community . It spread to
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nearby Mineral Wells as William delivered fruit from his family ’ s orchard and taught those he met to play the game he and his friend had developed . Later , both families moved further north and east to Fannin County and the game continued to spread to more of Texas . It was even carried overseas with Texans who fought in World War II . On June 11 , 2011 , the Game of 42 was designated the Official State Domino Game of Texas . It was said to be a fun game that promoted good , clean fellowship .
Fast forward to today and enter the National 42 Player ’ s Association , which exists solely to promote the game of 42 . The group has members in Texas , Oklahoma and New Mexico that participate in many tournaments across the state , including the Annual Texas State Championship held in Hallettsville , Texas . The group wanted to hold a tournament in the place where 42 was invented , so they contacted the leadership at the Doss Heritage and Culture Center to partner with them for a tournament on Feb . 24 and 25 at the museum . The cost to play is $ 20 per team for Friday night ’ s practice matches and $ 40 a team for Saturday ’ s tournament . The Twin W ( for Walter and William ) Shuffle 42 Tournament is a great opportunity for new players to learn the game and see it played by masters .
Secretary of the National 42 Players Association , Kent Kopnicky , lives in Austin and is a devoted and enthusiastic
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player of the game . He said , “ I love Texas history and Parker County is the home of 42 , it is where it was founded . That was the initial interest in doing a tournament in Weatherford .” He describes the tournament players as coming from a variety of backgrounds , education levels and age groups .
“ We encourage people to come to the Friday night event and they can expect to learn just the basics . As far as our players are concerned , we have several who are teachers by profession and they teach 42 very well ,” he explained .
“ Predominately it ’ s just a Texas game and a lot of our players are elderly and learned to play in rural places with their families ; that ’ s how it got passed along ,” Kopnicky continued .
According to the book Winning 42 : Strategy and Lore of the National Game of Texas , there are two types of people in Texas : those who play 42 and those who need to learn . Take this opportunity to become a 42 player Feb . 24 and 25 at the Doss Heritage and Culture Center in Weatherford .
For information on the tournament or other upcoming tournaments , the National 42 Players Association has a Facebook page or you can follow them on twitter . To register for the Twin Tournament , visit the museum ’ s website at www . dosscenter . org .
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