Mexican Train dominoes: rules and score keeper
Mexican Train is the domino game that seats a crowd: everyone runs a train out from a center hub, a shared train takes anyone's tiles, and 13 rounds count down from the double 12 to the double blank. Below: the rules in plain words, how many tiles to draw for 2 to 10 players, a layout sketch, and a keeper that knows each round's double and adds up the pips for you.
The rules in 30 seconds
- A double-12 set (91 tiles). Round 1 starts with the [12-12] in the middle, round 2 the [11-11], down to the [0-0] in round 13.
- Each player has a personal train running out from the center. There is also one shared train, the Mexican.
- Your turn: play one tile, matching numbers, on your own train, the shared one, or any train with a marker.
- Cannot play? Draw one. Still cannot? Put a marker on your train: now anyone may play on it until you play there again.
- Play a double and you play another tile at once (Pagat). An open double must be covered before anything else.
- First out ends the round. Everyone else scores the pips in their hand. Lowest total after 13 rounds wins.
How many tiles to draw
| Players | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiles each | 15 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Left in the boneyard | 60 | 45 | 30 | 30 | 18 | 20 | 10 | 18 | 10 |
Score keeper
The layout
How to play
Setup
Take the round's double out of the set and put it in the middle, in a hub if you have one. Shuffle the rest face down and draw your tiles (see the table above). The rest are the boneyard. Each player needs a marker (a coin or a little train); one more marks the Mexican train.
First turn
Pagat lets each player, on their first turn, lay as many tiles as they can in a line on their own train, starting from the center double. Players who cannot start their train put down a marker and do not draw. Nobody may start the shared train or play on others on this first turn.
Normal turns
Play one tile, matching the open end, on your own train, on the shared train (anyone may start it, from the center double), or on any other train that has a marker on it. If you cannot, draw one tile and play it if you can. If you still cannot, put your marker on your train. When you next play on your own train, take the marker off.
Doubles
When you play a double, play another tile straight away, anywhere legal (Pagat). If that is a double too, play again. If a train is left ending in a double after your turn, the next tile anyone plays must go on that double, and players who cannot draw as usual.
End of a round
The round ends when someone plays their last tile, or when nobody can play and the boneyard is empty. Everyone counts the pips on the tiles left in their hand; that is their score for the round. Next round, start with the next double down.
Where sources differ
- The double blank. Pagat: 0, like any blank. Wikipedia: blanks usually 0, with a variant of 25 for each blank and 50 for the double blank. The keeper has 0, or 50 for the double blank as a house rule.
- Covering doubles. Pagat: the player who played the double plays again at once; an open double must be covered next by whoever is able. Wikipedia: the player must cover their own double. Some printed sheets let the next player cover it.
- Passing. Wikipedia says you may not pass while you hold a playable tile. Pagat adds that you may not draw while you can play.
- First turn. Pagat allows a run of tiles on your own train; Pagat also lists playing one tile per turn from the start as a variation.
- Markers. Pagat lists a variation where any player's tile on your train, not just yours, takes your marker off.
- Scoring. Pagat also lists positive scoring, where the player who goes out collects the others' pips. Our keeper uses penalty points (low wins).
Tips
- Plan your train on the first turn. Laying a long line from the center at once means fewer markers later.
- Save a tile for the shared train. Having somewhere to play when your own train is blocked keeps your marker off.
- Dump high tiles early. A [12-11] left in hand costs 23 points.
- Use doubles to go out. A double plus its cover is two tiles in one turn.
Play online or at home
Play online: coming soon. We add a game to Play online only once it is finished and tested.
Play at home: a double-12 domino set, a hub if you have one, a coin per player as a marker, and the keeper above.
Questions
How do you play Mexican Train dominoes?
Put the round's double (the [12-12] in round one) in the middle. Each player builds their own train out from it, matching ends, and anyone may add to the shared train. On a normal turn you play one tile on your own train, the shared one, or any train with a marker on it. If you cannot play, draw one; if you still cannot, put a marker on your train so others may play on it. First to play all their tiles ends the round; the rest score the pips left in hand.
How many dominoes do you draw?
From a double-12 set of 91 tiles, Pagat's table gives 15 each for two to four players, 12 for five or six, 10 for seven or eight and 8 for nine or ten. The table on this page also shows what is left in the boneyard.
What happens when you play a double?
Pagat: you must play another tile right away, anywhere legal, and if that is a double too, another. If you leave a double open at the end of your turn, the next tile anyone plays must go on that double. Other rule sets have the double covered by the player who laid it, or by the next player.
How much is the double blank worth?
Pagat counts it as 0, like any other blank. Wikipedia lists a variant where every blank counts 25 and the double blank 50. Our keeper offers 0, or 50 for the double blank alone as a house rule; agree before you start.
How many rounds are there?
Thirteen: one for each double from [12-12] down to [0-0]. For a shorter evening, start from a lower double; our keeper lets you pick.
Who wins?
The player with the lowest total after the last round.