Mexican Train Dominoes: Rules and Scoring
Mexican Train is a dominoes game in which every player builds a train of tiles outward from a center double called the engine. Instead of one line, the table fills with several trains, plus a shared one that anyone may use. It is played with a double-twelve set of 91 tiles, and the player with the lowest penalty total after the last round wins. On Dominos.cc you can play Mexican Train free in your browser, with no download or sign-up.
Setup: the set, the engine and your hand
A double-twelve set has 91 tiles. In a game for 2 to 4 players everyone is dealt 15 tiles, and the rest form the boneyard. Each round starts with a center double called the engine: the first round uses the double twelve, the next round the double eleven, and so on down the set. The engine is taken out of the pile before the deal, so nobody holds it. The player who starts changes from round to round.
The trains: yours, theirs and the Mexican Train
Every player owns a personal train that grows outward from the engine, and there is one shared train, the Mexican Train, that every player may add to. The first tile of any train must match the number on the engine. After that, each new tile must match the open number at the end of the train it is played on, and a tile can be turned to fit.
A turn: play one tile or draw
On your turn you play one tile on one of three places: your own train, the Mexican Train, or another player's train that carries a marker. In this version each turn is a single tile. If you have no legal play you draw one tile from the boneyard, and if that tile fits you must play it right away. If it does not fit, or the boneyard is empty, you pass.
Markers: when a train is open
When you have to pass, a marker is placed on your own train. The marker tells the table that your train is open, so opponents may add tiles to it as well as you. It comes off when you next play a tile on your own train; tiles that other players add to it do not remove it. The Mexican Train never carries a marker because it is always open. In the game the marker appears as an Open label.
Doubles: you owe one more tile
When you play a double you must follow it with one more tile. That extra tile may go on any train where it is legal, not only on the double. If you cannot play one, you draw, and if you still cannot play you pass and your train gets a marker. A double that is left uncovered at the end of a train must be covered next: while it waits, the next tile played by anyone has to go on it. If you cannot cover it you draw or pass, and the duty moves on to the next player. If your very last tile is a double, you may simply go out with it.
Scoring: the lowest total wins
A round ends when one player plays their last tile, or when the boneyard is empty and every player has passed in a row. Each player then adds up the pips on the tiles left in their hand, and those pips are penalty points. The player who went out scores zero. Penalty points add up from round to round, and after the final round the player with the lowest total wins. A double blank counts as zero pips by default, and tied lowest totals share first place.
How many rounds
A full traditional game has 13 rounds, from the double twelve down to the double blank. On Dominos.cc a game lasts 6 rounds, from the double twelve down to the double seven, so one game fits comfortably into a short break.
Play Mexican Train on Dominos.cc
Open Dominos.cc, choose Mexican Train from the game mode menu at the top left, and pick 2, 3 or 4 players. You play against computer opponents, and their strength follows the difficulty chosen in the top bar. Tap a tile, then tap the train you want to play on; when only one train fits, the tile goes there at once. The game is saved after every move, so you can close the tab and carry on later. For now Mexican Train is a solo mode: private rooms for friends are available for Draw, All Fives and Block.
Quick Mexican Train tips
Play on your own train whenever you can, because that keeps your marker off and your train private. Get rid of doubles while you still hold a tile to follow them with, since an uncovered double can force you to draw. Shed heavy tiles first, as they cost the most if someone else goes out. Watch the markers too: a train with a marker is a chance to leave an end that its owner cannot match.
How to play Mexican Train dominoes
- Set the engine Start the round with the center double, the double twelve in the first round, and deal 15 tiles to each player.
- Start your train Play a tile that matches the engine number to begin your own train, or to begin the Mexican Train.
- Build and block On each turn play one tile on your own train, on the Mexican Train, or on an opponent's train that has a marker.
- Draw, pass and mark With no legal play, draw one tile and play it if it fits; otherwise pass and put a marker on your train.
- Go out and count The round ends when someone plays their last tile; pips left in hand are penalty points, and the lowest total after the last round wins.
Mexican Train questions
What is the Mexican Train in Mexican Train dominoes?
It is a shared train that every player can add to at any time. Unlike a personal train it never carries a marker, because it is always open.
Why does a marker go on my train?
A marker is placed when you have to pass. It means your train is open, so other players may play on it until you add a tile to it yourself.
Who wins Mexican Train?
The player with the lowest total of leftover pips after the final round. The player who goes out in a round scores zero for it, and a game on Dominos.cc lasts 6 rounds.
Can I play Mexican Train with friends on Dominos.cc?
Not yet. Mexican Train is currently a solo game against computer opponents for 2, 3 or 4 players. Draw, All Fives and Block have private rooms for friends.