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This wikiHow article will teach you how to play the popular Mexican Train domino game. The object is to accumulate as few points as possible over the 13 games. The player with the lowest total score is the winner. [1] X Research source You'll need a double-twelve set of dominoes (91 pieces in total) which contains all possible pairs of numbers from 0 (blank) to 12 and some markers.
Mexican Train Overview
- Number of Players: 2-10
- Object of the Game: Be the first to play all your dominoes.
- Setup: Shuffle the dominoes face-down. 2-6 players take 12 dominoes each; 7-8 take 10, 9-10 take 8. The player who has the double 12 plays the first domino.
Steps
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Each player takes twelve dominoes and stands them on edge so that their faces are visible to the owner but not to the other players. The remaining dominoes are left face down in the "bone-yard".- Up to 6 players take 12 dominoes each, 7 or 8 players take 10 each, and 9 or 10 players take 8 each. [3] X Research source
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Each player looks to see if he has the double-twelve. (The second game will be started by the double-eleven and so on downwards to the double-blank for the 13th game.) [4] X Research source
- The player who has the double-twelve (the train station) begins the first round by placing it in the center of the table.
- If no one has the double, players draw one domino at a time, in clockwise fashion, from the bone-yard until the double-twelve (the train station) is found.
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Everyone organizes their dominos. This can take awhile, depending upon how many dominoes everyone had to pick up. Each player will learn their own system for keeping all their dominoes straight, but basically you want to:
- Make the longest train possible with the dominoes in your hand. This is done in front of you with the dominoes on edge so your opponent(s) can't see what you have.
- Keep all your starter dominoes (train engines) separate (as you use these only to start your train or a Mexican train).
- Keep your "loose" dominoes (those that wouldn't fit into your personal train) handy to add to a Mexican train if and when possible.
- Fit in any doubles into your personal train as early as possible. For instance if you have the following train: 12-12, 12-5, 5-0, 0-1, 1-3 and then you notice that you also have the double-1: Place this double-1 domino in between the 0-1 and the 1-3 dominoes (double dominoes are special during play).
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Continuing in clockwise order around the table, each player now starts to lay down his train, which is a single row of dominoes starting from the double (train station) in the center and extending towards the player (this makes it easy for everyone, including you, to remember which train is yours). The ends of adjacent dominoes must match in number and the center facing end of the first domino played must match the center domino (in the first game, therefore, a 12 is needed). A single train might look like this: 12-12, 12-5, 5-0, 0-1, etc. As the train grows, it will turn and twist around; just be sure to allow your neighbors to have room for their trains too.
- If any player is unable to start their train - having no (engine) domino that matches the center double - they draw from the bone-yard, hoping that they pull a domino with a 12 on one end, in which case they will play it as normal, and the next player will take their turn. Any player without a train must continue to pick up dominoes until he either draws a domino with a 12 (engine) or can place a domino on a Mexican train that another opponent has started. [5] X Research source
- No player is allowed to play on another player's train, nor to start the "Mexican train," during their first turn. The first domino you place, after the starting double (train station) is your personal train.
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Each player continues taking a turn. Any player with a 12 domino (engine) can lay it down off the double-twelve domino (train station) in the center anytime it is his turn to start a Mexican train. Mark the 12 half of this Mexican train starter domino with a marker to remind others they also can play on this new Mexican train whenever it is their turn.
- If a player cannot either lay a domino on his own train, or play a domino on a Mexican train, or play a domino on an opponent's train, he must draw a domino. If he cannot play this domino, he states this out loud and it is the next person's turn. If he can play it, he does so and it is the next person's turn.
- If he was not able play his drawn domino on his own train, he must top the first domino of his train (his engine) with a marker; this lets all other players know that his train can now be played on (just like a Mexican train). Splay a third domino, which again may go anywhere - on the first or second double you played or elsewhere, and may be a third double - and so on.
- Your turn ends after you play one domino that is not a double or, being unable to do so, you pass and place your penny on your train. The only exception to this is that if your very last domino is a double you may go out (finish the game) with it. In that case, the game ends immediately and penalty points are tallied. You are the winner of this round, as you will have zero points.
- If a double is played, and the player leaves a train ending in a double, then after the end of that player's turn the next domino played by the next player must be played on that double.
- The duty of satisfying the double falls first on the next player after the person who played the double. If they can satisfy the double, they must do so - even though it may be on a personal train. If they cannot satisfy the double from their hand, they draw a tile and if that does not match the double either, they pass and place a penny on their own train; the duty of satisfying the double then passes to the following player in turn. If a player leaves several doubles unsatisfied at the end of a turn, each of the exposed doubles must be satisfied by subsequent players in the order that they were played .
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The play ends as soon as one player runs out of dominoes, or when no other domino can be played.
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Each player scores as penalty points the spots on the dominoes they have left (so a player who ran out of dominoes will score no penalty points for that game).
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A complete session would consist of 13 games, the first started with the 12-12, then the 11-11, 10-10 and so on down to the 0-0.
- You can take this game with you when you are babysitting.
- It will help you to keep the kids engaged.
- Parents will be impressed that you have come well-prepared for your job.
Community Q&A
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QuestionDo doubles count more at the end of the game?Community AnswerNo. Doubles only count for face value, except for the double blank, which is generally scored as 50.
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QuestionWhat is the number score for each domino?Community AnswerThe number score is equal to the total of the pips on it.
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QuestionHow many points do the blank tiles count for?Community AnswerWe have always counted the double blank domino as 50 points. Some others count it as 25 points.
Video
Tips
- Some play the tiles one at a time from the start, rather than each player playing as many tiles as possible on their own train in their first turn.Thanks
- Some do not allow more than one double to be played in the same turn. In this version there can never be more than one unsatisfied double on the table.Thanks
- Some play that you place a marker on your train if the turn was one in which you were not allowed to play on your train because you had to satisfy a double.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://www.mexicantrainfun.com/mexican-train-rules/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxeIR8HCSYI
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/tile/wdom/mextrain.html
- ↑ https://www.pagat.com/tile/wdom/mextrain.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxeIR8HCSYI
- http://www.mexicantrainrulesandstrategies.com
- http://www.pagat.com/tile/wdom/mextrain.html
- http://www.gamecabinet.com/rules/MexicanTrains.html
About This Article
Mexican Train dominoes is a 2-8 player game where players try to lay down all of their dominoes first and score the least number of points. The game starts with all of the dominoes shuffled and face-down on the table. Then, players simultaneously flip the dominoes over and try to be the first one to find the double-12 tile, which is the starting tile. Whoever finds the double-12 tile places the tile in the center and goes first. This tile is the “engine” of the train. The rest of the tiles are flipped face-down. The face-down pool of tiles is called the “boneyard.” Next, every player draws tiles for their hand. For a 2-4 player game, each player gets 15 tiles. For a 5-6 player game, each player gets 12 tiles. For a 7-8 player game, each player gets 10 tiles. Players stand the tiles in their hand up on their side so they can see the faces of their tiles but the other players can’t. Now the first player takes their turn. On a player’s first turn, they must play a tile off of the engine tile to start their train. The end of the tile they play that’s adjacent to the engine must have 12 dots to match the end of the engine. The player can continue playing tiles off of their train in a single chain as long as the end of each tile they’re playing matches the adjacent end it's played off of. If a player isn’t able to play any tiles on their turn, they draw a tile from the boneyard. If they’re able to play the tile they drew, they play it on their train. If they’re not able to play the tile they drew, they must place a marker, like a coin, on the last tile in their train to signify that it’s open. Any player can play on an open train, regardless of whose train it is. A player’s train stays open until they’re able to play a tile on it. After the first round, players are only allowed to play one tile per turn on subsequent turns. However, if a player plays a double tile, they get an extra turn, but they must play off of the double. If they’re not able to play off of the double, they draw a tile from the boneyard. If they can’t play the tile they drew, they mark their train as open. If a double tile is left open, it must be played off of by one of the other players on their turn. Players can not play off of any other tile if there is an open double on the table. Once the double tile has been played off of, then players can continue playing tiles off of their own train. During each round, one player can play a 12 domino off of the engine on their turn to start an extra train, called the Mexican train. The Mexican train can only be started after every player has taken their first turn. The Mexican train is marked and can be played off of by any player throughout the round. Play continues until one player gets rid of all of the tiles in their hand. Then, the rest of the players add up the total value of the dominoes left in their hand and add that to their score. Whoever has the least number of points after 13 rounds wins the game!
Reader Success Stories
- "What a blast! Fun for adults, friends, family and kids. We play it at our gatherings. We have 21 grandkids who love to play and enjoy trying to beat grandma and grandpa. So much fun we had to buy 4 more sets! Our Texan friends are now addicted!" ..." more
