Mexican Train is a dominoes game for the whole table. Everyone builds a line of tiles from a central hub, a shared Mexican train runs alongside, and the goal is to empty your hand while your rivals are left holding the points.
You can play it now in Mexican Train against 3 computer rivals. The rules below are the ones it uses, with notes on common variations for when you play at home.
The set and the deal
Mexican Train uses a double-12 set: 91 tiles, one for every pair of numbers from 0 to 12. The double 12 goes in the middle as the engine, or hub. The rest are shuffled face down.
Each player takes their hand from the pile; the rest becomes the boneyard. With 4 players, as in Aback Games, everyone takes 15 tiles. At home the hand size usually shrinks as the table grows, for example 12 tiles each for five or six players and 10 for seven or eight.
Trains
Every player has a personal train that starts at the hub, and there is one shared Mexican train that anyone may start and extend. A tile joins a train when one of its ends matches the open end of the train.
- You may always play on your own train and on the Mexican train.
- You may play on a rival’s train only while it is open.
- One tile per turn, unless it is a double.
Drawing and open trains
If no tile in your hand fits anywhere you may play, draw one from the boneyard. Play it if it fits. If it does not, or the boneyard is empty, your turn ends and your train becomes open: a marker shows that anyone may now play on it. It stays open until you play on it yourself.
Doubles
Playing a double gives you another turn straight away. The double must then be covered with a matching tile before anyone plays anywhere else. If you cannot cover it, the next player must try, and so on round the table.
In Aback Games, a double played as your very last tile ends the round with no cover needed.
Ending a round and scoring
A round ends when someone plays their last tile, or when the boneyard is empty and nobody can play. Everyone scores the total pips left in their hand. Scores add up over the match and the lowest total wins.
A full match plays 13 rounds, one for each double from 12 down to blank as the engine. Aback Games also offers a quick match of 4 rounds.
Common house rules
Mexican Train has many family variations. Some of the most common:
- The double blank counts 50 points if it is left in your hand.
- You must say “one tile” or knock when you have one tile left, or draw a penalty tile.
- Each player’s first turn of a round may play several tiles on their own train at once.
- A double that cannot be covered closes every other train until it is.
Agree on house rules before you start. The game on Aback Games keeps to the rules in the sections above.
Strategy
- At the start of a round, find the longest chain you could build on your own train from your hand, and keep those tiles for it.
- Play tiles that do not fit your chain on the Mexican train and on open trains.
- Get rid of high-pip tiles early. If someone goes out, they are what costs you most.
- Play a double when you can cover it yourself, or when your rivals look unable to.
- Close your own train quickly when it is open, before rivals use it to unload their tiles.
Questions
How many dominoes do you start with in Mexican Train?
In Aback Games, with 4 players, each player starts with 15 tiles. In tabletop play the hand size often drops for bigger groups, such as 12 tiles for five or six players.
Do you have to cover a double in Mexican Train?
Yes. Once a double is played, it must be covered with a matching tile before play continues anywhere else. If the player cannot cover it, the next player must try.
Who wins Mexican Train?
The player with the lowest total score after the last round. Each round you score the pips left in your hand.
