Mexican Train dominoes rules

What you need

Mexican Train uses a double-12 domino set. That is 91 tiles, with every pair of numbers from 0 to 12 appearing once. A standard set is enough for 2 to 8 players.

• A double-12 set of 91 dominoes.
• A center hub for the trains, if your set has one. Without it, lay the trains out like the spokes of a wheel.
• One small marker for each player. Many sets come with little plastic trains, but coins or buttons work just as well.
• A pencil and a score sheet. You can print our free Mexican Train score sheet.

For a quicker game with 2 to 4 players, some boxes suggest removing every tile with a 10, 11 or 12. What is left is a double-9 set of 55 tiles, played over 10 rounds.

How many dominoes each player draws

Shuffle the tiles face down. Each player draws a hand, and the rest stay face down as the draw pile, which many players call the boneyard. How many tiles you draw depends on how many people are playing. Rule sheets do not all agree, so here are the two versions you will see most often.

Your own box may print slightly different numbers. Either is fine, as long as the whole table uses the same one for the whole game.

The engine and the 13 rounds

Every round starts from one double in the middle of the table, called the engine. Round one uses the double-12, round two the double-11, and so on down to the double-blank in round thirteen.

In most rule sheets, you take the round's double out before shuffling and place it in the center. Some families leave it in the pile instead: whoever holds it places it, and if nobody has it, players draw until it turns up.

The first player is usually picked at random, and the start then moves one seat to the left each round. Some boxes start with the oldest player, others with whoever drew the highest tile.

The first turn

Play moves around the table clockwise, to the left. On your turn you place one tile that matches the open end of a train you are allowed to play on.

The first turn is where tables disagree the most. Most publisher rule sheets say one tile per turn from the very start. Many families instead let each player lay down as many tiles as they can, in one line, on their own train during the first turn. Both are normal. Pick one before you deal. Our house rules guide explains the details.

Your personal train

Each player builds one train, a line of dominoes running from the engine toward their seat. The first tile must match the engine's number. Every tile after that must match the open end. For example, if the engine is the double-12 and you play the 12-5, your next tile needs a 5.

On a normal turn you play one tile on one of these:

• your own train,
• the Mexican Train,
• another player's train, but only if it has a marker on it.

You may play on an open train even when you could play on your own.

The Mexican Train

The Mexican Train is a shared train that belongs to nobody, so it is always open to everyone. It starts with a tile that matches the engine, just like a personal train, and any player can start it on their turn. There is normally one Mexican Train per round, though a few groups allow more.

When it may be started is a classic argument. Many boxed rules allow it from the very first move. Others wait until everyone has had a first turn. Agree on this before you start.

Drawing and passing

If you have a tile that can be played, you must play it. You cannot draw instead.

• If you cannot play, draw one tile from the boneyard.
• If that tile fits somewhere, you may play it right away.
• If it still does not fit, put your marker on your train. Your turn is over.
• If the boneyard is empty and you cannot play, you pass and put your marker out.

Markers

A marker on your train tells everyone that your train is open. While it is there, any player can add a tile to your train.

In the standard rules, only you can take your marker off, and you do it by playing a tile on your own train. Someone else playing on your train does not close it. Some families take the marker off as soon as anyone plays on the train, so check how your table does it.

Doubles and covering them

A double is placed crosswise on the train. When you play a double, you play one more tile on the same turn. Tables differ on where that tile may go: some say it must go on the double, others allow any train you could play on. If you have no tile to follow your double, draw one. If that does not fit either, put your marker on your own train.

A double that has not been covered stops the game. Until someone plays a matching tile on it, nobody can play anywhere else. The next player has to try to cover it. If they cannot, they draw one tile. If that still does not fit, they put their marker out and play passes to the next player, who has to try the same.

One exception keeps the game from getting stuck. If every tile with that number has already been played, the double cannot be covered, so it stops blocking and play goes on as normal.

Some tables allow two doubles in one turn, some only one, and some have no limit. This is another rule to settle before you deal.

Ending a round

A round ends in one of two ways:

• A player plays their last tile. This is called going out.
• The boneyard is empty and nobody can play. This is a blocked round.

Most rule sheets let you go out on a double. Some tournament rules do not. It is good manners to tap your last tile on the table or say so out loud, so the others know you are about to go out.

After scoring, the next round starts with the next lower double as the engine.

Scoring in short

At the end of each round, every player adds up the pips, the dots, on the tiles still in their hand. That total is their score for the round. The player who went out scores zero. In a blocked round, nobody scores zero and everyone counts. After the last round, the lowest total wins.

The double-blank is worth zero in most rules, but some families count it as 50. See the full Mexican Train scoring guide for examples and a printable score sheet.

Common variations

Mexican Train has no single official rule book. Even the first rule sheets printed in 1994 disagree with each other. The first turn, doubles, the start of the Mexican Train and the value of the double-blank are the usual sources of debate. Read Mexican Train house rules for the common versions of each and what to agree on before you start.

Practice the rules at your own pace

The free Android app, Mexican Train: Big Dominoes, has big tiles with colored pips and a number mode, no timer, and pause and continue whenever you like. Pick a house rule preset, and each rule comes with a plain explanation. The computer only sees what you see.

Coming soon to iPhone and iPad

Frequently asked questions

How many dominoes are in a Mexican Train set?

A standard Mexican Train set is a double-12 set with 91 dominoes. Some boxes suggest removing every tile with a 10, 11 or 12 for a quicker game, which leaves a double-9 set of 55 tiles.

How many dominoes does each player get in Mexican Train?

With a double-12 set, 2 to 4 players most often draw 15 tiles each, 5 or 6 players draw 12, and 7 or 8 players draw 10. Some rule sheets use slightly different numbers, so agree on one before you deal.

Do you have to cover a double?

Yes. Once a double is played, nobody can play anywhere else until it is covered. The only exception is when every tile with that number has already been played, so the double can no longer be covered.

How long does a game of Mexican Train take?

A full game has 13 rounds. At a real table, players report anywhere from about an hour to two hours or more. For a shorter game, many families play 3 or 6 rounds.