Mexican Train dominoes rules
How to set up, play and score
Mexican Train is a domino game for two to eight players. Everyone builds a train of matching tiles out from a hub, there is one shared train anybody can add to, and the goal each round is to empty your hand first. Here are the rules most tables play, the house rules that start arguments, and a worked scoring example.
What you need
A double-12 domino set, which has 91 tiles. Each player needs a small marker: a coin, a button or the little plastic trains that come with many sets. One more marker shows the Mexican Train. A hub, the round centre piece with slots for each train, is nice to have but not needed.
You also need a way to keep score over 13 rounds. Our Mexican Train score sheet labels every round by its starting double, so nobody loses track.
Setting up
- Take the double-12 out of the set and put it in the middle of the table. This is the engine, and the hub of every train this round.
- Turn the other tiles face down and shuffle them.
- Each player draws their hand. Stand the tiles on edge so nobody else can see them.
- The tiles left over are the boneyard. You draw from it when you cannot play.
| Players | Tiles each |
|---|---|
| 2 to 4 players | 15 tiles each |
| 5 or 6 players | 12 tiles each |
| 7 or 8 players | 10 tiles each |
Rulebooks differ by a tile or two. Some deal 16 each for two players; what matters is leaving a healthy boneyard.
How a turn works
The player to the dealer's left goes first, and play goes clockwise. On your turn you play one tile, and its end must match the open end of the train you play on. You can play on:
- Your own train, the line of tiles running from the hub towards you. Its first tile must match the engine, so in round one it needs a 12.
- The Mexican Train, the shared train. Anyone may start it with a tile that matches the engine, and it stays open to everyone all round.
- Another player's train, but only while their marker is on it.
If you cannot play, draw one tile from the boneyard. If it fits, play it straight away. If it does not, your turn is over and you put your marker on your own train. While the marker is there, anyone can play on your train. It comes off as soon as you play on your own train again.
Matching ends
The 5 meets the 5 and the 3 meets the 3. The open end of this train is now 10.
Next tile here needs a 10
Doubles
A double is a tile with the same number on both halves. When you play one, you go again, and your next tile has to cover the double. Covering a double always comes before anything else at the table.
If you cannot cover your own double, draw one tile. If that does not cover it either, put your marker out and pass. The next player must cover the double, drawing if they need to, and so on round the table until someone does. Nobody plays anywhere else in the meantime.
The only exception is a double that cannot be covered because every tile with that number is already on the table. Then play carries on as normal.
Ending a round and scoring
The round ends the moment a player plays their last tile. If the boneyard is empty and nobody can play, it ends there instead.
Everyone else then adds up the pips (the dots) on the tiles left in their hand. That is their score for the round, and the player who went out scores zero. Blanks count as zero, though many tables charge 50 for being caught holding the double-blank.
The next round starts with the double-11 in the hub, then the double-10, and so on down to the double-blank in round 13. Once the double-blank round is scored, the lowest total wins. If two players tie, the one who went out in more rounds wins.
Three players, end of round one
Ana plays her last tile and goes out0
Ben holds the 6-4 and the 12-1133
Cleo holds the 5-510
Ana leads with 0
Shorter and longer games
There is one round for every double in the set, so a smaller set makes a shorter game. With fewer tiles, deal smaller hands: around 5 each with a double-6 set and 7 each with a double-9.
| Set | Rounds | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Double-6 (28 tiles) | 7 rounds | 2 or 3 players |
| Double-9 (55 tiles) | 10 rounds | 2 to 4 players |
| Double-12 (91 tiles) | 13 rounds | 2 to 8 players |
| Double-15 (136 tiles) | 16 rounds | 3 to 8 players |
| Double-18 (190 tiles) | 19 rounds | 6 or more players |
House rules to agree first
Mexican Train has no single official rulebook, and these are the rules tables most often play differently. Settle them before the first deal.
| Rule | Common choice | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| First turn | One tile, like every other turn | Lay as many tiles as you can on your own train |
| Starting the Mexican Train | Anyone, at any time | Only after your own train has a tile |
| Double-blank left in hand | 0 points | 50 points |
| Going out on a double | Allowed, the round ends | The double must be covered first |
| Down to one tile | Nothing to say | Tap the table or say "domino", or draw a penalty tile |
Mexican Train questions
How many dominoes do you start with in Mexican Train? With a double-12 set, deal 15 tiles each for two to four players, 12 each for five or six, and 10 each for seven or eight. Rulebooks differ by a tile or two, and some deal 16 for two players. Whatever you choose, leave a good pile in the boneyard.
Can you play on the Mexican Train on your first turn? Under the common rules, yes. Anyone may start the Mexican Train at any time by playing a tile that matches the hub. Some tables only allow it once your own train has a tile, so agree before the first round.
Do you have to cover a double in Mexican Train? Yes. When you play a double you play again, and that next tile must go on the double. If you cannot cover it, draw one tile. If you still cannot, put your marker out, and every player after you must cover the double before anyone plays anywhere else.
What happens when you cannot play? Draw one tile from the boneyard. If it fits, play it. If it does not, your turn ends and you put your marker on your own train, which opens it to everyone until you play on it again.
How do you win Mexican Train? Each round ends when someone plays their last tile. Everyone else counts the pips left in their hand and adds them to their score. After all 13 rounds, the lowest total wins.
What if the boneyard runs out? Keep playing without drawing. A player who cannot play puts their marker out and passes. If nobody at the table can play, the round ends and everyone scores the tiles they hold.
Can you play two doubles in one turn? Many tables allow it: play the second double, then a tile that covers it, and the first double must be covered next. Others allow one double per turn. It is a house rule, so settle it before you deal.