Mexican Train Dominoes is a timeless game that brings people together, no matter their age or experience level. It’s a perfect mix of fun and strategy, creating moments of laughter and competition that you’ll cherish. Whether it’s a family game night, a friendly gathering, or just some downtime, this classic game promises hours of entertainment and connection. With its simple rules and engaging play, Mexican Train Dominoes is a favorite that everyone can enjoy.
1. Objective
The objective of the game is to have the lowest score at the end of the game.
Each round ends when one of the players has played all of the dominoes.
2. Setup
Each round begins with different double tiles in the middle of the hub. The dominoes that goes in the center is called the engine.
The first round starts with the double 12 the second round starts with the double 11 and so on down to the double zero.
The beginning double domino is set to the side while players are drawing dominoes. Players take dominoes and place them on the domino holder so that other opponents cannot see them.
The number of dominoes drawn at the start depends on how many people can play Mexican Train.
The remaining dominoes are pushed to the side and these dominoes make up the BoneYard.
The set-aside double 12 domino with hub is placing in the middle.
3. Game Play
On the first turn, all players can play as many dominoes as they can starting from the engine tile. On the first turn, players can build only one line known as the player’s train.
The first domino in the train must have an adjacent side that matches the engine and each domino after that one must have an adjacent matching end to each domino preceding it.
The train can be any number of dominoes.
The trains can turn in different directions or can be placed parallel to each other, to save space, but it can not block the trains of other players.
If a player does not have a domino that matches the engine to create a train.
A train token is placed at the point in their hub marking where their train would have extended out. A train token marks this spot as a public train.
In subsequent rounds, if a player cannot play even after drawing any tiles of domino, he must open his train by placing a train token on his train making it public.
Any player can add dominoes to public train.
Exept during the first turn.
The train that is not marked - Is private and only the owner of this train can add tiles to it.
If your train is public and you can play a domino on it during your turn, You can remove the token to make your train private again.
After first round when all players have placed all possible dominoes on the table, the turn goes to the first player. From the second turn the players can only play one domino per turn with the exception of playing a double domino.
And they may add a domino on their privat train or a public train.
Player four is unable to play on his train and has to draw a domino from the Boneyard; the Domino drawn does not match the side and he has placed a train token to make it public.
The turn goes back to player one but player one can not play on his private train and he is playing on public train.
The second player cannot play on his private train and public train. So He pulls a domino out of the bone yard and it matches his own train and he immediately plays it.
If in the boneyard no more dominoes, the player should open his private train.
4. Doubles
A tiles with the same numbers on both ends are named a “Double”.
If you play a double, you must play another tile immediately afterward. This is called satisfying the double.
If a player does not have a tile to satisfy the double he can play on any public train, or open his train for public.
If he is unable to do that he should mark his train as public.
And the obligation to satisfy the double continues to the next player and so on until the double is satisfied.
5. Mexican Train
An additional Mexican train may be started by any player after the first turn and only one by a player. Additional Mexican trains are always marked as public and never becomes private.
6. Ending a Round
If a player has one tile left, he should indicate this by tapping the tile on the table or announcing it.
The round ends when players place their last tile OR when nobody has a playable domino and the boneyard is empty the round ends!
7. Scoring
At the end of the game, each player adds up the total number of pips on their remaining tiles. The double blanked domino is worth 50 points. The goal is to have the lowest score possible.
Write down the scores of all players in a scorebook.
After this, you can gather up all the dominoes, shuffle them and start to play the next round with the next lowest engine.
At the end of the final round add up all the points and the player with the lowest score is the winner
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
a. Can you play on someone else's train if you haven't started yours?
The double blank is actually the "double zero" domino and should be treated like any other double. If you can play on another player’s train before starting your own, can you still play on that train? Yes. This applies only to later players, such as players 3 or 4, during the first round.
b. How many extra trains can you start in Mexican Train?
Only one Mexican train is allowed per game, and it can be started at any time. If a player plays a double at the end of a train, they must announce “Double.” They are also required to answer the double. For example, if it’s a double 6, they must place the double 6 and another tile with a 6 at the same time.
c. How many people can play Mexican Train at once?
A double-twelve set of dominoes is marketed as the standard for Mexican Train, and accommodates up to eight players, but there are many sets that are commonly used.
d. Can you play on the Mexican Train if you haven't opened?
It is open to all players and can be started any time after the first round of turns.
e. Can you end your first turn with a double in a Mexican Train?
If one or more players end their first turn with a double, those doubles must be satisfied in order as soon as everyone has had their first turn, starting with the second turn of the first player.
f. Can you start with a blank domino in a Mexican Train?
A special “Mexican Train” can be started by any player using a domino from their hand that matches an end of the engine. This train extends from the engine, is always public, and never becomes private.
g. What is the tap rule in Mexican Train?
On their turn, when a player has only one domino left, they must tap it to alert other players they might go out in the next round. If they forget to tap, they must draw a tile from the boneyard.
h. What happens when the boneyard is empty in a Mexican Train?
Once the boneyard is empty, a clock starts ticking on all subsequent turns. The game ends when every player passes. For instance, Player C would cover the double, Player D would either play or pass, and play continues clockwise until everyone passes.
i. What to do when you run out of dominoes in a Mexican Train?
When a player has only one domino left, they must tap it during their turn to signal they may go out next. If they forget to tap, they must draw a tile from the boneyard.
j. What do you say when you have one domino left?
When you’re down to one playable tile, you must tap your domino or the table loud enough for everyone to hear. Alternatively, you can say “uno” to indicate you have one tile.
