How to Play Mexican Train Dominoes

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Learn to setup and play the classic domino game

Co-authored by Jessie Davidson

Last Updated: September 3, 2024 Fact Checked

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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]
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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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Spread the out and mix them up. ^{[2]
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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]
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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]
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- 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]
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- 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.
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.

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Question

Do doubles count more at the end of the game?

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No. Doubles only count for face value, except for the double blank, which is generally scored as 50.

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What is the number score for each domino?

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The number score is equal to the total of the pips on it.

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How many points do the blank tiles count for?

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We have always counted the double blank domino as 50 points. Some others count it as 25 points.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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