Mexican Train

How to play Mexican Train

1. The tiles: a double-twelve set has 91 tiles, one for every pair of numbers from 0 (blank) to 12. Each round starts from a double in the middle, called the engine: the 12–12 in the first round, then the 11–11, and so on down.
2. The deal: the engine is set in the middle, and each player takes 15 tiles and keeps them hidden. The rest stay face down in the boneyard.
3. Your train: your own train runs from the engine. Its first tile must match the engine's number: in the first round, a tile with a 12. After that, each tile must match the open end of the train, just as in ordinary dominoes.
4. The Mexican train: one extra train belongs to nobody. Any player may start it with a tile matching the engine and add to it on any turn.
5. Your turn: play one tile on your own train, on the Mexican train, or on another player's train if it is open (more on that below). If you can play, you must.
6. Stuck? If none of your tiles fit, draw one tile from the boneyard. If it fits, play it. If it doesn't, your turn ends and a little locomotive goes on your train: it is now open, and every player may add to it. The locomotive comes off as soon as you play on your own train again.
7. Doubles: a double is laid crossways, and it must be covered. When you play a double, play again straight away: a tile matching the double, on the double. If you can't, draw one tile and play it on the double if it fits; if it doesn't, your train opens and the next players must cover the double before anyone plays anywhere else. A double needs no cover when every other tile with its number is already on the table.
8. The end of a round: the round ends when someone plays their last tile. If the boneyard is empty and nobody can play, the round is blocked and ends too.
9. Scoring: everyone adds up the pips (spots) on the tiles left in their hand, and that goes onto their total. The player who went out scores nothing.
10. Winning: play 4 rounds, 7 rounds or all 13 (down to the 0–0). The lowest total wins.

Controls

• Play a tile: tap it. Tiles that fit somewhere stand up with a yellow glow. If a tile fits only one train, it goes straight there; if it fits more than one, tap the tile, then tap the train you want.
• Draw: when nothing fits, tap Draw a tile or the boneyard. You draw one tile a turn.
• Pass: if the tile you drew doesn't fit either, press Pass. Your train gets its locomotive and opens to everyone.
• Keyboard: ← and → or Tab move between your tiles, Enter plays the one in focus, D draws and P passes.

Each train is a row on the table, running from the engine: the Mexican train first, then everyone's own train. The number at the end of each row is the number the next tile must match. An open train has a dashed edge and a locomotive by its owner's name, and a double waiting to be covered glows red. Very long trains slide to the left so their newest tiles stay in view.

Choose 2, 3 or 4 players before you press a play button. With 2 Players or more on one device, a cover screen hides the tiles whenever the device passes to the next player.

Computer levels

The computer never sees anyone's tiles or the boneyard. It knows its own tiles, the trains on the table, how many tiles everyone holds and what happened in the open. When a player draws or passes, it notes the numbers that player couldn't match.

Tips to win

• Plan your own line. At the start of a round, look for the longest chain of your tiles that starts from the engine's number. Keep those tiles for your own train, where nobody else can play (while it's closed).
• Use the Mexican train for the rest. Tiles that don't fit your chain are dead weight. Get rid of them on the Mexican train or on open trains, heaviest first.
• Keep your train closed. An open train invites everyone to change its end number and spoil your chain. Close it again as soon as you can by playing on it.
• Play doubles with a partner. Play a double when you hold a tile that covers it: two tiles leave your hand in one turn. A double you can't cover opens your train.
• Count what's left. High tiles (the 12s, 11s and 10s) cost the most if someone else goes out. When another player is down to a few tiles, play your heaviest ones.
• Watch who draws. A player who draws or passes on a 7 probably has no 7s. Leaving a 7 at the end of their open train can keep them stuck.

About Mexican Train

Mexican Train belongs to the family of dominoes games in which every player builds their own line from a central double. It is usually played with a double-twelve set, and many sets come with a round hub that holds the engine and little plastic trains to mark open trains. House rules vary a lot from table to table. Some let each player lay as many tiles as they can on their own train on their first turn, some score the double blank as 50 points, and some deal fewer tiles when more people play. This version keeps to the core rules described above, so a round plays the same way every time.

Questions

Updated 10 November 2026