Mexican Train Rules
Mexican Train is played with a double-twelve domino set by two to ten players over thirteen rounds. Each round opens with a double — the 12-12 first, then the 11-11, down to the double-blank — and every player builds a personal train out from that centre engine. If you cannot play, you place a marker on your train and anyone may then play on it, until you play on it yourself and close it again. The round ends when someone empties their hand, and the pips you are still holding count against you.
What you need and how many tiles
Mexican Train uses a double-twelve set — 91 tiles — plus a marker for each player and one more for the Mexican Train itself. Traditionally these were coins: a penny per player and a nickel for the shared train.
| Players | Tiles each (pagat) |
|---|---|
| 2–4 | 15 |
| 5–6 | 12 |
| 7–8 | 10 |
| 9–10 | 8 |
These are pagat’s numbers. Wikipedia gives ranges instead — 12 to 16 tiles for two players on a double-twelve set, 10 to 15 for three, 11 to 14 for four, 9 to 12 for five to eight — because the right hand size really depends on how long a game the table wants. Neither is wrong. If your set came with an instruction leaflet giving a third number, that is not wrong either.
A hub is convenient but not required. Any way of marking the centre double and leaving room for a train per player plus the Mexican Train will do.
Thirteen rounds, one engine each
The 12-12 opens the first round, the 11-11 the second, and so on down to the double-blank for the thirteenth.
A full game is thirteen rounds. The first is opened by the 12-12, the second by the 11-11, and so on down to the double-blank. Before each round, that round’s engine is set aside, the rest are shuffled face down, and everyone draws their hand.
Scores accumulate across all thirteen rounds and the lowest total wins — Mexican Train is a game you lose slowly rather than win quickly.
How to play Mexican Train
Set the engine
Take out the round’s double — the 12-12 for the first round — and place it in the centre. Shuffle the rest face down and deal each player their hand. The remainder is the boneyard.
Start your train
On your first turn, build a train outwards from the engine, starting with a tile that matches the engine’s number. On this first turn only you may lay as many tiles as you like, as long as they form one valid train.
Mark a train you could not start
If you cannot start your train at all, you do not draw. Place your marker where your train would have begun, and from that point anyone may start it for you.
Play one tile a turn
After the opening turn, you play a single tile per turn. It may go on your own train, on any train carrying a marker, or on the Mexican Train. You may not play on another player’s unmarked train.
Start or extend the Mexican Train
From the second turn onwards, any player may start the shared Mexican Train with a tile matching the round’s engine, and mark it with the odd marker. Anyone may play on it at any time thereafter.
Answer every double
Playing a double obliges you to play one more tile, which may go anywhere on the layout you are allowed to play — it does not have to go on the double. But if the double is still uncovered when your turn ends, the next tile anyone plays must go on it.
Draw, or mark your train
If you cannot play, draw one tile from the boneyard. If that tile plays, play it. If it does not — or the boneyard is empty — place your marker on your own train, which opens it to everyone until you play on it yourself.
Count up
The round ends when a player runs out of tiles or the layout blocks completely. Everyone else scores the pips left in their hand. After thirteen rounds, the lowest total wins.
The doubles rule, stated properly
This is the rule most summaries get wrong, and it is worth getting right because it is the rule that swings rounds.
The familiar version — "play a double and you must immediately cover it yourself" — is looser than the real rule in one direction and stricter in the other. Pagat: Playing a double obliges you to play one more tile, and it may go anywhere on the layout you are allowed to play — not necessarily on the double itself.
And then: If the double is still open when your turn ends, the next tile added to the layout by anyone must be played on that double. So the extra tile you owe can be played anywhere useful, but an uncovered double freezes the whole layout until somebody answers it — including opponents, who must deal with your double before doing anything they would rather do.
That asymmetry is what makes holding doubles dangerous and playing them at the right moment powerful.
Markers: when a train opens and closes
- A marker on a train means anyone may play on it. You place one when you cannot play at the end of your turn.
- Playing on your own marked train removes the marker, and it is private again. Pagat: “If the owner of a marked train plays on their own train, the marker is removed and other players can no longer add to that train.”
- The Mexican Train is permanently open — it carries a marker from the moment it starts and never closes.
- A train marked because its owner could not start it can be started by anybody, and closes as soon as its owner plays on it.
Scoring, and the double-blank myth
Every player scores the pips left in their hand as penalty points. The lowest total after the final round wins.
The double-blank scores zero, because it has no pips. The widely repeated “double-blank is 50” is a house rule — Wikipedia lists it as an option, and pagat’s rules do not mention it. Agree it before you deal or not at all.
It is a good house rule — without it, the double-blank is a free tile you can hold forever at no cost, which is not much of a game. But it is a choice your table makes, not a rule you are getting wrong if you skip it.
Mexican Train questions
How many dominoes do you start with in Mexican Train?
- Pagat’s rules give fifteen tiles each for up to four players, twelve for five or six, ten for seven or eight, and eight for nine or ten. Wikipedia publishes ranges instead — 12 to 16 for two players, for instance — because hand size is really a dial for game length. Pick a number and stick to it for all thirteen rounds.
Can you play on someone else’s train in Mexican Train?
- Only if it is marked. A marker means the owner could not play on their own train last turn, and until they do, anyone may add to it. Playing on your own marked train removes the marker and closes it again.
What happens if you cannot play in Mexican Train?
- Draw one tile from the boneyard. If it can be played, play it. If it cannot, or the boneyard is empty, put your marker on your own train — which opens it to every other player until you play on it yourself.
Do you have to cover a double in Mexican Train?
- You must play one extra tile after a double, but it can go anywhere on the layout you are entitled to play — it does not have to go on the double. If the double is still uncovered at the end of your turn, though, the next tile played by anyone must go on it. The layout is frozen until the double is answered.
Is the double-blank worth 50 points in Mexican Train?
- Only as a house rule. Pagat’s rules do not mention it, and by the ordinary scoring — you count the pips left in your hand — the double-blank is worth nothing. Wikipedia lists 25 per blank and 50 for the double-blank as an option. Plenty of families play it; just agree it before you deal.
How many rounds are in a game of Mexican Train?
- Thirteen with a double-twelve set — one for each double from the 12-12 down to the double-blank. Shorter games are usually made by playing fewer rounds rather than by changing anything else.
Can you play Mexican Train with a double-six set?
- Yes, and it is a good way to try the game — you get seven rounds instead of thirteen, and hands of about five tiles for two to four players. It is a noticeably tighter game, because 28 tiles do not leave much of a boneyard.