Mexican Train (Dominos)
Objective
The object of all Trains games is to be the first player to place all of their dominoes. Dominoes may be placed onto the player's train, onto the Mexican train if available, or on the trains of other players under special circumstances.
Setup
The game is generally played with 2 to 8 players, though a large enough domino set can support 16 players or more. A double-six set can be used by up to four players, but the following extended sets are generally recommended to allow a substantial starting hand and boneyard:
- 2-3 players: double-nine
- 4-8 players: double-twelve
- 9-12 players: double-fifteen
- 13 or more: double-eighteen
The game also requires:
- One token or marker for each player, plus one additional token.
- A special spacer, known as the "station", used to evenly space the trains around the central domino (optional).
- Pencil and paper to keep score
Many sets of dominoes include a station and special train-shaped tokens for markers, and aftermarket Mexican Train kits with a station and tokens of varying visual appeal are available. However, the station piece is not strictly needed, and anything from coins to poker chips to even pieces of candy or slips of paper can be used as markers.
At the start of each round, the dominoes are placed face side down, shuffled, and drawn by players to form their hands. Players pick six of the face down dominos.
Any remaining dominoes are placed to one side, forming the boneyard.
Play
Each player picks one additional domino and the player with the highest number of combined dots goes first. This player plays a double domino in the middle. If this player can't play, they must pick an additional domino and play passes to the person to the left (clockwise). The player with the required double opens the station by placing this double in the center as the "engine" then play continues to the left
Each person may only lay one domino per turn. If they are unable to, they must draw a domino from the boneyard. If they are able to lay that domino, they may do so immediately. Otherwise, their turn is over and play continues clockwise.
Note that a player does not have to play a domino even if they can. They can pass, and must draw a domino. However, this is rarely good strategy.
A train can be as long as the players can make it; it only ends when all dominoes that could match its endpoint have already been played. As a result, trains can become quite long, especially with an extended domino set. It is acceptable to "bend" the train 90° or 180° to keep the train on the playing surface, as long as it does not interfere with the endpoints of other trains.
Public Trains
When a player must draw a domino, they must mark their train as "public" by placing a marker on the first car of the train. An unmarked train is "private".
Players with "private" trains have the option to play on their own train or not, or playing a domino on any train currently marked "public". Players with "public" trains can only play on their own train (an alternative rule is that all players can play on any "public" train).
When a player with a "public" train adds a domino to it, it becomes "private" again and may not be played on except by the train's owner.
The Mexican Train
The Mexican Train is an additional train that anyone with a "private" train can play on as their turn. They can start the train (by playing a domino matching the engine) or add to the train. The Mexican Train cannot be started on a player's first turn.
There is only one Mexican Train. It is usually marked with a black marker if one is available, or left unmarked (it is generally easy to identify, because it is the only train not facing a player).
Playing Doubles
The player who played the double must take another turn and "cap" or "finish" the double. If they cannot go, they have to draw a domino.
If they do not "finish the double", the train becomes a "public" train (note that if the train is not their own train, their own train does not become "public").
After this player's turn, no other train can be added to by any player until someone "finishes the double". Play passes to the next player who can legally play on this train (if the train is theirs, or if they can legally play on "public" trains). If they cannot "finish the double", they must draw a domino, and if they cannot play it on the double, their own train becomes "public". Play continues like this until someone "finishes the double".
Scoring
At the end of each round, the player going out receives 0 points, while all other players receive the sum of all pips (dots) on their dominoes. The person with the least amount of points after all rounds have been played is the winner. In the case of a tie, the person with the most 0-point rounds is the winner. (If this is still a tie, the person with the lowest round total other than 0 is the winner).
Partnerships
With 4, 6, or 8 players, the game can be played in teams of two, with partners sitting opposite each other. Rules are identical except that a player's train and his partner's train are considered one and the same (they will usually extend from opposite sides of the station), and thus a player can play on his own end or his partner's, and neither end becomes public until neither partner can play a tile. Scoring is also handled in pairs, with the player who went out scoring zero for his team (even though his partner will have dominoes remaining) and other teams summing their scores for a team score.
Elements of strategy
- It is generally in a player's best interest to keep their train private. By making a train public, the player allows other players to break an impasse in extending the train, but the player loses all other options except to attempt to play on the endpoint of their own train.
- While public trains offer additional options, the player's own private train should be considered first. Trains usually are public because their owners cannot play on them; if that train's endpoint does not change, its owner has no options until they draw a domino they can play on it.
- A player may choose to dump unmatched tiles on public trains first, before starting their own train, to trick the other players into believing that the player cannot start a train.
- If one or more players played on a public train and the endpoint value has changed, play another tile that will change the endpoint value back to its original value or to a value the player is thought not to have.
- It is sometimes advantageous to play a double on one's own train and intentionally leave it unfinished. If the value of the double has been heavily played elsewhere, other players may be unable to finish it, which will cause many players to have to mark their own trains. This is a good defensive play when subsequent players are low on dominoes; they are unlikely to have a matching domino, and must draw and mark their trains until someone can finish the double.
- Because a player playing an unfinished double on someone else's train doesn't have to mark their own train as public, it is recommended that players play doubles on public trains whenever possible. Not only does this remove a major disadvantage to playing an unfinished double, it does not change the endpoint value of the train meaning its owner probably will not be able to play, and other players do have to mark their trains if they cannot finish the double. However, a double on someone else's train gives that player and/or everyone else (if public) more options, as branches can be added.