Mexican Train

Players and Setup

• Up to 8 people may play when using Double-12 Dominoes. The double-12 domino is placed in the center of the table as the starter train station from which each players train line must begin. Remainig dominoes or turned up-side-down and thoroughly mixed up.

Intial number of dominoes drawn by each player depends on the numer of people playing:

• 2 or 3 players, each pick 16 dominoes.
• 4 players, each pick 15 dominoes.
• 5 players, each pick 14 dominoes.
• 6 players, each pick 12 dominoes.
• 7 players, each pick 10 dominoes.
• 8 players, each pick 9 dominoes.

The player with the highest 12-# domino plays first.

Game Play

Non-Double Tiles:

1. During your turn you may play one tile. (Playing doubles is an exception covered below.)
2. Any player may start the Mexican train (an unowned train line) during their turn.
3. If you have a playable tile, you must play.
4. If you cannot play, you must draw a tile from the bone pile and play it if you can.
5. If you are unable to play, you must place a marker on your train. A marked train is eligible for play by all players. The marker remains on your train until you play on it.
6. When there are no unsatisfied doubles, the trains eligible for play are your personal train, the Mexican train, and any marked trains.

Double Tiles:

1. During your turn you may play one double or as many doubles in succession as you can play on any eligible trains. Then…
2. After you play your last double, you are required to end your turn by playing a non-double tile. The eligible trains for this play are the Mexicantrain, the train with the first double you played, and any eligible train that ends with a non-double. If you can’t play a non-double, draw, play it if you can, or mark your train. If you draw a double, play it and proceed with playing a non-double as just described. Repeat if and as necessary.
3. Doubles must be satisfied in the order they were played, so if one or more doubles remain unsatisfied, your only eligible play is to satisfy the next unsatisfied double. Of course, the rule to play, draw and play, or mark your train, applies.
4. If a player shows the other players that all the non-doubles needed to satisfy a double have already been played, then at that point, there is no obligation to satisfy it, and that train is no longer playable. Tiles that were drawn in a prior attempt to satisfy the double cannot be returned to the bone pile!

Goal

Your goal is to use up all your dominoes before others. The last one out is the caboose!

Online Version

July 2020 we found an online site for playing: https://mexicantrain.online/ One person goes to site and creates game then sends link to the rest of those playing. The double blank tile is the button for drawing a tile. A line at the top of the current player will light up to show whose turn it is. We learned we need to sometimes click on our browsers Refresh to get the game to update, but it otherwise worked well.