Plan your own train first
Find the longest chain
Before you play anything, look at your hand and build the longest line you can that starts with the engine number. In the 12-12 round, start with a tile that has a 12, then follow the matching ends as far as they go. That line is your plan for your own train. A long chain means many turns where you always have a safe play, even when the Mexican Train and everyone else's trains give you nothing.
When two chains are possible, prefer the longer one, and then the one that uses more high tiles. Doubles fit neatly into a chain because you play them and cover them in the same turn.
Keep your train closed
Your own train is private until you are forced to mark it. Every tile you add to it should be one that you can follow with the next tile of your chain. If you play your whole chain early, you lose your safe moves later, so it often pays to play the tiles that don't fit your chain on the Mexican Train first and keep the chain in reserve.
Get your train started
The exception is the very first tile. Start your own train early in the round, because until it has a tile you have nowhere private to play, and an unstarted train with a marker invites everyone to begin it for you with tiles that break your plan.
Use the Mexican Train and open trains
The Mexican Train and any marked train are shared space. Use them for the tiles your plan can't use, and above all for high tiles: a 12-11 left in your hand at the end of the round costs 23 points, while a 1-0 costs one. Each turn, ask which of your loose tiles is the most expensive one you can get rid of.
Be careful about what you leave on an open train. If the end you create is a number you hold several of, you have made yourself a second route. If it is a number the next player clearly needs, consider playing elsewhere.
Managing doubles
- Play a double with its cover. If you hold the 7-7 and the 7-2, you get to play both in one turn: one tile further ahead of everyone else.
- A lone double is a liability. A double you can't cover still has to go somewhere, and once played it blocks the table until someone covers it. If nobody can, everyone has to draw.
- Doubles as a weapon. Late in a round, playing a double nobody else can match forces the next players to draw and mark their trains. Only try it when you can afford to draw yourself.
- High doubles are expensive. The 11-11 left in your hand is 22 points. Don't wait too long for the perfect moment.
Read the table
- Markers tell you who is stuck. A player who just marked their train had nothing to play on any open train. The numbers at the ends they couldn't use are numbers they don't hold.
- Count the tiles in hands. When an opponent is down to two or three tiles, the round could end within a lap. Switch to dumping high tiles.
- Watch which numbers are gone. In a double-12 set each number appears on 13 tiles. If most of the 9s are already on the table, a 9 at the end of your chain is a dead end.
The endgame
When the round is about to end, you are no longer trying to go out. You are trying to lose as few points as possible. Play your highest tile every turn, wherever it fits, even if it breaks your chain. Keep small tiles and blanks for last. If the boneyard is empty and the table is jammed, the round may end blocked, and then the same rule applies: whoever holds the fewest pips does best.
A worked example
It is the 12-12 round and you hold these ten tiles:
- Find the chain. From the 12 you can go 12-5, 5-9, 9-3, 3-3, 3-7: five tiles, including a double you can cover straight away. The other start, 12-8 then 8-2, is only two tiles long.
- Start your train with the 12-5. Your next three own-train moves are now safe: the 5-9, the 9-3, and the 3-3 played together with the 3-7.
- Use the Mexican Train for the rest. Start it with the 12-8 and follow later with the 8-2 if nobody changes the end. That keeps both tiles off your own train.
- Dump the expensive tile. The 11-10 is worth 21 points and fits none of your plans. As soon as a 10 or an 11 shows at the end of the Mexican Train or a marked train, play it there. The 10-0 also wants a 10, but when a 10 appears, the 11-10 goes first because it costs 21 points against 10.
- Keep the cheap tiles for last. The 6-4 and the 10-0 are the tiles you can afford to be caught with. Play them when they fit, but never ahead of the 11-10.
If someone is down to one tile before you have played the 11-10, forget the chain and get it out at the first chance.
Practice
The fastest way to get a feel for this is to play. Our free Mexican Train game lets you play a full 13-round game or a single round against up to seven computer players, with the scores kept for you. Playing with real dominoes? Keep the totals on the Mexican Train score sheet.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mexican Train a game of luck or skill?
Both. The deal decides a lot in a single round, but over 13 rounds the players who plan a long train, get rid of high tiles early and handle doubles well finish with clearly lower totals.
Should I play on my own train or the Mexican Train first?
Start your own train early so you have somewhere private to play, then use the Mexican Train and any marked trains for tiles that don't fit your plan. Your own train is the one nobody else can block.
When should I play a double?
When you hold a tile that covers it, so you play two tiles in one turn. An uncovered double stops the whole table, which can hurt you as much as anyone else unless you have nothing that matches it.
Is it bad to have a marker on my train?
It means anyone may play on your train, so the chain you planned can be broken by someone else's tile. Take the marker off as soon as you can by playing on your own train again.
What should I do when someone is about to go out?
Get rid of your highest tiles, wherever they fit. A round can end at any moment once a player is down to one or two tiles, and whatever you are holding counts against you.