Mexican Train is a fun domino game in which players try to lay their dominoes in a row, also known as a train. All players start from a central starting tile and build their own train with dominoes that connect to each other. In addition, there is a shared train, the Mexican Train, which everyone can play on. The game combines strategy, logical thinking, and a little bit of luck.

🎯 Objective of the game

The goal of Mexican Train is to get rid of all your dominoes as quickly as possible and end up with as few points as possible.

👥 Target audience

Mexican Train is suitable for children, teenagers, and adults. Thanks to its simple rules, the game is accessible to players aged 6 and up.

👤 Number of players

Minimum: 2 players
Maximum: 8 players

Type of game

🍀 Luck:🔴🔴🔴🔴⚪ The dominoes you receive are random, so luck plays a big role.

💣 Risk: 🔴🔴⚪⚪⚪ There is little real risk; players mainly try to place their tiles as well as possible.

🧠 Tactics: 🔴🔴🔴⚪⚪ You can strategically choose when to play on your own train or on the Mexican Train and which dominoes to keep.

📖 Rules of the game

PREPARATION
1. Place all dominoes face down on the table and shuffle them well.
2. Each player takes a number of tiles: 2–4 players: 15 tiles 5–6 players: 12 tiles 7–8 players: 10 tiles
3.  Place the highest double tile (12-12) in the middle.
4. Each player starts their own train from this central tile.

GAME PLAY
Players take turns clockwise. During your turn, you place a domino that matches the open end of a train.
You may play on: – your own train – the Mexican Train (shared train) – another player's train if it is open.

MEXICAN TRAIN
The Mexican Train is a shared train to which all players may add dominoes.

UNABLE TO PLAY
If you do not have a matching tile: 1. Draw one tile from the stock. 2. If you can play it, place it immediately. 3. If you cannot play, place a train marker on your train. Other players may now play on your train.

DOUBLE TILES
When a double tile is played, it must be "covered" with a matching tile. Until this is done, players must first resolve this double tile.

END OF THE ROUND
A round ends when:
– a player has played all their dominoes, or
– no one can play anymore and the stock is empty.

SCORING
Players count the values of their remaining tiles.
Example: tile 6-5 = 11 points

END OF THE GAME
Each round starts with a lower double starting tile:
12-12 → 11-11 → 10-10 → … → 0-0
After the last round, the player with the fewest points wins.

Official rules of the game (Dutch)