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Mexican Train Dominoes

Build your own train, use the Mexican Train, and go out first: play the computer or a friend

Round 1 of 13

Boneyard: 0 tiles

    Your tiles

    Score sheet
    Pips left at the end of each round. Lowest total wins.
    Settings
    Computer players
    Computer strength
    First turn of each round

    Players, strength and the first-turn rule apply from your next game.

    How to play, in one minute

    Everyone gets 15 dominoes and builds a line of tiles, called a train, out from the double in the middle (the engine). Ends that touch must match. Play all your tiles first and you score 0 for the round; everyone else scores the dots left in their hand. After 13 rounds, lowest total wins.

    Every rule, with tables and a glossary, is on our Mexican Train rules page. Playing at the kitchen table instead? Use the free Mexican Train score sheet.

    Questions

    Is it free?

    Yes. No account, no download and no limit on games. If ads ever appear to keep the site running, they'll stay off the table.

    Can I play Mexican Train with a friend online?

    Yes, one-on-one. Tap Play a friend and send the link it gives you by text, email or chat. The game starts when your friend opens it, on a phone or a computer. You each have your own train, and you share the Mexican Train. Neither browser is ever sent the other player's tiles or the boneyard. If either of you closes the page, opening it again picks up the same game. A friend game with no moves for 14 days is deleted.

    How many computer players can I play against?

    One, two or three. Pick the number in Settings; it starts with your next game. Every player gets 15 tiles, the number pagat.com gives for four players or fewer.

    How good is the computer?

    Pick Strong or Easy in Settings. The strong player works out the longest chain it can build on its own train, keeps those tiles for later, and sheds its other tiles on the Mexican Train and marked trains. The easy one plays its biggest tile that fits. In our test games the strong player won 480 of 500 two-player games against the easy one, and 276 of 300 four-player games against three easy players. Neither looks at your tiles or the boneyard.

    Can I see numbers instead of dots?

    Yes. Turn on "Show numbers instead of dots" in Settings and every tile shows two big numerals. Each number also has its own dot color, the way many real double-twelve sets do, but the count and the pattern always tell you the number too.

    What does the marker on a train mean?

    That player couldn't play on their last turn, so their train is open to everyone. The marker comes off as soon as the owner adds a tile to their own train. The Mexican Train is open to everyone all the time.

    Can I undo a move?

    Within your own turn, yes: after a double, or while you lay your train on a first turn, Undo takes the tile back. Once you draw a tile or your turn passes, the move stands, as it would at a real table.

    Is there a hint button?

    Yes. It marks the tile and the train the strong computer would choose and tells you why. You get 6 hints per game, and asking again about the same move doesn't use another one.

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