How to Play Mexican Train Dominoes With the Deluxe Set
By AreYouGame.com | Published: 2026-11-03
Category: Guides pratiques
Learn how to play Mexican Train dominoes with the Deluxe set, from setup and scoring to the key rule most families miss. Includes a step-by-step guide for family dominoes night.
Quick answer
To play Mexican Train, each player builds a personal line of dominoes from the central hub and may also add to other players' trains. The Deluxe set gives you double-12 dominoes, a hub, and eight colored trains, so you can start playing right out of the box.
Why the double-12 set changes the pace
Standard double-six dominoes run out quickly with four or more players, which can make Mexican Train feel like a short sprint. The Deluxe set uses double-12 dominoes, so there are more tiles and higher numbers in play. That means longer trains, more chances to block or be blocked, and a game that stays interesting for a full family dominoes night.
The rule most families get wrong: open trains
A train is open when its owner has not yet played on it during the current round. Anyone may add to an open train, but once the owner plays on their own train, it becomes private for the rest of that round. Many groups mistakenly treat all trains as always open, which removes much of the strategy. Agree before you start that you will follow the open/closed rule.
Step-by-step: playing Mexican Train with the Deluxe set
- Set up the hub and deal: Place the central hub in the middle of the table. Turn all dominoes face down and shuffle. Each player draws 12 dominoes for a two-player game, or 10 for three or four players. Leave the remaining dominoes face down as the draw pile. Check that every player has the correct number of tiles before starting.
- Start the first round: The player with the highest double domino places it in the center of the hub. If no one has a double, reshuffle. Play then proceeds clockwise. In later rounds, the starting player rotates clockwise.
- Take turns building trains: On your turn, play a domino that matches the open end of your own train or any open train. If you cannot play, draw one domino from the pile. If that domino is playable, you may play it immediately; otherwise, your turn ends and you must place your train marker on your train to mark it as open. Drawing does not automatically end your turn—only if the drawn tile cannot be played.
- Mark open trains: When you cannot play, place your colored train marker on your train. This signals that other players may add to it. Once you play on your own train again, remove the marker and the train becomes private. Use the eight colored trains to keep track of who owns which train.
- End the round: The round ends when one player plays all their dominoes or when no one can make a move. That player earns points equal to the total pip count of all dominoes left in other players' hands. If the round ends because no one can play, the player with the lowest pip count in hand scores the difference between their count and each opponent's count.
- Score the round: Use the included score pad to record points. The first player to reach 150 points (or another agreed target) wins the game. Agree on the target score before the first round so everyone knows the goal.
What the Deluxe set includes
- Mexican Train Deluxe Dominoes: The set includes a central hub, eight uniquely colored trains, a score pad, and double-12 dominoes. The hub and colored trains make it easy to see whose train is whose, and the score pad keeps scoring simple for family games.
Mexican Train Deluxe Dominoes
