Mexican Train - Gameplay

Gameplay

With a standard double-twelve set, the player with the double-twelve plays first. In each successive hand the next lower double is used until all doubles are used. The double-blank is the final hand. If no one has the required double for the round, players each draw another tile simultaneously until it is found. The player with the required double opens the station by placing this double in the center as the "engine".

Play continues to the left. Each person may only lay one domino per turn. If they are unable to, they must draw a domino from the boneyard. If they are able to lay that domino, they may do so immediately. Otherwise, their turn is over and play continues to the left, each player using the dominoes in their hand to make as long of a train as possible by playing matching dominoes one at a time, end to end. Note that a player does not have to play a domino even if they can. They can pass, and must draw a domino. However, this is rarely good strategy.

A train can be as long as the players can make it; it only ends when all dominoes that could match its endpoint have already been played. As a result, trains can become quite long, especially with an extended domino set. It is acceptable to "bend" the train 90° or 180° to keep the train on the playing surface, as long as it does not interfere with the endpoints of other trains.