Domino games is a famous past time activity not just for children, but also for the kids at heart. I bet you can recall moments when you’ve enjoyed playing this game with your family and friends. And inspite the competition of this game, you still would like to play more.

Dominoes have existed since the 12th century. Based on some files, the first domino set was retrieved in China. However, there are continuing discussions that it has been developed in Egypt and in the Mediterranean. In fact, a set of dominoes have also been found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. Regardless, it’s only in the 1200s that this game turned into a trend in Europe particularly Italy.

Mexican Train Dominoes

Due to its appeal, many countries around the world have adopted their own version of this game. One of the most famous versions of this game is Mexican train dominoes along with draw, block, chicken foot, and all-fives. Mexican train dominoes game got its name from its layout’s resemblance to trains. In this game, all the tiles seem to connect and extend from a single central station.

There are different variations of the Mexican train dominoes game. Sad to say, there isn’t a document or evidence to back up the origin of this game. No one is aware where it originated in or how it started. However, according to numerous accounts, the exclusive rights of this domino game were registered to Roy and Katie Parsons.

The objective of Mexican train dominoes is to lay out all dominoes drawn up in the start of each round. Dominoes can be placed on your own train or in the Mexican train (if there is one) or in another player’s train.

Typically, Mexican train dominoes are played with a double twelve set of dominoes plus some markers. In the old games, players use a penny. Today, different markers are used to mark their trains.

To get started on the game, all domino tiles must be shuffled first. After, each of the players must select 15 dominoes each (if there are 4 players). All that remains stay in the boneyard faced down.

Whoever has drawn the double twelve domino will commence the first game. The player must put the double twelve on the center. Next player to the left should place a matching domino tile and build their own trains. If the required domino to start the game is not available, all the players should equally draw from the boneyard.

Every player must begin to build a train after the initial player has placed the 12-12. All the ends must be matched. If any player is not able to start their train, or does not possess a 12-12, a marker is positioned in that post wherein their train should have started. This means that any future player can play a domino in that position.

Mexican Train Dominoes: Scoring

Game finishes when a player has no dominoes or if all trains are blocked. The player with no dominoes left shall have zero penalty score. As for anyone players with dominoes, their penalty points are the number of pips. To win Mexican train dominoes, you should have the lowest score.