The game of dominoes is an all-time favorite by generations and generations. It is a game of strategy and cleverness that brings out the competitive nature in all of us.

The game of dominoes has been around for centuries and is very popular worldwide particularly in Latin America and in Europe. It has been a part of different cultures and has been enjoyed by the young and the old. According to historians, the oldest tiles set is dated 1120AD are said to be of Chinese origin. The game rose to popularity in Italyaround 18^th century BC.

Today, there are several versions of this game that exists. Draw game is the most famous dominoes game and probably the most basic among them. On the other hand, the dominoes rules for all of these games are almost similar to each other. The only difference perhaps is the goal set for each of these games.

Nevertheless, all domino games are ‘points’ games in general. All dominoes rules have one goal and to score the lowest points. The lower the score you have at the end of each game; the more chances you have to become the winner.

Learning the Basics of Mexican Train Dominoes Rules

One of the variations of domino games is the Mexican Train. It is one of the popular versions of domino played in the United States. It is probably best played by 4 or more players.

Mexican Train uses a domino set of double twelve. It contains all number pairs from zero to 12. There are 91 pieces all in all. This domino game also uses a sort of ‘marker/s’. Coins such as pennies or nickels were used to mark trails in Mexican Train.

Dominoes are laid on the table faced-down and are shuffled. According to the dominoes rules for Mexican Train, if there are 4 players, each one of them shall take 15 dominoes each. For 5 or 6 players, each shall take 7 tiles; 7 or 8 players take 8 each; and 10 players take 8 domino tiles each.

The player who will start the game is the one who draws double-twelve. The game continues from the next player or he who holds the domino with double-eleven. According to the Mexican Train dominoes rules, if no player holds the doubles needed to start the game, everybody should draw out of the boneyard.

After the initial move, each of the succeeding players start off by building a domino train. The train is most likely a single domino row which starts from a double in the center and then it extends to the player. The ends of the adjoining dominoes should be matched. The center facing end of the first domino should also match the center domino.

The domino game of Mexican Train does not specify who will start the game. It generally starts with the one domino which matches the first domino. The nickel is placed on it to distinguish it from the other trains.

Scoring in Mexican Train Dominoes Rules

The game ends once a one player is out of tiles or all the ends have been blocked. The objective in the Mexican Train dominoes rules is to get the lowest points as possible in 13 games. Whoever runs out of tiles first will be the winner.

Thus, to win in the Mexican Train dominoes rules, you have to score the lowest.