Mexican Train Dominoes: Double 18 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Getting Started
• Play Begins
• Playing Doubles
  • Exceptions to the Doubles Requirement
• Scoring
• Variations

Getting Started

Shuffle the dominoes number side down. Pass out dominoes according to the number of players:

• 2-4 players: 15 dominoes each
• 5-6 players: 12 dominoes each
• 7-8 players: 10 dominoes each
• 9-12 players: 9 dominoes each

Place the rest of the pieces back into the "boneyard." Each player chooses a different colored train marker as their own.

Play Begins

Each round begins with the highest double domino. This is also the "station number". Place the 18:18 double in the middle of the game plate. All players place their train on the game plate above the slot they will use during the game. The first player creates the first "track" or "train" of dominoes with another domino matching one side of the double. A player does this by matching the domino board with same numbers.

Play continues clockwise with each player placing as many dominoes on their track as they can. After your train "has departed" the station on your first turn, play only one domino per turn. Any slot on the game plate that has not been claimed by a player is a "Mexican Train." A Mexican Train is open for anyone to play on. If you have a choice of plays, make any. When you have no play, draw once from the boneyard. If you still have no play, place your train on the last tile of your train. This makes your train open to other players. You may place your marker back at the station when you can play on your train at a later turn.

You may play onto your own train, onto the Mexican Trains and other players' marked trains (trains placed at the end of their track because they had no more moves to make).

Diagram captions: "Train at station = closed to other players." "Train at end of track = open to other players." "No train = «Mexican Train» open to all players."

Playing Doubles

Place matching doubles perpendicular to the domino train. When playing a double you must make another play on it. If you can't, draw a domino from the boneyard. If you can't play it, place a train on your track (if it does not already have one) and your turn is over. In this case, the next player must play on the double, and if unable, also draw once from the boneyard. If the double still can't be matched, that player's train also gets a marker. This action continues until someone plays off the double. Players with markers must only play the tile drawn from the boneyard to satisfy the double.

Diagram caption: "Doubles must be played on before play can continue."

Exceptions to the Doubles Requirement

1. The double to play on is the last domino of its number.
2. You play a double to remove the marker from your own train, with no requirement that you or subsequent players satisfy that double.
3. If the double is your last domino, the game ends.

Scoring

When one player has played all their dominoes (or if the game is blocked - no one can play), the other players must add up the total of their remaining dominoes and give that total to the scorekeeper. Double blank count 0. (Example: remaining dominoes in your hand - 3-5, 11-12, 10-7 = 48.)

As soon as the first round is completed (double 18), the next round begins with the double 17, the next with double 16, etc., with the last round being the double blank.

The player with the lowest total score after all rounds is the winner.

Variations

1. Instead of drawing to locate the necessary double (double 18 for the first round, for example), the players may choose to use the highest double available in the players' drawn hands that has not already been played. Thus, if the double 18 or 17 are not in the player's hand, but the double 16 is, then the game begins with the double 16 and the scorekeeper makes note that the double 16 has thus been used. The double 16 will not be played again.

2. To speed up the game, before turning the dominoes over to "shuffle", the double to be used to begin the next hand may be held out and placed in the center after the players have drawn their hands. With this method, the player who "went out" on the preceding hand begins the play.

3. In scoring, the Double blank counts 50.