Rules for Dominoes

Rules for Dominoes

(Mexican Train)

Introduction
Mexican Train is a domino game, played mainly in the USA. and Canada It is best played with four or more players.

Equipment and Preparation
A double twelve set of dominoes is used. This contains all possible pairs of numbers from 0 (blank) to 12, giving 91 pieces in all. In addition some markers: one penny or poker ship for each player and one special marker, nickel or a different colored poker chip for the "Mexican Train".

The Deal
The dominoes are shuffled and left face down on the table and each player takes an agreed number of dominoes and stands them on edge so that their faces are visible to the owner but not to the other players. Up to 4 players take 15 dominoes each, 5 or 6 take 12 each, 7 or 8 take 10 each, and 9 or 10 players take 8 each. The remaining dominoes are left face down in the boneyard to be drawn as required..

The Play
(First turn only)
The player who has the highest double begins the first game by placing it in the centre of the table. The second game will be started by the player that has the highest double, except the for one already played. The third game begins with any double except for the two already played and so on until all doubles have been played. (see scoring). If no one has the double required to start, players draw equally from the boneyard until it is found.

Note: In this first turn only, the you may play as many dominoes as you wish, so long as they form a valid train.

If any player ends the train they form in their first turn with a double, this has no effect on the game until everyone has played their first turn. When the first player takes their second turn, they will have to satisfy the first exposed double, as explained under doubles.

If any player is unable to start their train, (having no domino that matches the centre double), they must draw one from the boneyard. If still unable to play they then place a penny in the position where their train would have started. This indicates that, starting with the first player's second turn, any player will be allowed to play a domino in this position, to start the train. Note, however, that no player is allowed to play on another player's train during their first turn.

(Subsequent turns):
After everyone has had one turn, in which they started their train if possible, the rules of play change. Now, each player plays just one domino per turn (unless that domino is a double - see below). This domino may normally be played either

on the player's own train, or

on another player's train, if that train has a marker on it.

on the Mexican Train, which is always open to all players.

Of course, each domino must be played in such a way that its inward end matches the open end of the domino it touches.

If a player is unable to play on an existing train in the roundhouse, they may start the "Mexican Train", announcing it with a Woo Woo sound. The special marker is then placed on it, to distinguish it from the other trains and show that it is open to all players. This train can be started by any player, beginning with a single domino which matches the starting double at one end. The whole layout, with four players' trains and a Mexican train, might look something like this:

If you find at your turn that none of the ends of your dominoes matches the free ends of the layout on which you are allowed to play, you must draw one domino from the boneyard; you may play the domino you drew. If you are still unable to play, you must pass and place a marker on your train, which indicates that the other players are now allowed to add a domino to it, as an alternative to playing on their own train or the Mexican train. If you are unable to play and the boneyard is empty, you simply pass and place a markeron your train. (If there is already a marker on your train you just leave it there). If a player whose train has a marker manages to play a domino (either on their own train or elsewhere), this entitles them to remove the marker from their train, so that other players are no longer allowed to add to it.

Last tile:
A player must announce when they have one tile left in their hand; this can be done by tapping the table with the final tile or calling out "uno" to warn the other players. When a player forgets to "tap" the table when they are down to one tile, they have to take two more tiles. Anyone who catches him before the play rotates back to the offender can tap him for the two tile penalty. If the play gets back to him and he was not caught, then he can play without penalty. The best method is to put the last tile face down in front of the player, so there is no argument as to whether an announcement was made.

Doubles
From your second turn onwards, whenever you play a double you must play an extra domino, which may go anywhere on the layout where you are allowed to play, (not necessarily on the double you just played). If you cannot play a second tile you must draw (if any available in the bone yard) and if the drawn tile is not playable you pass and place a marker on your train. If the extra domino you play is a second double and is payable, you must play a third domino, which again may go anywhere, (on the first or second double you played or elsewhere, and or it may be a third double), and so on. Your turn ends after you play one domino that is not a double or, (being unable to do so) you pass and place your marker. The only exception to this is that if your very last domino is a double you may go out with it: in which case the game ends immediately and is scored.

If a double is played, and the player leaves a train ending in a double, the next domino added to the layout must be played on the double. This is called "satisfying" the double. This situation arises when the player of the double is unable to play another domino, or plays the second domino on a different train, or plays more than one double (in this case the doubles player could not satisfy more than one of them). The duty of satisfying the double falls first on the next player after the person who played the double. If you can satisfy the double you must do so, (even though it may be in a private train where they could not normally have played). If you cannot satisfy the double from hand, you must draw a tile and if that does not match the double either you pass and place a marker on your own train; the duty of satisfying the double then passes to the following player in turn. If a player leaves several doubles unsatisfied at the end of a turn, each of the exposed doubles must be satisfied by subsequent players in the order that they were played.

If one or more players ends the train they play on their first turn with a double, then these doubles must be satisfied in order as soon as everyone has had their first turn, (so beginning with the first player), who played the centre double.

The Scoring
The play ends as soon as one player runs out of dominoes, or when the layout becomes blocked so that no one can play. Each player scores as penalty points the spots on the dominoes they have left (so a player who ran out of dominoes will score no penalty points for that game).

It is a good idea to use a score sheet with the starting double number down the side and the names of the players across a grid for each game, so that you do not forget the engine number between hands.As already explained, a complete session would consist of 13 games, using all the doubles, the 0-0 to 12-12 The object is to accumulate as few points as possible over the 13 games, as the player with the lowest total score is the winner.

Variations
It may be that some play the tiles one at a time from the start, rather than each player playing as many tiles as possible on their own train in their first turn. The earlier version of this page described the game that way, but this may have been based on a misunderstanding.

Some play for the first hand of the game, the player with the double nine leads it. In the second hand of the game, the lead goes to the holder of the double eight, the third hand lead goes to double seven, and so on. The game ends when double zero has been the starting double.

Some score with positive points instead of penalty points. The player who ran out of dominoes, or the player with least points in case of a block, scores the total number of points on the dominoes remaining in the other players' hands. In case of a block with a tie for winner, the winners share the other players' points.

(Mexican Train) "Easy Rules"

The Play:
The player who has the highest double after the deal begins the first game by placing it in the centre of the table. The second game will be started by the player that has the highest double, except the for one already played. The third game begins with any double except for the two already played and so on until all doubles have been played. (see scoring). If no one has the double required to start, players draw equally from the boneyard until it is found. (Or you can throw all the tiles back and re-draw).

Beginning with the player who placed the starting double, and continuing in clockwise order around the table, each player now starts to build a train, which is a single row of dominoes starting from the double in the centre and extending toward the player. The ends of adjacent dominoes must match in number and the centre facing end of the first domino played must match the starting double domino If you do not have a matching tile, you must draw from the boneyard and if still unable to play, must place a marker at your starting point as a signal that other players may play there. A player must have started their own train (or have it started by another player in), before being able to play on other marked trains or the "Mexican Train". The one player, single train might look like this:

If a player is unable to play on an existing train, they may start a "Mexican Train", announcing it with a Woo Woo sound. The special marker is then placed on it, to distinguish it from the other trains and show that it is open to all players. This train can be started by any player, beginning with a single domino which matches the starting double at one end. The whole layout, with four players' trains and a Mexican train, might look something like this:

If you find at your turn that none of the ends of your dominoes matches the free ends of the layout on which you are allowed to play, you must draw one domino from the boneyard; you may play the domino you drew. If you are still unable to play, you must pass and place a marker on your train, which indicates that the other players are now allowed to add a domino to it, as an alternative to playing on their own train or the Mexican train. If you are unable to play and the boneyard is empty, you simply pass and place a marker on your train. (If there is already a marker on your train you just leave it there). If a player whose train has a marker manages to play a domino (either on their own train or elsewhere), this entitles them to remove the marker from their train, so that other players are no longer allowed to add to it.

Doubles:
When a person plays a double, they must answer it with a matching tile. If they cannot play, they must draw from the boneyard. If still unable to play they must place a marker on their train to signal that other players may play on it, which they must do, as no other trains may be played on until the double had been honored. Each player in their turn, must play or draw one tile. If they then cannot answer the double, they must put a marker on their train as well. When the double has been honored play will continue as usual.

Exception: A double may be played without being answered if it is the player's last tile and thus ends the game.

The Scoring
The play ends as soon as one player runs out of dominoes, or when the layout becomes blocked so that no one can play. Each player scores as penalty points the spots on the dominoes they have left (so a player who ran out of dominoes will score no penalty points for that game). It is a good idea to use a score sheet with the starting double number down the side and the names of the players across a grid for each game, so that you do not forget the engine number between hands.As already explained, a complete session would consist of 13 games, using all the doubles, the 0-0 to 12-12 The object is to accumulate as few points as possible over the 13 games, as the player with the lowest total score is the winner.

(Chicken Foot)

Equipment
The game uses a double nine or double twelve set. Two or more players, but seems best with four or more.

The Deal
The dominoes are shuffled and left face down on the table and each player takes an agreed upon number of dominoes and stands them on edge so that their faces are visible to the owner but not to the other players. when using a double 12 set, 4 players take 15 dominoes each, 5 or 6 take 11 each, 7 or 8 take 8 each, and 9 or 10 players take 6 each. The remaining dominoes are left face down in the boneyard. (If you choose to play with a double nine set, then draw fewer, so there is a boneyard to draw from.

The player who has the highest double begins the first game by placing it in the centre of the table. The second game will be started by the player that has the highest double, except fot the one previously played. The third game begins with any double except for the two previously played and so on until all doubles have been played. It is a good idea to use a score sheet with the starting double number down the side, so that you do not forget the numbers that have been used. If no player has the double required to start, they must draw equally from the boneyard until it is found.

The Play
All tiles are played must match numbers in the usual manner. Doubles are all spinners, but have rules of play different from spinners in other games, which we discuss shortly. The initial double must have three tiles on each side, thus forming a double chicken foot before any arm is extended by a second tile onto it thus:

Three tiles that match the start double

The initial double as a spinner

Three tiles that match the start double

A player unable to make a play on the table must draw a tile from the boneyard as his turn. If this tile can be played, the player may do so at once.

Doubles are placed across the line of the arm, as usual. However, when a double is played, the player must declare "chicken foot" to warn the other players that special rules are in effect. It must be satisfied or answered with three more dominoes before tiles can be played elsewhere.. The toes are tilted away from the center of the barnyard, to give the appearance of a chicken's toes, thus:

The previous end of the arm

The double as a spinner

Three tiles that match the double

This helps to keep the lines of the arms from running into each other. After the chicken foot is completed, the game may proceed with plays on any open arms. This growth pattern tends to make the tableau look like a tree diagram or organizational chart. Play may proceed with tiles played onto any of these three dominoes or elsewhere.

A player with one tile left in his hand may announce this fact as a courtesy, but it is not required.

Scoring
The hand ends when one player "dominoes" or the hand blocks. Each player gets the total number of pips left in his hand. The double 0 is worth 30 points. The game continues until one player reaches or exceeds a predetermined total; this player loses, and the player with the lowest score wins. The object of the game is to score as few points as possible.

Strategy
It is a good idea to play a double when another player has a single tile left, to force that player to draw another tile.

Try to get rid of the double 0 as soon as possible, so you do not get stuck with it. (big count if caught with it)

Variations
The first double played must have tiles played on all four corners before any arm is extended by a second tile onto it.

Some play for the first hand of the game, the player with the double twelve (or nine) leads. In the second hand of the game, the lead goes to the holder of the next lower double eleven (or eight), the third hand lead goes to next lowest, and so on. The game ends when double zero has been the starting double.

If the double that is needed to start the hand with a "double chicken foot" is in the "chicken yard," you may go to the next double, or reshuffle the tiles and replay the hand.

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