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Tricks for the Mexican Train Game

Mexican Train is a domino game in which players seek to be the first to lay down all their tiles by playing them on "trains" which branch off from a central "station." Each player has his own personal train, and also has the option to play on a group train and periodically on other players' trains. At the end of each of the nine to 12 rounds, a scorekeeper records each players' score -- the total number of "pips" or dots on their remaining tiles. At the end of the game, the player with the lowest total score wins. Certain strategies can help you avoid having a high score.

Tile Arrangement
- As soon as you have drawn all your tiles, take time to plan your train. Arrange the tiles so that the ends match, placing them in the order you might potentially play them. Avoid placing your tiles in such a way that your opponents can tell how many tiles you can play on your train; don't separate them into sets that can be played together.
Personal Train Strategy
- As you plan the order of your train, try to play tiles with the highest points early in each round. Remember that one of your opponents can at any time surprise you with a double domino. If you cannot match it, you must draw a new tile. This can disrupt the planned order of your personal train and leave you with high points at the end of the round.
Watch Your Opponents
- As play commences, players may discard their tiles at different rates; if he can match his own double dominoes, a player can lay down tiles more quickly. Pay attention to the number of tiles each opponent has left to play. You can play an unmatched double at any time during the game, but doing so when an opponent has only a few tiles remaining may force him to draw and prevent him from winning the round.

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