Mexican Train scoring and dealing
In Mexican Train you want a low score. At the end of each round, every player adds up the dots (pips) on the tiles still in their hand. The player who went out scores nothing. After 13 rounds, the lowest total wins.
Counting your hand
Here is a hand left at the end of a round:
6 + 5 + 12 + 3 + 0 + 0 + 2 + 1 = 29 points. If you play with the house rule where the double blank counts 50, this hand would score 79.
How many tiles to deal
A double-12 set has 91 tiles. The engine double for the round goes in the middle, and each player takes:
| Players | Tiles each |
|---|---|
| 2 to 4 players | 15 |
| 5 or 6 players | 12 |
| 7 or 8 players | 11 |
The rest form the boneyard, which players draw from when they can’t play.
The 13 rounds
Round 1 starts with double 12 in the middle, round 2 with double 11, and so on down to the double blank in round 13. That’s why a full game has 13 rounds.
Questions
Does the double blank count as 0 or 50?
Both are common. By default it counts 0 here; you can switch on the 50-point house rule when you start a new game.
Who wins Mexican Train?
After 13 rounds, the player with the lowest total score wins.
What if a round is blocked?
If the boneyard is empty and nobody can play, the round ends and everyone scores the dots left in their hand.