A winning strategy for the Mexican train domino
I know that Mexican Train is a friendly game, often played with family and friends, and that winning is not critical or very important. What it is important is the social aspect of the game: talk, laugh and have fun.
Having said that, I also know that there are people who would really like to get better at this game. Especially if the friendly people you play with are winning more often than you and you are starting to get distressed and depressed about it.
Winning the game of Mexican Train Dominoes is not as difficult as you think. There are some simple tips that can have a dramatic effect on the outcome of the game. Whether you’re a beginner player, an intermediate player, or an advanced player, you’ll still benefit from these strategic tips.
Mexican Train has many rule variations used around the world, however most of my strategy advice applies to all of the most popular rule sets and I have noted in the text where strategy may vary for different rules.
Organize your dominoes in the best possible train
Of course, each hand begins by “dealing” a number of dominoes to each player. Depending on how many people are playing, this number can vary from 7 or 8 to 15 or so. The actual number is not relevant. But it is very important to organize your dominoes in the best possible train before you start playing.
Once you or anyone else has played the starting double, build a train with the remaining dominoes that starts with the same pip value as the starting double, and connect as many dominoes as possible to that train.
To really calculate the best possible way to arrange a player’s dominoes, one would have to consider every domino that has been played so far and do a bit of math to calculate the odds. The best play at any point in the game depends on what has been played up to that point. Since this is unrealistic, I prefer to “approximate” the best train using these 3 basic rules:
- The train with more dominoes is better.
- Given 2 trains of equal length, the train with the most points is the best.
- Given 2 trains of equal length and point value, the better train has higher point value dominoes placed as far forward in the train as possible.
Play your spares first whenever possible
Playing a spare is your first order of business. If there is no game possible from spare parts, then play from your train.
If you have spares, play from the end of your train whenever possible
This is very important! Your first option is to play with your spare parts, but your second option is to play from the end (caboose) of your train. You will find many occasions where you play from the end of your train, and suddenly one of the spares can fit in the end. This has the same effect as touching a spare.
Keep an eye out for opportunities to change your caboose
If the last domino in your train is a 10-4, and one of your spares is 10-2, and you can play on an opponent’s marked train (when I say “marked train”, I mean a player train that is open for anyone to play), or on the Mexican train, play the 10-4 and move the 10-2 to the end of your train. If someone leaves before you, you have saved 2 points. This is such a common occurrence that over the course of a full game, you’ll likely save yourself dozens of points.
If you have parts, and the Mexican (or community) train hasn’t started, and one of your parts (or your caboose) can start it, then start it!
The Mexican (or community) Train is the most common place to unload your parts. You can’t do that if it hasn’t started yet. So, given the option to play with a penny from the opponents, or start the Mexican train, start the Mexican train. But this is only if you have spare parts to play with. If all your dominoes are on your train, then you don’t need the Mexican train, so don’t start it.
Know when to play your own branded train vs. another train when you have the option.
Sometimes you will be faced with the choice of playing a domino on your own marked train, OR on another player’s marked train, or on the Mexican Train. You don’t want to play on your own train, thus taking away your penny, unless you have another domino that you can play on your own train.
For example, let’s say you only have one domino left, the double 6, your train is marked (there’s a penny on it), and it’s your turn. You can’t play double-6 so you have to draw. Ties at 10-8. Let’s say your own train’s finish is a 10 and the Mexican Train’s finish is a 10. So you have a choice. You can play 10-8 on your own train (with your penny removed) or on the Mexican train.
The correct choice is to play 10-8 in the Mexican Train, not only. This will keep your own train marked and available to the other players, thus improving the chance of you playing double 6 and getting out.
Play without mercy!
If the Mexican train is stuck, that is, no one is playing on it and you have no spare parts, then do not play on the Mexican train from the end of your train. You want it to stay stuck so the other players can’t play on it either.
If you have the option to play a domino on one of two opponents’ marked trains, choose the opponent with the most dominoes to play.
If you do No it has spares, so you’re only playing your train, and the end of your train would fit into an opponent’s marked train, don’t play it. Why take off an opponent?
If you’re playing by the rules that say double Do not do they have to be covered, here’s another tip: play doubles as soon as possible, even from your train.
You should play a double as soon as possible. Playing a double from the middle of your train does not destroy the integrity of your train. It simply reduces the total point of your hand. When someone else comes out, you don’t want to be caught with a double in your hand that you might have played earlier in the hand.
conclusion
There is certainly luck involved in Mexican Train, but luck tends to even out over time, and everyone gets their fair share of good and bad luck.
So while my strategy tips won’t guarantee a win every time, they do promise to improve your game and, most likely, improve you to the point where you win more often than your opponents.