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 is important is the social aspect of the game: talking, laughing and having 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 are and you’re starting to get angsty 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 beginning player, an intermediate player, or an advanced player, you’ll still benefit from these strategic tips.
Mexican Train has many rule variations that are used around the world, however most of my strategy advice applies to all of the most popular rulesets and I have noted in the text where strategy may vary for different rules.
Arrange 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 range from 7 or 8 to 15 or so. The actual number is not relevant. But it is very important to arrange your dominoes in the best possible train before you start playing.
Once you or anyone else has played the starting double, build a train out of 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 need to consider every domino that has been played so far and do a bit of math to calculate the probabilities. The best play at any point in the game depends on what has been played up to that point. Since this is not realistic, 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 the same point value, the best train has dominoes with higher point value placed as far forward on the train as possible.
Play your spares first whenever possible
Playing a spare is your first order of business. If there is no possible game from the spares, 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 spares, 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 on the end. This has the same effect as touching a spare.
Be on the lookout 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 train of players 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 so commonplace that over the course of an entire game, you’ll likely save yourself dozens of points.
If you have spare parts, and the Mexican (or community) train has not started, and one of your spare parts (or its caboose) can start it, then start it!
The Mexican (or Community) Train is the most common place to unload your spare parts. You can’t do that if it hasn’t started yet. So, given the choice to play on 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 on your own marked train vs. another train when you have the option.
Sometimes you will be faced with the choice of playing dominoes 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 dominoes that you can play on your own train.
For example, suppose you only have one domino left, the double 6, your train is marked (there is a penny on it), and it is your turn. You can’t play double-6 so you have to draw. Ties at 10-8. Let’s say the end of your own train is a 10 and the end of the Mexican Train is a 10. So you have a choice. You can play 10-8 on your own train (taking away your penny) or on the Mexican train.
The correct choice is to play the 10-8 on the Mexican Train, not alone. This will keep your own train marked and available to the other players, thus improving the chance that you will play the double 6 and get out.
Play mercilessly!
If the Mexican train is stuck, that is, no one is playing on it and you have no spare parts, then don’t 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 of playing a domino on one of two opponents’ marked trains, choose the opponent with the most dominoes to play.
If you do not you have spares, so you’re just 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 doubles not 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 just reduces the total point of your hand. When someone else leads, you don’t want to be caught with a double in your hand that you could have played earlier in the hand.
Conclution
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 it to the point where you win more often than your opponents.
