MexicanTrain.Online Help and Support
Frequently Asked Questions, How-tos, and Tutorials for mexicantrain.online
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the things players ask most — about the rules of Mexican Train, about playing together, and about the app itself. If something has gone wrong rather than merely being puzzling, Troubleshooting is the better place to start.
About the game
Can I play on my own open train?
Yes — and doing so takes the marker off, making it private again.
How do I start the Mexican Train?
Play a domino matching the engine number onto it. The Mexican Train is open to everyone for the whole round, so you can start it whenever it suits you.
Can you go out on a double?
That depends on a game rule chosen by whoever created the game, before anyone started playing: Must satisfy doubles to go out. With it off, you can finish on a double. With it on, you can’t go out until that double has been answered. It’s one of the most common — and most argued about — variations, which is why it’s an option rather than a fixed rule. The full list is in Game rule options.
Are double blanks worth more points?
By default a double blank scores zero, the same as any other blank. Whoever created the game can change that with a game rule that gives the double blank a fixed penalty instead — so it’s worth asking your host before you hang onto one.
What is “Blake’s Rule”?
When Must satisfy doubles to go out is on and someone goes out by playing a double as their last domino with an empty boneyard, the round ends there and then. Nobody can satisfy that double and there is nothing left to draw, so play stops rather than stalling.
What happens if the boneyard runs out?
If nobody can play and there are no dominoes left to draw, the round ends and everyone’s remaining dominoes are scored.
Can I turn a domino around?
You don’t need to. The app rotates every domino automatically so the numbers line up.
Can I take a move back?
No — once a domino is played and the turn moves on, it’s final.
Which rules did you follow?
Mexican Train is a folk game, so it varies from table to table and no single rulebook is definitive. The rules here were drawn from several published sources, and the variations people disagree about most are offered as Game rule options rather than settled one way:
- Mexican Train on Wikipedia
- Masters of Games — Mexican Train dominoes rules
- MexicanTrainFun — Mexican Train rules
- Cool Old Games — Mexican Train
- Nevada Senior Games — dominoes
Playing with other people
How many people can play?
Between 2 and 8 people, plus the Mexican Train itself. Eight is the ceiling because every player’s train has to fit on screen at once, and plenty of people play on a phone or a tablet.
Does everyone need their own account?
Yes. Everyone plays from their own account, so the game can keep track of whose turn it is and keep your hand hidden from everyone else. You can sign up with an email address and password, or with Continue with Google or Continue with Facebook — it takes about a minute. See how to create an account.
Does everyone need their own screen?
Yes, one screen each — your hand is private, so sharing a screen would show your dominoes to the person next to you. It plays best on a computer or a tablet held sideways. Phones and upright tablets work too, though fitting a full hand onto a narrow screen is a squeeze.
How do we chat or video call during a game?
There’s no chat built in — the game is meant to sit alongside a call you’re already on. Start a Zoom, FaceTime, Skype or Facebook video call first, then everyone opens the game in another window or on a second device.
I didn’t get an invite email.
Check your spam folder first. Failing that, ask whoever set up the game for the invite code or link — you can join with the code directly from Join Game on your games list.
Why can’t I start a new game with the same people?
That one feature needs a verified email address. Everything else — playing, and creating new games — works straight away. Look for the reminder banner above your games list and click Resend email if you need a fresh link.
Can I rejoin a game after I’ve left?
Only if the game finished at the moment you left, in which case you keep read-only access to review it. If the game carried on without you, you can’t rejoin — but you’ll still see it on your list, and Play again? will start a fresh game with the same people.
About the app
What’s with the animal names?
Every game gets its own name so it’s easy to say which one you mean — the Jolly Otter game beats a row of digits. A cheerful adjective and a cuddly animal seemed like a fine way to put a little joy in the world.
Why can’t I reorder my dominoes?
You can. On a larger screen, drag a domino to where you want it. On a small screen, tap a domino and arrows appear to move it left or right. Fitting a full hand onto a phone is tight, so if dragging feels fiddly there, the arrows are the dependable way.
The dominoes aren’t random — the same person keeps getting the nines!
They are random, honestly. The catch is that genuinely random and what feels random aren’t the same thing: roll a die enough times and you’ll see runs and clusters, because real randomness produces them. Dominoes are shuffled by the computer with no bias and no memory of earlier rounds.
What happens if I get disconnected?
Nothing is lost. The game waits for you, and everyone else can see you’re temporarily away.
My game has disappeared.
Games are deleted after 30 days with no moves, which keeps things quick for everyone still playing. If yours has gone, it had been idle a month — time to start a fresh one.
How does this compare to other Mexican Train apps?
The best, obviously — but there is a proper write-up: Mexican Train apps and sites compared.