Mexican Train with a Double-6 Set: Play Tonight with Regular Dominoes

Can You Play Mexican Train with Regular Dominoes?

Yes. The standard 28-tile double-6 set — the one already sitting in your closet or game cupboard — plays a perfectly good game of Mexican Train for 2 to 3 players. You do not need to buy the big boxed set to try the game tonight: deal about 5 tiles each, put the double-6 in the middle as the engine, and every rule of the full game applies from there.

Fair warning before the details: double-6 Mexican Train is the in-a-pinch version, not the standard one. The game was standardized around the 91-tile double-12 set, and 28 tiles is a tight squeeze. But tight is not broken — for two or three players who want to learn the game with what they own, it works, and this page covers exactly how. (Our free online game, for what it is worth, uses the standard double-12 set only — you can play it in your browser here.)

What You Need

One regular double-6 domino set — 28 tiles, every pairing of 0 through 6 including the seven doubles — plus something to use as train markers. Boxed Mexican Train sets come with little plastic trains, but markers can be anything: pennies, poker chips, even pieces of candy. You will want one marker per player, plus one for the Mexican Train if you like to flag it.

That is it. No station hub required — the engine can sit directly in the middle of the table, with trains radiating off it.

How to Set Up a Double-6 Game

Pull the double-6 out of the set and place it in the center as the engine — this is the simplest starting method, and the one used by boxed sets. (The traditional alternative: shuffle everything and whoever holds the double-6 plays it to start; if nobody holds it, players draw from the boneyard until it turns up. Both methods are legitimate — pick one.)

Then shuffle the remaining 27 tiles face down and deal. A common recommendation is 5 tiles each for 2-3 players. That sounds skimpy if you are used to the 15-tile hands of a double-12 game, but with 28 tiles it is the point: dealing 5 each to three players leaves a dozen tiles in the boneyard, and you will need them, because drawing is how the game breathes. Whatever count you choose, everyone draws the same number.

From there the game is standard Mexican Train, exactly as described in our full rules reference: build your personal train off the engine, the communal Mexican Train is open to everyone, mark your train when you cannot play, and unmark it by playing on it later.

How Many Rounds Do You Play?

Played the same way as the standard game, a double-6 game runs 7 rounds — the engines step down from the double-6 in round one to the double-blank in round seven. That makes the double-6 version the shortest full game in the family: compare 10 rounds with a double-9 set and 13 with a double-12.

And as with every set size, you are free to play fewer — the major rule sets explicitly allow groups to agree on a shorter game. With rounds this quick, though, a double-6 game is one of the few versions of Mexican Train you can genuinely finish in full on a weeknight.

What Changes with Only 28 Tiles?

The rules do not change, but the feel does. A few things to expect, and how to handle them:

• The boneyard runs thin. After dealing, there is not much left to draw from. When the boneyard is empty and you cannot play, you simply pass and mark your train. Expect some rounds to end blocked — when nobody can play and nothing is left to draw, everyone counts the pips still in hand, including the player closest to going out. That is a normal ending, not a failure of the setup.
• Only seven denominations. With numbers running just 0 through 6, matches come up constantly and trains build fast. Rounds are short and punchy.
• Doubles hit harder. The doubles rules are unchanged — lay the double sideways, owe an extra tile, and under the most common rules an uncovered double freezes all other play until it is satisfied. But in a small game, one open double can eat a noticeable chunk of the round while everyone scrambles to cover it.
• Scoring is gentler. The biggest tile in the set is the 6-6 at 12 pips, so round scores stay low compared to a double-12 game where a stranded 12-12 costs 24. Standard scoring applies: the player who goes out scores 0, everyone else counts their pips, lowest total after all rounds wins. Details in the scoring guide.

When to Move Up to a Bigger Set

The honest ceiling for a double-6 set is three players. If a fourth person wants in, the math stops working — there are not enough tiles to deal fair hands and keep a boneyard. At that point, a 55-tile double-9 set is the natural upgrade for tables of 2-4, and the standard 91-tile double-12 set handles up to 8. If tonight’s double-6 game hooks your group, that is your shopping guide.

Try the Full-Size Game Online

If you want to feel the difference before buying a bigger set, you can play Mexican Train free in your browser — it uses the standard double-12 set, playable solo against AI bots or as local pass-and-play with up to 4 players, no download or sign-up. Every deal is genuinely random and reproducible from its seed, so what you practice online is the same fair game you will play at the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you really play Mexican Train with a regular domino set?

Yes — a 28-tile double-6 set handles 2-3 players with all the normal rules. It is the in-a-pinch version rather than the standard, but it is a real game and a great way to learn.

How many tiles do you deal?

A common recommendation is 5 each for 2-3 players. Small hands keep tiles in the boneyard, which a 28-tile game badly needs. Any count is fair if everyone draws the same number.

How many rounds is a full game?

7 — engines from the double-6 down to the double-blank, one round per double. Fewer rounds by agreement is always fine.

How many players can join?

2 or 3. Four or more players need a double-9 or double-12 set — 28 tiles cannot stretch that far.

Do the doubles rules change?

No. Doubles are laid sideways, obligate an extra tile, and under the most common rules an open double blocks all other play until satisfied — same as with any set size.