Mexican Train with a Double-9 Set: Rules, Hand Sizes & Rounds

Can You Play Mexican Train with a Double-9 Set?

Yes — a double-9 set is the classic small-table option for Mexican Train. Its 55 tiles suit 2 to 4 players comfortably, and a full game runs 10 rounds, from the double-9 engine down to the double-blank. Every rule of the game works exactly as it does with the standard double-12 set; only the numbers shrink.

This page is a tabletop reference for playing with the physical double-9 set on your shelf. One honest note up front: our free online game uses the standard double-12 set only — if you want to play in your browser, that version lives at Mexican Train online, and the double-12 guide covers its numbers.

What Is a Double-9 Domino Set?

A double-9 set contains every pairing of the numbers 0 through 9 — including all ten doubles, from 0-0 up to 9-9 — for a total of 55 tiles. That is the middle child of the common set sizes: double the 28 tiles of a double-6 set (nearly), and well short of the 91 tiles in the standard double-12.

For Mexican Train, that middle position is exactly the appeal. With 2-4 players, a double-9 set deals full hands, leaves a workable boneyard, and produces rounds that move briskly because there are fewer tile denominations in circulation — ten numbers instead of thirteen means matches come up more often.

How Many Tiles Does Each Player Draw?

There is no single agreed answer — with a double-9 set, published deals range all the way from 7 to 15 tiles per player, a wider spread than for any other set size. The Puremco-lineage chart is the most generous: 15 tiles each for 2 players, 13 each for 3, or 10 each for 4. Other published rule sets deal as few as 7 or 8 tiles per player for the same counts.

My advice is not to agonize over it. The exact count does not affect fairness as long as everyone draws the same number and enough tiles remain in the boneyard for drawing. Bigger hands mean longer, more strategic rounds with more pips at risk when someone goes out; smaller hands mean faster rounds and more trips to the boneyard. Pick the experience your table wants, announce it, and deal.

How Many Rounds Is a Full Double-9 Game?

A full game is 10 rounds. Round one is started by the double-9 as the engine in the center; each subsequent round steps down one double — 8-8, then 7-7, and so on — until the tenth and final round is started by the double-blank.

As with every version of Mexican Train, shorter games are completely legitimate: the major rule sets explicitly let groups agree on fewer rounds in advance. If your table has an hour rather than an evening, play three or five rounds and total the scores the same way — lowest cumulative score wins.

Do Any Rules Change with a Double-9 Set?

No — the game is identical, just scaled down. Everything in our full rules reference applies unchanged:

• Setup: set the round’s engine in the center (or, in the traditional method, whoever holds it plays it), shuffle, and deal.
• Trains: everyone builds a personal train off the engine, one communal Mexican Train is open to all, and markers open and close personal trains exactly as usual.
• Doubles: a double is laid sideways, obligates an extra tile, and under the most common rules an uncovered double blocks all other play until it is satisfied.
• Scoring: the player who goes out scores 0; everyone else counts the pips left in their hand, and the lowest total after all rounds wins. Full details in the scoring guide.

The one practical difference is texture, not rules: with only ten denominations, you will see any given number more often, so trains flow more freely and blocked rounds are rarer than they can be at a thin-handed double-12 table.

Double-9 vs Double-12 vs Double-6: Which Should You Use?

Choose by head count. The double-9 set is the right call for a small, regular group of 2-4 — it deals proper hands without the sprawl of 91 tiles, and a 10-round full game is a meaningfully shorter commitment than 13 rounds. If your table regularly seats 5 or more, you want the standard double-12 set; its 91 tiles are built for up to 8 players. And if all you own is a regular 28-tile set, the double-6 version works for 2-3 players in a pinch.

One more nudge for small tables: 2-player Mexican Train is a sharper, more tactical game than the big-table version regardless of set, because there are fewer open trains to bail you out. A double-9 set is arguably its best home — generous hands, quick rounds.

Practice the Rules Online First

If you are teaching the game to a new group, it can help to have the rules in your fingers before you sit down at the table. You can play Mexican Train free in your browser — solo against AI bots or local pass-and-play, up to 4 players, no download or sign-up. The online game uses the standard double-12 set, but every rule you practice there — trains, markers, doubles, scoring — transfers straight to your double-9 set at home.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many dominoes are in a double-9 set?

55. The set contains every pairing of 0 through 9, including all ten doubles.

How many players work best with a double-9 set?

2 to 4. Beyond that, hands get thin and the boneyard runs out fast — larger groups should use a double-12 set.

How many tiles do you deal?

Published charts genuinely disagree — anywhere from 7 to 15 tiles per player is in print. The Puremco-lineage chart deals 15 (2 players), 13 (3), or 10 (4). Any count is fair as long as everyone draws the same number and the boneyard keeps some tiles.

How many rounds do you play?

10 in a full game, with engines from the double-9 down to the double-blank. Fewer rounds by agreement is common and completely standard practice.

Is double-9 Mexican Train easier than double-12?

The rules are identical, but rounds tend to flow more freely because there are fewer denominations, so matches come up more often. It is less a difficulty change than a pacing one — shorter game, snappier turns.