Mexican Train Score Sheet
Updated
A Mexican Train score sheet has a column for each player and a row for each of the 13 rounds of a double-twelve set, from the 12-12 down to the double blank. After each round, write the spots left in every player's hand; the lowest total wins. The free sheets fit up to 6 or up to 10 players on a Letter page.
How to keep score
- Write the players' names across the top. Each row is one round, and the double printed beside it is the one that goes in the center to start that round.
- A round ends as soon as one player plays their last tile, or when no one can play and the boneyard is empty.
- Everyone else adds up the spots on the tiles left in their hand and writes that number in their box. The player who went out writes 0.
- After the double blank round, add up each column. The lowest total wins the game.
How many tiles each player takes
All 13 rounds use one double-twelve set of 91 tiles. The more players, the fewer tiles each, and the rest stay face down in the boneyard:
| Players | Tiles each |
|---|---|
| 2 to 4 | 15 |
| 5 or 6 | 12 |
| 7 or 8 | 10 |
| 9 or 10 | 8 |
Up to 10 players fit around one set, which is why the larger sheet has 10 columns. With 4 players, 60 tiles are dealt and 31 stay in the boneyard.
Penalty points or positive points
The usual game counts penalty points, as above. Some groups score the other way: the player who goes out, or who holds the fewest spots when the round is blocked, collects the spots left in everyone else's hand, and the highest total wins. The sheet works for both; agree before round 1 which one you play.
The rules here are those on Pagat, the card and domino game rules site run by John McLeod, which also lists the variations in when trains open and how doubles must be covered. None of them changes how a round is scored.
Source: Pagat, Mexican Train, checked November 2, 2026.
Mexican Train questions
How many rounds are in Mexican Train?
Thirteen with a double-twelve set: the 12-12 starts round 1, the 11-11 round 2, and so on down to the double blank in round 13. The set has 91 tiles.
Is the lowest or highest score the winner?
The lowest. Each round, every player counts the spots on the tiles still in their hand, and those are penalty points. A player who went out scores 0 for the round.
What does a blank count?
Nothing: a blank half is 0 spots, so the double blank scores 0. The 12-12 is the most expensive tile to be caught with, 24 points.
How do we score a blocked round?
The same way. When nobody can play and the boneyard is empty, the round ends and everyone writes down the spots in their hand.