How to Score Mexican Train

Scoring Mexican Train is simple once you've done it a round or two. When a round ends, the dots (also called pips) left in your hand count against you. The player who went out scores 0. After the last round, the lowest total wins.

This page explains how to count a hand, what to do with the double blank, how a full game adds up, and the scoring questions that come up at almost every table.

1. The short version

• When a round ends, add up the dots on every tile still in your hand. That's your score for the round.
• The player who played their last tile scores 0.
• A blank half counts 0. The double blank 0|0 counts 0, or 50 if your table plays that house rule.
• Write each score down and keep a running total.
• With a double-12 set the game has 13 rounds, from 12|12 down to 0|0. After the last round, the lowest total wins.

2. Counting the dots in your hand

Each tile is worth the dots on both halves. A 12|9 is worth 21 points, a 6|4 is worth 10, and a 5|0 is worth 5.

Say the round ends and you are holding these tiles:

If your table counts the double blank as 50, the same hand scores 10 + 50 + 21 = 81.

A tip for big hands: group tiles that add up to 10 or 20 (like 6|4 and 12|8), then add the rest. And have a second player check the count before it goes on the sheet.

3. The double blank: 0 or 50

By the standard rules, the double blank 0|0 has no dots, so it counts 0. That makes it a harmless tile to be caught with.

Many families and clubs play a house rule that makes the double blank worth 50 points to anyone still holding it when a round ends. It turns a "free" tile into one you want to get rid of early. Neither way is wrong; just agree before the first round. The printable score sheet has a place to circle 0 or 50, and the house rules page explains the variation.

4. The player who goes out scores 0

The round ends the moment one player plays their last tile. That player has nothing left in hand and scores 0 for the round. Everyone else counts what they're holding.

It doesn't matter if the last tile is a double that nobody has covered yet. Playing your last tile ends the round. See going out in the rules.

5. Blocked rounds

Sometimes nobody can go out. If the boneyard is empty and no player can add a tile anywhere, the round is blocked and ends right away. Every player, including the one with the fewest tiles, counts the dots left in their hand. Nobody scores 0 unless their hand is empty.

6. A full game: 13 rounds

Each round starts from a different double, called the engine. With a double-12 set, round 1 starts with 12|12, round 2 with 11|11, and so on down to 0|0 in round 13. Add each player's round scores together as you go.

Short on time? Play fewer rounds, for example 7, 5 or 3, counting down from 12|12. As long as everyone plays the same rounds, the totals stay fair.

7. A worked example

Here is a full 13-round game for four players with a double-12 set. The double blank counts 0. Each number is the dots left in that player's hand at the end of the round; 0 means that player went out.

Ann and Bob each went out four times, but Bob wins by 3 points: his worst round cost him 23, while Ann got caught once with 31. Going out often helps, but so does never getting stuck with a big hand. In the blocked 6|6 round, all four players counted their hands, and nobody scored 0.

If this table had played the double blank as 50 and Dave had been holding 0|0 in the last round, his 11 would have been 61.

8. Common scoring disputes

Does the highest or the lowest score win?

The lowest. Points are the dots left in your hand, so every point counts against you.

Is the double blank worth 0 or 50?

0 by the standard rules, 50 by a popular house rule. Decide before the first round and write it on the score sheet.

Do the tiles on my train count against me?

No. Only the tiles still in your hand count. Tiles you played on any train are out of your hand and score nothing.

Do the tiles I drew from the boneyard count?

Yes. Once you draw a tile it's part of your hand, and if it's still there when the round ends, it counts like any other.

How do you score a blocked round?

Everyone counts the dots left in their hand, including the player with the fewest tiles. Nobody scores 0 unless their hand is empty.

Someone went out on a double nobody covered. Does that count?

In the standard game, yes. Playing your last tile ends the round, even if it's a double, and that player scores 0.

What happens if two players tie?

If two or more players finish with the same lowest total, they share the win. If your table would rather have one winner, agree on a tiebreak before you start.

We stopped early. Who won?

Compare totals after the last round everyone finished. Because every player played the same rounds, the lowest total is still a fair winner. Don't count a round that was only half played.

Someone wrote down the wrong number. Can we fix it?

Yes, as long as the table agrees. Correct the round and add the totals up again. It's a good habit to read the round's scores out loud before writing them down.

9. Ways to keep score

• On paper. Print our free large-print Mexican Train score sheet. It has a row for every round with the engine double printed on it, space for 8 players, and a double-15 sheet on page 2.
• On your iPhone or iPad. The Roundhouse app has a free scorekeeper called "Score my table". Add 2 to 10 players, choose a double-12, double-15 or double-18 set, and set the double blank to 0 or 50. After each round, type each player's points on a big number pad, or tap the tiles left in their hand and Roundhouse adds them up. It keeps the running totals, shows who's ahead, and lets you fix a round if someone made a mistake. There are no ads in "Score my table".

New to the game? Read the full Mexican Train rules, or see the questions people ask about Roundhouse.