Mexican Train Strategy: How to Win More Rounds

Plan the longest train you can build, before you play a tile

At the start of each round, look for the longest line you can make from the engine double with your own tiles. Every tile in that line is a turn when you can play without help from anyone. Joe Celko's rules on pagat.com give the same advice: build the longest starting train you can, so you have fewer tiles to place later.

Try it below. These are real deals from our game. Find the longest line from the engine, then check it against the planner our computer player uses.

In hand 1 the longest line is 10 tiles long and holds 127 spots. Only 5 tiles are left over. If a hand has no tile with the engine number at all, like hand 4, you cannot start any train: you draw and hope, and your best plan waits for the next turn.

Your spare tiles belong on the Mexican Train

Tiles that are not in your plan are spares. Play them on the Mexican Train or on another player's open train. That way your own line stays whole. Playing a planned tile somewhere else can break the line in the middle and leave you drawing in the late part of the round.

There is a quiet benefit too, mentioned on Wikipedia: if you dump spares on public trains early, other players may think you could not start your own train.

Keep your own train closed

A marker on your train lets everyone play there. That helps them shed tiles, and it changes the open end you were counting on. Wikipedia's summary puts it plainly: it is generally in your interest to keep your train private. If your train has a marker and you have a tile that fits it, playing there takes the marker off. Our computer player ranks that move near the top.

Play a double when you can cover it yourself

After a double you play one more tile. If you hold another tile of that number, you can cover your own double right away and keep control. If you can't, the double stays open and the next player must cover it before anything else. If you need a reminder of how that works, the double rule page walks through it move by move.

A double is also a good way to get rid of spots: the 12-12 alone is 24 points in your hand. Celko adds a warning: if you hold a double too long, the other tiles of its number may all be played, and then it is stuck in your hand.

Shed heavy tiles early

When a round ends, the spots left in your hand are your score for that round, and low wins. When two plays are equally good, play the one with more spots. Our planner breaks ties the same way: of two equally long trains, it picks the one that uses more spots.

Watch which numbers are gone

Keep an eye on the table. A double-12 set has 13 tiles of each number. When most of the 9s are already on trains, a 9 at the end of your train is a dead end, and a 9 in your hand is hard to place. Mexicantrain.com suggests the same habit: watch what has been played to guess what others can still do.

Want to put these tips to work? Play Mexican Train online and press Hint: the computer suggests a tile and says why, using the same plan-your-train logic as the example above.