Mexican Train score sheet
One row per round, labelled by the double that starts it, all the way down from twelve to blank. Pips left in your hand are the damage, the column adds itself up, and the smallest total at the bottom takes the evening.
Keep score in the browser
The grid below is the sheet. Type into it and the totals, bonuses and thresholds are applied as you go; press Print at any point and the paper version comes out with whatever is in the boxes.
Names and scores stay in this browser and nothing is uploaded. Where a game has competing conventions the sheet says which one it applies. Check this before you rely on it. This score sheet and scorekeeper is provided free and without warranty, and its results are not professional advice.
Mexican Train score sheet
Date ____________
| Score | Player 1 | Player 2 | Player 3 | Player 4 | Player 5 | Player 6 | Player 7 | Player 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double 12 | ||||||||
| Double 11 | ||||||||
| Double 10 | ||||||||
| Double 9 | ||||||||
| Double 8 | ||||||||
| Double 7 | ||||||||
| Double 6 | ||||||||
| Double 5 | ||||||||
| Double 4 | ||||||||
| Double 3 | ||||||||
| Double 2 | ||||||||
| Double 1 | ||||||||
| Double 0 | ||||||||
| Total |
Thirteen rounds from the double twelve down to the double blank; the pips left in your hand are the damage.
Count the pips you are holding
Write each tile as its two halves — 12-9, 6-6, 0-0 — separated by spaces. The double blank is counted at fifty rather than nothing, because that is the convention most tables agree on and the one worth being explicit about.
A worked example
Four rounds of leftover pips: 14, 0, 31 and a hand ending on the double blank counted at 50.
| What happened | Points |
|---|---|
| Round one | 14 |
| Round two, went out | 0 |
| Round three | 31 |
| Round four | 50 |
| Total against you | 95 |
Thirteen rounds, named rather than numbered
Rows here are headed by their starting double instead of by a round number, which is how the game is actually spoken about at the table — nobody says round four, they say we are on the nines. It also makes a resumed session unambiguous: anyone glancing at the pad can see which double is next without counting backwards.
A full set of thirteen makes for a long evening, and plenty of tables start at the double nine or run only until somebody has had enough. The unused rows simply stay blank, and the totals ignore them, so a short game needs no different sheet.
Counting the leftovers
At the end of a round every player adds the spots on the tiles still in front of them and writes the figure down. Going out means a zero. There is nothing else to it, which is why this game is often played with no sheet at all until somebody realises nobody can remember whether the nines round was thirty-one or thirteen.
One wrinkle is worth printing: the double blank has no spots, so many tables agree in advance that it counts fifty rather than nothing, precisely so it is not a free tile to be left holding. The sheet does not force that, but the note on the pad reminds everyone to settle it before the first round rather than during the last.
The column that goes the other way
Nearly every other pad on this site rewards a big number. This one punishes it, and that inversion causes more scoring mistakes than any rule inside the game. Somebody circles the biggest total as the winner out of pure habit, usually at the end of a long evening when everyone has stopped concentrating.
On screen the leader is marked explicitly and the arithmetic runs the right way round, so the smallest column is the one flagged. On paper the totals row sits under a heavy rule with the direction stated beside it, which is the most a piece of paper can do about a habit.
Common questions
How many people can this sheet take?
Up to eight columns, which covers the largest table a double-twelve set comfortably supports. Choose the number first and the surplus columns are dropped from the printout so nobody wanders into one.
What is the double blank worth?
By its spots, nothing — which is why many groups agree it counts fifty instead, to stop it being a risk-free tile to hold. Decide before you deal, write whichever figure you agreed, and the column will add it either way.
Do we need all thirteen rounds?
No. Starting lower or stopping early is common, and unused rows are simply left empty. The bottom total only counts what has been written, so an eight-round evening scores correctly on the same pad.
Can this be used for other domino games?
For any of the ones where leftover spots are the score, yes — the row labels are the only thing tied to this game. For a game scored on points made during play rather than tiles left over, the plain numbered pad on this site is the better fit.
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