Mexican Train vs Chicken Foot Dominoes July 2026: Complete Comparison
Mexican Train gives each player their own line to manage and a shared public train to use strategically. The station hub and train markers add a tactile element that many players enjoy. You want to play doubles when you have tiles ready to fill the resulting toes, so you are not forced to draw from the chicken yard.
While playing on each public train, the player may choose to play on the Mexican train or skip it when he comes to it, making the placement of the train somewhat strategical. After the starting double has been placed, during the opening phase, each player simultaneously starts and extends their private train, using as many dominoes in their hand as possible. Any player may start the Mexican Train by playing one domino with an end matching the engine (i.e., the double in the station hub placed at the beginning of the round); subsequent players may add to the train, as long as the domino played matches the free end of the Mexican Train. For example, if Player B places a domino on a public train with Player A’s marker, that does not force that train to become private for Player B; when Player A’s turn comes, after Player A makes a valid play on that public train, only then will it become private.
The player holding the engine tile goes first and must play it to open the station. The engine tile is placed in the center hub at the start of the round. At the start of each round, one specific double tile serves as the “engine.” In the first round of a game, the double-twelve is the engine. Some Chicken Foot sets include a starter tile, but many players simply use one of the doubles from the set to begin the round. You also get small train markers (often colored plastic pieces or coins) that players use to mark their train as open or closed.
The Boneyard
One strategy is to try to keep high value exposed ends covered which prevents other players from chickie-ing them. The game ends when one player plays his last bone or when all players have consecutively passed or the chicken yard is empty. The number of bones pulled by each player depends on the number of players. Dominoes are also often referred to as bones and tiles.
- Begin by placing the entire set of double nine dominoes face down in the center of the table.
- Players must balance the need to get rid of their dominoes quickly with the strategic advantage of controlling multiple trains.
- Its branching mechanic creates memorable moments that players will talk about after the game ends.
- The first player then starts a private train, sometimes known as a personal train, by placing a tile that legally starts from the station by matching pip values to the engine in the station hub, in a direction leading towards their seat.
- Many players also enjoy creating their own custom variations, using a combination of elements from different games to create a unique and personalized experience.
Chicken Foot, on the other hand, is often more appealing to experienced players who enjoy strategic challenges and complex puzzles. Chicken Foot’s unique starting layout and special rules are designed to create a distinct gameplay dynamic, which may not be compatible with the traditional Mexican Train rules. While both games are enjoyable and challenging in their own right, Chicken Foot tends to appeal to more experienced players who enjoy strategic puzzle-solving. Another significant difference between the two games is the level of complexity and strategy involved. Additionally, Chicken Foot often involves special rules, such as “wild” dominoes or unique scoring systems, which are not found in traditional Mexican Train.
DOMINO SET REQUIRED: Double Nine
In contrast, Chicken Foot starts with a more complex layout, featuring a central “chicken foot” shape composed of multiple dominoes. Players then take turns laying down dominoes that match the numbers on the engine, creating a chain of tiles that resembles a train. Despite these differences, both games share a common spirit and require similar strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. For example, Chicken Foot typically involves a “chicken foot”-shaped starting layout, whereas Mexican Train starts with a simple train-shaped layout.
Basic rules
For example, under the 1994 Galt rules, in a 3-player game using the double-twelve set of 91 dominoes, the players collectively hold 45 tiles, leaving 46 tiles in the « boneyard ». The actual number drawn depends on the number of players, domino set in use, and rule variation in use. Because the station or hub usually is designed for eight spokes, the maximum number of players is eight, although additional spokes may be laid in between slots to accommodate more players, using larger domino sets. However, the station piece is not strictly needed, and anything from coins to poker chips to even pieces of candy or slips of paper can be used as markers. Many sets of dominoes include a station and special train-shaped tokens for markers, and packaged games with a central « station » and custom tokens are available, along with pads to help keep score.
- Once a player cannot play on the next public train, or has looped around to their own train, their turn ends.
- The player holding the engine tile goes first and must play it to open the station.
- In Mexican Train with a double-twelve set, the number of tiles each player draws depends on how many people are playing.
- You like the idea of managing your own train while keeping an eye on what opponents are doing.
- But if, at any time, you can’t play a domino and you can’t draw a playable one from the boneyard, you must put your marker back on your train, making it public again.
Chicken Foot calls the same concept the “chicken yard,” keeping with the poultry theme of the game. Across all rounds, the player with the lowest total score at the end wins. In both Mexican Train and Chicken Foot, scoring works the same way at the end of each round.
Both games are played with dominoes, and the objective is to create a chain of tiles with matching numbers. However, the relationship between the two games is not immediately clear, and many players are left wondering if they are the same game or two distinct entities. For those who enjoy a game with multiple layers of strategy and the option to manage multiple trains, Mexican Train might be the preferred choice. The social aspect of the game also comes into play, as players often engage in light-hearted competitions and strategic discussions during the game. Players must be vigilant about the dominoes their opponents play and plan their moves to either extend their own lines or hinder their opponents’ progress. Since the game does not feature multiple trains, the focus is on controlling the lines of dominoes and limiting opponents’ options.
The name likely comes from the game’s popular tradition where the public train is open to everyone, similar to how a public railway serves all passengers. When someone plays a double tile, it creates three new branches that must be filled before the game can continue. You manage your own train, and there is also a shared public train called the Mexican Train that anyone can use. Mexican Train is classified as a “train” game because each player builds their own line of tiles (a train) extending from a station hub. I hear this question all the time from people setting up their first game night.
Can You Use the Same Domino Set for Both Games?
The remaining tiles form the draw pile, known as the boneyard. In Mexican Train with a double-twelve set, the number of tiles each player draws depends on how many people are playing. A double-nine set works for Mexican Train, but you are limited to shorter rounds and fewer players. Chicken Foot is traditionally played with a double-nine domino set, which contains 55 tiles. Mexican Train is traditionally played with a double-twelve domino set, which contains 91 tiles.
How to play Chicken Foot dominoes
Dominoes may not be placed anywhere else until the chicken foot is created. When a double is played, there must be three dominoes added to it in order to create a chicken foot. If a player cannot play a tile, they must draw one from the chicken yard. Now every player at chicken train app download the table may play on any train that they wish. Player four is unable to play, draws a matching domino, and starts the third train. This continues until there is at least one train per player at the table.
How to play Block dominoes
The playing of doubles and covering requirements are subject to significant variance depending on individual custom and the rules in use, so the basic rules presented here are based on a consensus reading of the different rule sets, biased toward the earliest rules, published in 1994 by Galt and Parsons and updated in 2012 by Bauguess. For example, if the double-9 domino is the engine and the 9-6 domino is played to start the Mexican Train, the next domino to extend the Mexican Train must have one end with a 6. It is metaphorically on a siding, physically represented by disconnecting it from the station hub, in a place convenient to all players.
Domino Sets
Optionally, if a player notices another player who has not announced they are holding only one domino, the latter may be forced to draw two tiles from the boneyard, if it is not empty. One variation suggests that as a courtesy, a player holding only one domino should tap the table to indicate the potential end of the round in the next turn, giving the other players a chance to lower their score by playing their highest-valued domino. The round ends once one player has placed all their dominoes, or when it is not possible to play another domino and the boneyard is empty.
The first player then starts a private train, sometimes known as a personal train, by placing a tile that legally starts from the station by matching pip values to the engine in the station hub, in a direction leading towards their seat. In other rule variations, during the opening phase, players may start and build their private trains by using as many dominoes as possible from their hand, radiating out from the station hub towards their seats, instead of placing a single domino. They share similar scoring but have different rules for doubles, different terminology, and a different feel at the table. The chicken toes mechanic creates natural pauses in the action that can feel like a grind, especially in the later rounds when the doubles have higher pip values.
Strategic Differences
Once each player has built these private trains as long as possible, players then start to take turns, placing one or two tiles per turn using their remaining tiles, until one player has emptied their hand, ending the round. This starting layout requires players to think strategically about how to build upon the existing tiles and create connections between them. The gameplay focuses on strategic domino placement and blocking opponents from laying down their dominoes.
Only the player whose marker is on a public train can turn the train private by making a valid play on that train and lifting the marker. The marker on a public train can only be removed by the marker’s owner to make it private, and there is one marker per player. To designate when a train is private, the marker may either be removed altogether or moved to the station hub, depending on the rules. With their first move, the first player may choose to start either their « personal train » or the « Mexican Train », using one of the « extras » that has an end matching the « engine » in the station hub.
Chicken Foot strategy centers around controlling the layout through doubles. Sometimes you draw strategically to find a tile that lets you keep playing on the Mexican Train while keeping your private train options open. Neither competitor article I found covers strategy differences in any depth, which is a shame because the strategic landscape of each game is quite different. Mexican Train calls the draw pile the “boneyard.” The term comes from the image of a pile of bones (dominoes) that players dig through when they need a tile. One bad round will not necessarily eliminate you, but a string of high-scoring rounds will put you in a hole that is tough to escape. In Chicken Foot, doubles create an entirely different dynamic.
However, an earlier version of these rules states that only two doubles may be played in a single turn, and the covering domino for one of the doubles must be one already held; it may not be drawn. Under this variation, a player may place multiple doubles during a single turn as long as the trains are eligible and the placement is legal; that player is required to cover only the first double played, and the next player is responsible for covering the second double, etc.; all doubles must be covered before normal play may resume. Once the Bullet Train is verified, the other players finish out their private train by playing as many of their remaining dominoes as possible. During a players turn if they are able to finish out their hand by playing all of their remaining dominoes on their private train, they can declare a « Bullet Train ». Once a player cannot play on the next public train, or has looped around to their own train, their turn ends. Each public train must be played on in order to continue in this manner, and only one tile per train may be played (unless a double must be finished).
This transforms the game into a sharper strategic contest where blocking is a primary weapon. Identical to Draw except there is no boneyard draw — if you cannot play, you pass. Players match open ends and draw from the boneyard when they cannot play. From the strategic depth of Block play to the festive chaos of Chickenfoot, there is a variant for every group size, skill level, and mood.
This rule can slow the game down dramatically, especially when multiple doubles are played in quick succession. Unlike Mexican Train, where every player immediately starts their own separate train, Chicken Foot has everyone building off the same central layout. The highest double in the set (double-nine for a standard set) is placed in the center of the table.
Elements of strategy
The leftover tiles form what Chicken Foot players call the chicken yard instead of the boneyard. That single distinction changes how doubles work, how strategy unfolds, and even what you call the pile of leftover tiles. The game generally ends when all the doubles in the domino set are used as the starting double for a round. But if, at any time, you can’t play a domino and you can’t draw a playable one from the boneyard, you must put your marker back on your train, making it public again. Just like in Chicken Foot dominoes, you start by placing the highest double domino on the table.
Players must balance the need to get rid of their dominoes quickly with the strategic advantage of controlling multiple trains. This mechanism adds a layer of complexity and strategy to the game, as players must manage their dominoes carefully and make tactical decisions about when to start new trains. Both games are played with a standard set of dominoes, and the objective is to lay down all your dominoes before your opponents.
Can You Use the Same Domino Set for Both Games?
You like the idea of managing your own train while keeping an eye on what opponents are doing. Finding that balance between timing and opportunity is the heart of Chicken Foot strategy. Holding doubles too long is risky in Chicken Foot because you might get stuck with them at the end of a round. Experienced players also watch what their opponents draw and play to deduce what tiles are still available. Some Chicken Foot players also use “farm yard,” though chicken yard is more common.
Chicken Foot Strategies
One factor that has sustained the popularity of the games is that they are easily played and enjoyed by men, women, boys, and girls…people of all ages. The goal is to domino, since scores are based on the tiles left in the other player’s hands. Its many forms are played around the world by millions of people. Once you know that there are no longer three free bones to complete the chickie, you control when the round ends by playing the chickie.
By experimenting with different rule variations, you can create a customized game that blends the best elements of both Mexican Train and Chicken Foot. Alternatively, you could incorporate special rules from Chicken Foot, such as “wild” dominoes or unique scoring systems, into a traditional game of Mexican Train. For example, you could create a hybrid game that combines the train-shaped layout of Mexican Train with the “chicken foot” shape of Chicken Foot. Additionally, Chicken Foot’s emphasis on strategic planning and adaptability can foster a sense of camaraderie and teamwork, as players work together to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.
Chicken Foot shares the same basic turn structure but plays out on the table in a very different way. After all thirteen rounds have been played (from double-twelve down to double-blank), the player with the lowest total score wins. A round ends when one player plays the last tile from their hand, or when the boneyard is empty and no player can make a legal play. If it cannot be played, you pass your turn and your private train becomes open for other players to use. If you cannot play a tile on any available train, you must draw one tile from the boneyard. Once the station is open, each player starts their own personal train extending from the hub.