Free Mexican Train score sheet online, and how to make your own

How Mexican Train scoring works

Mexican Train is played with a double 12 set of dominoes, in 13 rounds. Each round starts from a different double placed in the middle: double 12 in the first round, then double 11, all the way down to double blank (0-0) in the last. Players build their own trains, and anyone can play on the shared "Mexican train". When someone plays their last domino, the round ends and everyone else counts the dots on the dominoes they're still holding. The lowest total after all 13 rounds wins.

Scoring: each domino left in your hand scores the dots on both ends, so a 6-4 is 10 and a 12-12 is 24. Going out scores 0. Many families count a leftover double blank as 50 instead of 0, to stop people hiding it; the score keeper has a +50 button for that. If nobody can play and the round is blocked, everyone counts their dots in the same way.

Your own Mexican Train score keeper

You'll describe the score keeper to a free AI assistant, paste what it writes into a file, and open it in your browser. Then add the game's own rules, the winner, saving and printing, one step at a time.

• A score sheet with a column for every player and a row for every round, labelled 12-12, 11-11 and so on down to 0-0
• A reminder of which double starts the round you're on
• Standings with the lowest total on top, and a winner after the last round
• Settings for double 6, 9, 12 and 15 sets
• Undo, saving so a closed tab doesn't lose the game, tap-to-fix for any score, and printable blank sheets

Good for: families and retirement-community games groups who play every week, anyone who has lost count of which double comes next, and long games that run over two evenings.

What you need

Build it in five steps

Step 1 gives you a simple version that works, and each step after it adds more. The score keeper at the top of this page is roughly what you'll have once you've done every step. Yours will look a bit different, because the AI writes its own version each time.

1. Ask for a simple Mexican Train score sheet

   Copy this prompt into your AI assistant:

   Copy this promptCopy

   I don't know how to code. Please make me a Mexican Train dominoes score keeper that runs in a web browser, for my family to use instead of a paper score sheet.
   
   Requirements:
   - ONE single HTML file (HTML, CSS and JavaScript together), no external libraries, no internet needed. I will save it and double-click it.
   - At the top, a list of players with a name box for each, an "Add player" button (up to 8 players) and a small remove button. Start with two players called "Player 1" and "Player 2".
   - Below, a score table with one column for each player and 13 rows, one for each round, labelled 12-12, 11-11, 10-10 and so on down to 0-0. Under each score, show the player's running total in smaller text.
   - At the end of each round, a big number button next to each player's name. Tapping it opens a number pad (with a minus key, because scores can be below zero) to type their score. A "Save round" button adds the round to the table once everyone has a score.
   - A "Total" row at the bottom. In Mexican Train the LOWEST total wins, so highlight the lowest total.
   - The number pad doesn't need a minus key, because scores are never below zero.
   - Big, clear, friendly design with a dark background and buttons big enough to tap on a phone.
   
   Please give me the complete file in one code block, then tell me in simple steps how to save and open it.

   Copy the code, paste it into your text editor, and save it as mexican-train.html. Double-click it, type your family's names and add a couple of rounds.

2. Show which double starts each round

   The question everyone asks at the start of a round is "which double are we on?". Let the page answer it.

   Copy this promptCopy

   That works, thank you. Please add:
   - A big heading above the score buttons, like "Round 3: double 10", and a line saying "Start the round from the 10-10 in the middle."
   - In the number pad, quick buttons for "0 (went out)", "+5", "+10" and "+50 (double blank)", for families who count a leftover double blank as 50.
   - A setting for the domino set: double 6 (7 rounds), double 9 (10 rounds), double 12 (13 rounds) or double 15 (16 rounds). Change the round labels to match.
   
   Send me the complete updated file.

   Always ask for the complete file. Replace everything in mexican-train.html, save, and refresh the tab (F5 or Cmd+R).

3. Add the standings and the winner

   Now it knows how a game ends.

   Copy this promptCopy

   Please add:
   - A "Standings" list next to the table, sorted from lowest total to highest, with a place number for each player.
   - When the last round (0-0) is saved, the game is over: show the winner (the lowest total) or a tie in a big friendly message, with a "Play again" button.
   
   Send me the complete updated file.

4. Save the game, add undo, and print score sheets

   Someone always types the wrong number, and someone always closes the tab. This step fixes both, and gives you paper sheets for when you'd rather use a pencil.

   Copy this promptCopy

   Please add saving, undo and printing:
   - Save the players and the game in localStorage after every change, so refreshing or closing the page doesn't lose anything. Add a note saying "Your game saves in this browser only. Nothing is sent anywhere." and a "Clear saved game" button that asks first.
   - An "Undo" button that takes back the last change, however many times I press it. Keep a copy of the whole game before each change to make this simple.
   - Let me tap any score in the table to change it, and work all the totals out again.
   - A "Print" panel with a choice of "A4" and "US Letter" paper, and buttons to print:
     1. A blank score sheet that fills one page, with six player columns (a score and a running total for each), a row for every round, and the scoring rules in a box at the bottom.
     2. The game being played right now, with everyone's scores filled in.
   - When printing, show only the sheet, with no buttons, using a print stylesheet and @page with the right paper size and 10 mm margins. Every sheet must fit on exactly one page.
   
   Send me the complete updated file.

5. Make it look and feel finished

   Last of all, the touches that make it nice to pass round the table.

   Copy this promptCopy

   Please finish it off:
   - Coloured animal avatars for players, which I can change, and up and down arrows to change the order.
   - A strip of player cards across the top showing each player's total, with a crown on whoever is winning.
   - A big celebration with confetti when someone wins, and a "Play again" button that keeps the players.
   - A "Keep the screen awake" tick box using the Wake Lock API, hidden or greyed out if the browser can't do it.
   - On a phone, stack everything in one column, make every button at least 44 pixels tall, and let the score table scroll sideways inside its box, never the whole page.
   
   Send me the complete updated file.

Quick fixes

Questions people ask

Twist it into something else

Players, rounds, undo, saving and printing work for almost any game with a score pad. Change the first prompt to make:

Your rules, your table, no adding up

Score pads get lost between game nights, and it's surprisingly easy to lose track of which double comes next. Yours knows your set and your house rules, works on any phone or tablet, keeps the game if someone closes the tab, and never sends your scores anywhere. It's also a great first "real" app: buttons, tables, saving and printing, all in one small file you understand.

What to build next