MAIN » ARTICLESTON Scrabble Strategy Guide
Rule Number 1: Never lose to your girlfriend
This may seem obvious but it’s pretty damn important. Having respect for your opponents at the table is part of the game, but a winner has respect for himself and you can’t expect to lay down major-league scores on a regular basis if you’re not confident in your own ability and losing to your significant other is a sure-fire way of losing this confidence.
Score high early:
The beginning of the game is the most important. A big lead early on is very often incredibly difficult to break down and even a string of mediocre scores can be enough to keep the distance from first to second place. You have to set the pace and come out swinging, forcing your opponent to reply with big words to keep up.
Later in the game your options become much less and you’re scraping for any points you can get, and that is when you can get overtaken with one big word caught with lucky pick-ups. When it’s easy, let it be easy even if that means doing the same for your opponent.
Tighten up as the game progresses and remember that a good block very early in the game can really close up the board for all the players, including yourself, making it hard to establish a lead.
Lay down the blocks:
Blocking is as much a part of a good game strategy as getting a high score. A perfect example is this:
You have a good word you’ve been waiting to lay down, it’s the equivalent of a made hand in cards and the previous round has given you the opening to get it down. The trouble is it opens up the board and gives your opponent the chance to make a double word score or any kind of bonus. This is when a simple formula must be carried out in your head, and this basically equates to one thing – does the value of your word off-set positively against the potential value of the word your opponent can make on their next go.
If your 6-letter word looks good in your hand but only notches up a 10-20 point score then chances are its no good. A 15 point word for you that leads on to a 25 point word for the next guy is a loss of 15. A blocking move that is only worth 10, or hopefully a safe word worth more, is always the right choice if you leave nowhere for the next turn to go. It increases the chances they will only make a similar score or perhaps less, resulting in a neutral or negative comparative score for that round. This tactic is more employable when you have a substantial leading score, and more risky when you know you’re going to have to catch up in later rounds. Of course you will often end up with an even better end result by forcing your opponent to do what you chose not to and open up the board. Your score of 10 may initially look beat when your opponent makes a 5-letter using a big value tile and gets 30, but if it opens you up to a similar score then you have the upper hand and again you force them into giving you good positions to act whilst they have very few options and little room to manoeuvre.
To draw a parallel with poker, if you flop top-pair, you can check and allow them to see another card which potentially gives them a chance to outdraw you, or you can raise right then to get them out of the hand. Playing your top pair without a raise is the same as laying down a word which they can make more points off, they have no control over what hand you have but they can do better with their own given the chance. Reduce the options, reduce your opponents chancing of winning.
Learn to let go:
Often a game of Scrabble can be decided on a big word, a monster pot where one person goes all-in or in this case all-out to get the best score. This usually involves the monster letters, a Q or a Z, or if you can get Quiz: both. The trouble with these letters is that whilst most people enjoy seeing them, it’s easy to get far too attached to them.
Again, imagine you have pocket Aces in your hand pre-flop but you get called and the flop comes Jh Qh 10s and after another round of betting the turn comes 8h, your aces don’t look so good anymore. You’re coming up against a flush draw, a straight draw, a potential straight flush and it’s all very ugly. Sometimes you know you have to lay down a good hand and accept you couldn’t win. This principle applies completely to the use of high-value tiles in Scrabble. These letters should be used in the middle stages of the game. Throwing them out early if you get them is often useful but only if you can hit a triple letter or double word score. In the middle of the game the board has expanded and you have triple-word possibilities and the chance for a big game-winning score. However, once you get attached to that Q and you’re not catching the U to make the word or you can’t find a good spot to get it on the board, it’s time to let it go. This means changing letters and getting a 0 for the round. Once more you have the formula to consider. Laying down the Q is a loss at that point in the game, and a negative score compared to your opponent that round but a saving of 10 points at the end of the game. Keep an eye on the basics – how many Us are on the board, what you’re your chances of picking one up at random and how many words can you make with the letter. If it’s only one then chances are you won’t hit it, like staying in the pot after another bet just in case you catch your draw – it’s dangerous.
Being left with a big tile in your hand once the game is over is the worst way to lose a game as you watch your small lead reduced to second best just because you couldn’t bare to part with it. Throw it away when you see your options shrink and let it go.
Play the player, not just the tiles:
If you can distract your opponent then why not. This is a fully viable tactic in a game where 30 seconds more thinking time can make the difference between a good word and a bad word, and concentration can mean seperate the winner from the loser. Often the easiest way to distract someone is just to engage them in conversation during their turn, they won't be able to consider all the options and you should be in the money. Trash-talking when you have an established lead is considered bad etiquette but it can result in a moral victory before all the tiles are down - if your opponent gives up trying to make winning words then you've defeated them mentally and the last rounds can be much smoother.
Another way to distract someone is to lay down amusing or crass words. Whilst they're laughing, they're not thinking about the next round. You are.
Written by Ace.
This may seem obvious but it’s pretty damn important. Having respect for your opponents at the table is part of the game, but a winner has respect for himself and you can’t expect to lay down major-league scores on a regular basis if you’re not confident in your own ability and losing to your significant other is a sure-fire way of losing this confidence.
Score high early:
The beginning of the game is the most important. A big lead early on is very often incredibly difficult to break down and even a string of mediocre scores can be enough to keep the distance from first to second place. You have to set the pace and come out swinging, forcing your opponent to reply with big words to keep up.
Later in the game your options become much less and you’re scraping for any points you can get, and that is when you can get overtaken with one big word caught with lucky pick-ups. When it’s easy, let it be easy even if that means doing the same for your opponent.
Tighten up as the game progresses and remember that a good block very early in the game can really close up the board for all the players, including yourself, making it hard to establish a lead.
Lay down the blocks:
Blocking is as much a part of a good game strategy as getting a high score. A perfect example is this:
You have a good word you’ve been waiting to lay down, it’s the equivalent of a made hand in cards and the previous round has given you the opening to get it down. The trouble is it opens up the board and gives your opponent the chance to make a double word score or any kind of bonus. This is when a simple formula must be carried out in your head, and this basically equates to one thing – does the value of your word off-set positively against the potential value of the word your opponent can make on their next go.
To draw a parallel with poker, if you flop top-pair, you can check and allow them to see another card which potentially gives them a chance to outdraw you, or you can raise right then to get them out of the hand. Playing your top pair without a raise is the same as laying down a word which they can make more points off, they have no control over what hand you have but they can do better with their own given the chance. Reduce the options, reduce your opponents chancing of winning.
Often a game of Scrabble can be decided on a big word, a monster pot where one person goes all-in or in this case all-out to get the best score. This usually involves the monster letters, a Q or a Z, or if you can get Quiz: both. The trouble with these letters is that whilst most people enjoy seeing them, it’s easy to get far too attached to them.
Again, imagine you have pocket Aces in your hand pre-flop but you get called and the flop comes Jh Qh 10s and after another round of betting the turn comes 8h, your aces don’t look so good anymore. You’re coming up against a flush draw, a straight draw, a potential straight flush and it’s all very ugly. Sometimes you know you have to lay down a good hand and accept you couldn’t win. This principle applies completely to the use of high-value tiles in Scrabble. These letters should be used in the middle stages of the game. Throwing them out early if you get them is often useful but only if you can hit a triple letter or double word score. In the middle of the game the board has expanded and you have triple-word possibilities and the chance for a big game-winning score. However, once you get attached to that Q and you’re not catching the U to make the word or you can’t find a good spot to get it on the board, it’s time to let it go. This means changing letters and getting a 0 for the round. Once more you have the formula to consider. Laying down the Q is a loss at that point in the game, and a negative score compared to your opponent that round but a saving of 10 points at the end of the game. Keep an eye on the basics – how many Us are on the board, what you’re your chances of picking one up at random and how many words can you make with the letter. If it’s only one then chances are you won’t hit it, like staying in the pot after another bet just in case you catch your draw – it’s dangerous.
Being left with a big tile in your hand once the game is over is the worst way to lose a game as you watch your small lead reduced to second best just because you couldn’t bare to part with it. Throw it away when you see your options shrink and let it go.
Play the player, not just the tiles:
If you can distract your opponent then why not. This is a fully viable tactic in a game where 30 seconds more thinking time can make the difference between a good word and a bad word, and concentration can mean seperate the winner from the loser. Often the easiest way to distract someone is just to engage them in conversation during their turn, they won't be able to consider all the options and you should be in the money. Trash-talking when you have an established lead is considered bad etiquette but it can result in a moral victory before all the tiles are down - if your opponent gives up trying to make winning words then you've defeated them mentally and the last rounds can be much smoother.
Another way to distract someone is to lay down amusing or crass words. Whilst they're laughing, they're not thinking about the next round. You are.
Written by Ace.