In the "How to Play" section, you can find the following:
CONVENTIONS
If people just play in a very basic way, meaning that they wait until they have received the colour and number to play each card, it is generally difficult to achieve a high score. Common sense, observation and combination of given information allow to visualize which card(s) should be played according to a single clue (thus saving precious clue-tokens and speeding up the game in order to reach a better score). However, many players have elaborated conventions in order to codify the sequence of actions and thus simplify the thinking process.
In the following section, colours are indicated by their first letter: R - Red, Y - Yellow, G - Green, B - Blue, W - White. For example, 2Y means the card with number 2 and colour yellow.
Most standard convention
In 4 words : Play left, discard right.
- When a clue designates several cards, it is generally the card furthest to the left that must be played.
Indeed, the new cards arriving from the left, a playable card already in hand would have been indicated earlier whereas it is more likely that one wants to play the freshly drawn. For example, if a player's hand is (1R, 4Y, 5B, 2Y, 2G), it is necessary and enough to give the clue 2 to make him play his 2Y.
In complicated situations where the card to be indicated is neither the leftmost of its color nor the leftmost of its number, two players must complement each other by giving one of the elements each, although this rarely happens. For example, if a player's hand is (1R, 4Y, 5B, 2G, 2Y), it is necessary to give him both the clue Yellow and the clue 2 to make him play his 2Y.
- When a player, having no clue to give nor a card to play, is about to discard, he must discard his card furthest to the right among those without a clue. (the chop).
Indeed, the new cards arrive from the left, the cards on the right are older, and therefore less likely to be used since the other players have had more time to say that they should be played if necessary.
This allows other players to anticipate which cards are about to be discarded and therefore protect them if necessary. So for example, when a 5 (card present in a single copy and therefore particularly valuable) arrives in a player's discard position, the others know that it risks being discarded and therefore give the clue 5 to be preserved ( saving clue ). It should be understood from the position of the card that it is thus to be preserved and not to be played, paying attention to the cards already discarded (last copy).
In complicated situations where all of our cards have a clue and therefore theoretically no card should be discarded (since cards with clue should not be discarded) and where it is impossible to play, it is preferable to give a clue, even if it is not very relevant.
Obviously, if a player has a card that he is sure he will never be able to play (for example a card on which he has a blue hint when the blue pile has already been completed), such card must be discarded in priority.
Advanced conventions
The 3 most classical advanced conventions are: finesse, bluff et reverse.
Finesse
- An example is more telling than a long speech: suppose it is player 1's turn and no card has yet been played, nor any clue given:
1) ? ? ? ?
2) 1B 5Y 3B 1W
3) 5R 2R 2B 2G
4) 4G 1Y 1R 3Y
If player 1 gives the blue clue to player 3, it clearly indicates his 2B, while the expected card is a 1B. This means that the card which fills the hole is somewhere upstream, in this case in the hand of player 2. The latter, seeing that indeed the 1B is missing, understands that it is a question of a "finesse" and plays his 1B according to the convention "play left, discard right".
If the 1B had been in any other position in Player 2's hand, he would have needed a prior clue to know which one. Thus he would have played the card furthest to the left among his corresponding marked cards (in this case a 1 card or a blue card if the 1B and the 5Y had been reversed).
Player 3 then only has to play his 2B: two cards have been played thanks to a single clue.
- In situations like the following :
1) ? ? ? ?
2) 1B 5Y 3B 3W
3) 4G 1Y 1R 3Y
4) 5R 2R 2B 2G
where player 1 gives a clue blue to player 4, this can point to either player 2 and 3. To find out which one is designated, each looks at the other's cards. In this case, player 2 sees that finesse cannot be addressed to player 3 since he has a 4G card on the far left and not a 1B. Player 2 therefore plays his own card.
Bluff
Bluff looks like a finesse , except that the player who plays his card is in a way "trapped": he does not play the card he expects from ' 'finesse'.
An example speaks louder than a long speech: suppose it's player 1's turn and no card has yet been played, nor any clue given:
1) ? ? ? ?
2) 1W 5Y 3B 3W
3) 5R 2R 2B 2G
4) 4G 1Y 1R 3Y
If player 1 gives the blue clue to player 3, it clearly indicates his 2B, while the expected card is a 1B. As before, player 2 then assumes that his leftmost card is a 1B. So he plays it. Surprise, it's a 1W! Player 3 then understands that it is a bluff and DOES NOT PLAY his blue card. However, he knows that it is a 2, and keeps it for later, when he can play it.
Unlike "finesse", to avoid any ambiguity, it is better to "bluff" only on the person who follows us immediately in the turn order.
Reverse
Reverse looks like finesse , except that the player given the clue is located before the one with the card that fills the gap.
This convention is riskier because it is sometimes possible that the player to whom the hint is given does not realize that it is a reverse and plays his card.
An example speaks louder than a long speech: suppose it's player 1's turn and no card has yet been played, nor any clue given:
1) ? ? ? ?
2) 5R 2R 2B 2G
3) 1B 5Y 3B 3W
4) 4G 1Y 1R 3Y
If player 1 gives the blue clue to player 2, it clearly tells him his 2B, while the expected card is a 1B. He might think that it is indeed a 1B, but he sees a 1B in question in Player 3's hand and therefore plays something else (for example, he gives the clue to Player 4). Player 3, as before, seeing that the reverse cannot be addressed to player 4, plays his 1B. In the next turn, player 2 can play his 2B.
Off discard
It happens that in his turn a player no longer has a clue token and that a card must absolutely be played, it is then possible for him to discard another card than his card furthest to the right. This move tells the next player to play the card in the same position as the one that was discarded.
Example: it's player 1's turn, there are no more clue tokens, a 1B has already been played and a 2B card has already been discarded (in bold the clues known by the players):
1) a? b? c? d? e?
2) 4Y 5R 2R 2B 2G
3) 2G 1B 5Y 3B 3W
Player 1 discards card d? instead of the e? card. This indicates to the player that he must play his card in the same position (therefore 2B), which avoids losing it and thus condemning the blue pile.
This movement is risky because the discarded card can be important or even blocking for the rest of the game. This movement should therefore only be used if there is no other solution. It is up to the other players to make sure, before leaving a player without a clue token, that the card he could discard to give this clue is not essential for the rest of the game.
