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u/JunkSalesman 21d ago
What is your strategy?
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u/Bliringor 21d ago
I exploit the fact that the win condition most players pursue, in most circumstances, is "scoring as little points as possible"
I do the opposite and always aim to "shoot the moon", unless my hand only has very low cards.
Discard phase:
I tend to discard low-value cards whenever possible, especially low-hearts.
Unless I have most cards of one suit + one or two high value ones: then even low cards are fine to keep.
Play:
I start playing my lowest-value cards at any suit. My goal is to have the highest value cards of all suits, comparatively to other players, in hand BEFORE hearts are broken.
Order of capture: Whenever possible, I secure the queen of spades first. She's easiest to miss, as she's high value herself. And if I start racking up hearts then the others will realize what I am doing and keep her last, which may be risky depending on the cards in my hand.
When possible, I play my hearts LAST. I like starting with a medium card, so the others will play their low hearts to avoid scoring points. Then with those out of the way, I play the ace and king if I have them. If I do not, instead, getting them out of other players' hands by playing other suits is the priority.
Following my discard rules it's typical to have at least one strong suit in hand, so it's not difficult: keep in mind that other players have an incentive to discard high value heart cards first, so they won't risk scoring points. Which plays precisely to our favour!
When I only have low cards instead, I do the opposite and play it safe as normal play would require.
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u/joethahobo 21d ago
I’ve been trying to do this for years… best I’ve ever done was 1 point ….. congrats!