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This guide is for strategy tips: How to interpret clues, how to give clues, how to decide to play, discard or clue. Click [http://en.doc.boardgamearena.com/Gamehelphanabi here] for the introduction to the game.
Refer to '''[https://en.doc.boardgamearena.com/Gamehelphanabi#Definitions Game Help Definitions]'''


== General ==
== Thinking ==
On BGA, there is no 1-strategy-to-be-played. However, if people start playing different strategies in 1 game, the game is doomed to fail. That is why communication in advance is very important, and why most hanabi-players get a lot of red thumbs. (Different strategy is interpreted as ruining the game.)


* Check visible cards, including played and discarded to determine the focus and the meaning of a clue.
** e.g. you are given a '''2''' clue. You see {{Hr|2}} was played and the second {{Hr|2}} is in another hand. Therefore the clue means "'''2'''s which are not red".
** e.g. you are given a '''4''' clue that marks only your chop. You see no '''4'''s have been discarded and no '''4'''s on the chop of the players next to you. Therefore the clue means "this '''4''' is playable".


== Basics ==
== Cluing ==


The basic game, plays with 50 cards: 10 for each colour. If you want to get the maximum score of 25 points, you need to play 25 cards. Some of the cards are left in the players hands at the end of the game. Depending on the number of players, this will be 8, 12, 12, or 15 (for 2p, 3p, 4p, and 5p respectively). This means in the entire game, there are 17, 13, or 10 cards that can be discarded for clues. You also get 8 clue tokens at the start, making the total number of clues in the entire game 25, 21, or 18. This gives the logical conclusion that you can not clue the colour AND number for every card in your hand, because there are simply not enough clues.
* '''Don't mark trash cards''' (a.k.a. "good touch" rule).
* Save unique cards as the first priority.
** Look ahead for unique cards on chop. ''Sometimes more than one player must help to save consecutive unique cards.''
* With few {{Hclue}}, work out which players need them.
* Consider how the receiver can interpret your clue.


It is therefore paramount, that only useful cards are clued. If you mark a card that you know will not be played, it will cost another clue (-1) to make your team mate discard that card to gain a clue (+1), which is a net result of 0. If the card is not marked, your team mate will discard it eventually to gain a clue (+1), which is a net result of +1.
== Discarding ==


* Trust your teammates to manage your cards.
* When there is nothing urgent to clue, don't be afraid to discard! Discarding is often the best move for the team.


This leads to '''Basic Rule #1''' (cluing).
== Playing ==


Every card that is marked, is either
* When multiple cards are marked, determine the focused card. ''Each clue only has one focused card.''
    a) (a) useful card(s) to be saved (interpret it as PLAY LATER), or
* Logically playable cards are marked at the earliest opportunity, so the leftmost card is assumed to be the focus of play clues ''(where no other cards are known to be playable)''.
    b) a useful card to be played (interpret it as PLAY NOW).


Most hanabi-players on BGA play by this main rule. So when a clue is given, ask yourself "Is this clue to save something"? If not, it is to get played.
== Triggering the final round ==
Saving cards is important because there are only 2 cards of value 2, 3, and 4 in each suit, and only 1 card of value 5. To not get stuck on that colour it is urgent to keep the last copy of a card safe (prevent from discarding it).


* Sometimes a specific player should draw the last card to maximise the score.
* Giving empty clues (e.g. "you have no red card") can help to manage which player draws last card.


The game interface puts every new card you draw, on the left-hand side of your hand. This means, the left-most card is the newest card, which makes your right-most card automatically the oldest. If a card has been in your hand for a long time, and you have not been given a clue that marks it, it is logical that it is a useless card and safe to discard.
{{infoBox |maxWidth=650
|title=Last card example
|body='''{{HDeck|1}}''' {{Hr|5}} {{Hy|5}} {{Hg|3}} {{Hb|4}} {{Hw|5}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|3}}{{Hy|1}}{{Hg|1}}{{Hb|5|n=|c=}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hg|2}}{{Hr|1}}{{Hg|4|n=|c=}}{{Hg|5|n=|c=}} |Cathy 🡲}}


* Alice and Bob both give empty clues ''e.g. "to Cathy: you have no white card"''.
* Cathy plays {{Hg|4}} and draws the last card.
* Alice discards, Bob plays {{Hb|5}} and Cathy plays {{Hg|5}}.
}}


Hence, '''Basic Rule #2''' (discarding).
== Skip ==
    '''Discard first what you know is useless (like a clued 1 when all 1s are already played). After that: discard your oldest (right-most) unclued card.'''


Note, that this rule is already a bit tricky. At the start of the game, every card can be considered equally old. This is where personal preference of players starts to matter.
* When a player gives a clue that could have been given by one of the skipped players, it means '''the skipped players have a better move than to give the clue that was used to skip'''.
* Skipping should be avoided unless there is a good reason.


Another result from the newest --> oldest order, is the interpretation of multiple marked cards. When you get a clue that marks multiple cards, and you can identify it is in fact a clue for play (see Basic Rule 1), you should play the newest (left-most) card. If an older card was "the playable card", it would probably be clued earlier. The logical conclusion must be, that the newest card, was the card you all have been waiting for, and you happened to draw it.
{{infoBox |maxWidth=650
|title=A bad skip / steal
|body=​
* Alice skips Bob to clue Cathy red.
{{Hr}} {{Hy|3}} {{Hg|3}} {{Hb|3}} {{Hw|3}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|2}}{{Hy|1}}{{Hw|1}}{{Hb|3}} |Alice 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hb|1}}{{Hy|5}}{{Hw|5}}{{Hb|4}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|1|c=}}{{Hw|4}}{{Hw|4}}{{Hw|3}} |Cathy 🡲}}


* If Alice discarded instead, Bob would have clued Alice red to finesse {{Hr|1}} and {{Hr|2}}.
}}


'''Basic Rule #3''' (playing).
Potential reasons for skipping players:
    '''Play the newer (left-most) clued card'''
* Clue-giver is '''locked''' ''i.e. all cards are marked without any immediate plays.''
* Gain tempo to '''play''' ''e.g. skipped player(s) all have playable cards.''
* Gain tempo to '''clue''' ''e.g. skipped player(s) must give a fix clue.''
* Avoid a bad '''clue''' ''e.g. mark cards with good touch.''
* Ensure a good '''clue''' ''e.g. mark cards with good touch.''
* Cause a '''discard''' ''e.g. of a playable card so that its copy can be marked with good touch, or of trash.''
* Avoid a '''discard''' ''e.g. a double discard, or of nice-to-have (non-unique) cards.''


So most people on BGA expect you to ONLY play the clued card on the left. The rest of the cards are just to be kept on your hand. Beware that there are different approaches and not all players play by this convention.
{{infoBoxes |maxWidth=650
|title1=A good skip example 1
|body1={{Hr|1}} {{Hy|1}} {{Hg|1}} {{Hb|1}} {{Hw|1}}
{{cardholder|{{Hw|1}}{{Hy|2|n=}}{{Hw|2|n=}}{{Hr|2|n=}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hw|2}}{{Hr|1}}{{Hb|2}}{{Hg|1}} |Cathy 🡲}}


* Alice skips Bob to give Cathy a blue clue so that a duplicate {{Hw|2}} is not marked.


== Basic Example ==
|title2=A good skip example 2
|body2={{Hr|1}} {{Hy|1}} {{Hg|1}} {{Hb|1}} {{Hw|1}}
{{cardholder|{{Hw|1}}{{Hy|2|n=}}{{Hw|2|n=}}{{Hr|2|n=}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hy|4}}{{Hw|2}}{{Hr|1}}{{Hb|2}} |Cathy 🡲}}


Imagine the following starting situation:
* Alice skips Bob to give Cathy a blue clue because Bob has let let {{Hb|2}} reach chop and does not want to mark it because he might hold a copy.
            (oldest ... newest)
}}
  Player 1:  W1, Y1, B2, Y2, B2
  Player 2:  G1, G1, W3, Y2, B1
  Player 3:  B1, R4, W4, R3, G3


P1 can clue 1s to P2. But that will mark both G1's, so it's not the best option. Better is for P1 to clue P3 1s, or blue. (If BLUE-clue is given, then P3 will not worry about the B1 in P2's hand that is about to be discarded. Both 1-clue or BLUE-clue only mark 1 card, so give equal information about the other cards in P3's hand.)
=== Additional interpretation ===


P2 will clue 1s to P1. He knows that P3 prefers to play his 1. And P2 is the only person who can see that the 1s in both P1's hand, and P3's hand are different.
An additional finesse convention is that skipped player(s) cannot discard.
* i.e. Alice can clue Cathy only if Bob has a play or should give another clue.
* If a skipped player has no marked playable cards and no good clue to give, they can blind play their newest, unmarked card.
* A clue-giver who causes unmarked play(s) purely from a skip is responsible for any misinterpretation.


Everyone will have to wait for B2 to be discarded, before the second B2 can be clued. Everyone will also have to wait for G1 to be discarded, before the second G1 can be clued. Alternatively, when R1 is drawn and clued, then both G1's may be clued, since all 1's will be played and all cards marked 1 can be safely discarded.
{{infoBoxes3 |maxWidth=650
|title1=Example 1: unambiguous skip play
|body1=​
* Alice skips Bob to give Cathy a '''1''' clue.


So, the first four moves are:
{{Hr}} {{Hy}} {{Hg}} {{Hb}} {{Hw}}
{{cardholder|{{Hy|1}}{{Hy|2}}{{Hw|2}}{{Hr|2}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hw|2}}{{Hr|1|n=}}{{Hb|2}}{{Hr|4}} |Cathy 🡲}}


1. P1 clues BLUE to P3 (7 clues).
* Bob has no clue to give and no known play, so he '''blind plays his newest unmarked card'''.
* {{Hy|1}} does not connect to '''1''', so Cathy interprets Bob's move as a skip play and plays {{Hr|1}}.


2. P2 clues 1 to P1 (6 clues).
|title2=Example 2: bluff
|body2=​
* Alice to Cathy: this card is red.


3. P3 plays B1 and draws R1.
{{Hr|1}} {{Hy|1}} {{Hg|1}} {{Hb}} {{Hw}}
{{cardholder|{{Hb|1}}{{Hy|2}}{{Hw|2}}{{Hr|2}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hy|4}}{{Hr|3|c=}}{{Hw|3}}{{Hb|2}} |Cathy 🡲}}


4. P1 plays W1 and draws G4.
* Cathy now knows her marked card {{Hr|3}} is playable.
* Bob does not see the connecting {{Hr|2}}, so assumes he has to play it now.
* Bob does not have a marked card that could be {{Hr|2}}, so Bob '''blind plays his newest unmarked card'''.
* {{Hb|1}} successfully plays and the bluff is revealed.
* Before Bob played, Cathy thought her marked card was {{Hr|2}}.
* After Bob plays, Cathy knows her marked card is any valuable red ({{Hr|3}}, {{Hr|4}} or {{Hr|5}}).


The game now looks like this, with P2 to move:
|title3=Example 3: lie
            (newest ... oldest)
|body3=​
  Player 1:  G4, Y(1), B2, Y2, B2                  Played: R0, Y0, G0, B1, W1
* Alice skips Bob to give Cathy a '''3''' clue.
  Player 2:  G1, G1, W3, Y2, B1
  Player 3:  R1, R4, W4, R3, G3                    Discarded: -


5. P2 clues RED to P3.
{{Hr|2}} {{Hy}} {{Hg}} {{Hb}} {{Hw}}
{{cardholder|{{Hy|1}}{{Hy|2}}{{Hw|2}}{{Hr|2}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hw|2}}{{Hr|3|n=}}{{Hb|2}}{{Hr|4}} |Cathy 🡲}}


There are two possible continuations from here.
* Bob has no clue to give and no known play, so he '''blind plays his newest unmarked card'''.
'''Option 1'''
* In this convention, {{Hy|1}} does not connect to '''3''', so Cathy interprets as a bluff and her '''3''' is not playable.
* This is a lie because {{Hr|3}} is playable.
* Instead, Alice should have discarded and allowed Bob to clue Cathy so that she knows her {{Hr|3}} is playable.
}}


6. P3 plays R1 and draws Y5.
== 2 Player strategy ==


7. P1 plays Y1 and draws Y3.
==== <span style="color:{{r}};font:700 larger cursive;">Basic</span> ====


8. P2 discards B1 and draws G2 (7 clues).
# Marked cards are not discarded.
# Unique cards are saved.
# Saves are given as late as possible.
# Play clue focus is the leftmost card.
# All known playable cards are played before discarding ''(including '''5'''s with flamboyants)''.
# Marked trash cards are corrected.


9. P3 clues 1 to P2 (6 clues).
==== ''<span style="color:{{g}};font:700 larger cursive;">Intermediate</span>'' ====


10. P1 discards B2 and draws R4 (7 clues).
# Playable first copies are clued.
# Playable cards marked with both colour and number will play first.
# Last {{Hclue|1}} is only used to mark a unique or playable chop.
# Off-chop saves for consecutive unique cards.
# Double discards can be avoided with a stall clue.
#* empty clue
#* splash that marks no new cards
# Cards are played in clued order.
# Plays that lead to other plays are prioritised.
# Lower ranked cards are prioritised.
# Unique cards are splashed.
# Black Powder: {{Hk|1}} is only marked on chop unless all other '''1'''s (or {{Hk|2}}) are already played.


11. P2 plays G1 and draws B5.
==== ''<span style="color:{{m}};font:700 larger cursive;">Advanced</span>'' ====


12. P3 clues 2 to P2 (6 clues).
# Number clues that mark a non-unique chop are play clues.
#* e.g. with no '''3'''s discarded, play the left '''3'''.
# Black Powder: '''5'''s are marked with a playable {{Hk|5}} on chop. In a following turn the '''5''' to the left of {{Hk|5}} is marked with colour to play {{Hk|5}}.
# Before playing, a connecting card on chop can be marked.
# Flamboyants: consider not locking a hand with a 5 save.
# Avalanche: any card can be multicolor.
#* i.e. wait for negative multicolor on a {{Hr|5}} before playing as {{Hr|5}}.
# Scream discard = save the chop card (and move chop one slot to the left).
# 1-away from playable cards are splashed.
# Trash cards are discarded before being splashed.
# Already-marked trash cards are splashed.
# An early game '''4''' may be discarded.
# Black Powder: avoid discarding after an early game {{Hk|1}} or 5 save.
#* To allow consecutive {{Hk|1}} and colour 5 saves.


And the game will look like this, with P1 to move:
=== Early game ===
            (newest ... oldest)
  Player 1:  R4, Y3, G4, B(2), Y(2)                Played: R1, Y1, G1, B1, W1
  Player 2:  G2, G(1), G(1), W3, Y2
  Player 3:  Y5, (R)4, W4, (R)3, G3                Discarded: B1, B2


'''Option 2'''
# At least {{Hclue|3}} are used before the first discard.
# Black Powder: {{Hk|5}} is marked first if it is the leftmost '''5'''.
# '''2'''s are marked next.
#* Black Powder: {{Hk|4}} is marked if there are no other '''4'''s.
# '''1'''s are marked next.
#* With multiple marked unknown '''1'''s in your hand, consider first playing your '''1'''s or marking '''1'''s individually with colour.


6. P3 clues 1 to P2 (5 clues). This move delays him playing the R1, but will make P2 more confident in discarding since he knows all the useless 1s.
=== Alternative strategy ===


7. P1 plays Y1 and draws Y5.
# '''Any card may be saved''', including non-unique cards.
# Cards marked with a number are only splashed with colour:
## If a previously unmarked card is playable.
## As a stall clue.


8. P2 plays G1 and draws Y3.
{{infoBoxes3
|title1=Clued misplay example
|body1={{Hr|1}} {{Hy|3}} {{Hg|3}} {{Hb|3}} {{Hw|3}}
{{cardholder|{{Hb|1}}{{Hr|1}}{{Hb|2}}{{Hr|4}}{{Hr|5}} |Bob 🡲}}
Discarded: {{Hr|4}}


9. P3 plays R1 and draws G2.
* There are no misfires.
* Alice needs to save {{Hr|5}} and {{Hr|4}}.
* Alice to Bob: these 3 cards are red.


10. P1 discards B2 and draws R4 (6 clues).
{{Hr|1}} {{Hy|3}} {{Hg|3}} {{Hb|3}} {{Hw|3}}
{{cardholder|{{Hb|1}}{{Hr|1|c=}}{{Hb|2}}{{Hr|4|c=}}{{Hr|5|c=}} |Bob 🡲}}
Discarded: {{Hr|4}}


11. P2 discards B1 and draws B5 (7 clues).
* Bob misfires {{Hr|1}} as {{Hr|2}}.
* Bob interprets this as a clued misplay to save the remaining red cards.


12. P3 clues 2 to P2 (6 clues).
|title2=Scream discard example
|body2={{Hr|1}} {{Hy|4}} {{Hg|2}} {{Hb|2}} {{Hw|2}}
{{cardholder|{{HBack}}{{HBack}}{{HBack}}{{HBack}}{{HBack|5|{{y}}|n=|c=}} |Alice 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hy|1}}{{Hg|5}}{{Hb|5}}{{Hw|5|n=}}{{Hr|5|n=}} |Bob 🡲}}


And the game will look like this, with P1 to move:
* There are {{Hclue|0}} but Alice needs to save {{Hb|5}} ''and'' {{Hg|5}}.
            (newest ... oldest)
* Alice discards her chop + 1 = 3rd slot while she has {{Hy|5}} to play.
  Player 1:  R4, Y5, G4, B(2), Y(2)                Played: R1, Y1, G1, B1, W1
* Bob expected Alice to play their known playable card.
  Player 2:  Y3, G(1), W3, Y2, B(1)
* Bob knows Alice could have discarded her chop to save his chop.
  Player 3:  G2, (R)4, W4, (R)3, G3                Discarded: B2, B1
* Bob interprets Alice's move as moving his chop two places from his 3rd slot to 1st slot.
* Bob now has two unmarked unique cards saved and discards {{Hy|1}}.


Both options are equally valid. They end up in the same situation, with only the cards in hands being in a different order. Since the cards are picked at random, there is no valid reason to say one option is better than the other.
|title3=Positional misplay example
|body3={{Hr|1}} {{Hy|3}} {{Hg|3}} {{Hb|3}} {{Hw|3}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|1}}{{Hr|2}}{{Hr|3|n=|c=}}{{Hr|4|n=|c=}}{{Hr|5|n=|c=}} |Bob 🡲}}


In both options, the 2-clue is given to P1, to mark both 2s as playable. Since all 1s are played, all 2s will be playable.
* There are {{Hclue|0}} and no misfires.
Note that, in this game, two 1s where marked with one clue (and played); and two 2s were marked with one clue (and will be played). As stated in the beginning, there are a total of 21 clues (in this variant) to mark 25 cards. At this point in the game, there are 16 clues left to mark 18 cards. With only two more "efficient" clues, the game can end with a perfect score.
* Alice really wants {{Hr|2}} to play so that Bob can play all his marked cards.
* Alice blind plays her second slot and causes a misfire.
* Bob interprets this as a clue for him to play the same position in his hand.
}}


== Advanced Moves ==
{{infoBoxes
|title1=Splash correction example
|body1={{Hr|3}} {{Hy|2}} {{Hg|2}} {{Hb|2}} {{Hw|2}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|4}}{{Hr|3|n=}}{{Hw|3|n=}}{{Hb|3|n=}}{{Hb|5|n=}} |Bob 🡲}}


''Intentional Discard''
* Alice to Bob: these 2 cards are red.


Sometimes players can have hands where all cards are important and unplayable. To tell a player that his hand blocked, discard your '''CHOP''' card, even when you know you have a playable card. This is often done when you are low on (or out of) clue-tokens. This is a risky move, since your team mate(s) might expect you to play, instead of discard. ('''always try to give him clue to give and play his hand as fast as it possible''')
{{Hr|3}} {{Hy|2}} {{Hg|2}} {{Hb|2}} {{Hw|2}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|4|c=}}{{Hr|3|n=|c=}}{{Hw|3|n=}}{{Hb|3|n=}}{{Hb|5|n=}} |Bob 🡲}}


* This marks {{Hr|4}} as playable and splashes {{Hr|3}} so that Bob knows it is trash.


''Positional Discard'' (endgame)
|title2=Self prompt example
|body2={{Hr}} {{Hy}} {{Hg}} {{Hb}} {{Hw}}
{{cardholder|{{HBack}}{{HBack}}{{HBack}}{{HBack}}{{HBack|1|{{r}}|c=}} |Alice 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hw|4}}{{Hy|4}}{{Hg|4}}{{Hg|4}}{{Hr|2|c=}} |Bob 🡲}}


Sometimes in (usually during the last turns) you will have no useful cards to play. You want to give a clue, but you have no remaining clue-tokens. In this case, you can discard the card in the same position as the card that you want that player to play.
* Bob to Alice: this card is red ⇨ {{Hr|1}}
* Alice to Bob: this card is red ⇨ {{Hr|2}}
}}


<code>
== Advanced moves ==
Example Positional Discard


All players have agreed on the convention that a colour-clue means PLAY the left-most marked card.
=== Discard clue ===


            (newest ... oldest)
* A discard clue marks known trash cards to prevent an unwanted discard (or misfire).
  Player 1:  XX, XX, XX, XX, XX                  Played: R5, Y5, G4, B5, W5
  Player 2:  ??, ??, ??, ??, ?3
  Player 3:  G5, B2, R4, B3, W1                  Discarded: -
</code>
In this example, when there are no clue-tokens left, Player 2 can discard his DRAW, to indicate to Player 3 the position of the last remaining playable card.


{{infoBox |maxWidth=650
|title=Discard clue example
|body={{Hr|1}} {{Hy|1}} {{Hg|1}} {{Hb|1}} {{Hw|1}}
{{cardholder|{{Hw|1}}{{Hr|1}}{{Hw|4}}{{Hy|3}} |Bob 🡲}}
Discarded: {{Hy|3}}{{Hw|4}}


''Hint to Discard''
* {{Hy|3}} and {{Hw|4}} need to be saved.
* If Alice gives a '''3''' clue, {{Hw|4}} might be discarded.
* Alice gives a '''1''' clue so that Bob discards {{Hr|1}} and {{Hw|1}} before his chop card.
}}


You can hint to a player to discard specific cards in order to save multiple cards, to to save cards without causing a confusion about finesse/reverse.
=== Play refusal ===


<code>
* Instead of playing, a player clues or discards their '''chop'''.
Example Hint to Discard
* The next player must consider if the play refusal is waiting for a potential reverse or if there are unique card(s) to save.
In this example, all 1s have been played already. Both the Y3 and the G4 need to be saved.


  Player 1: G1, R1, B4, Y3, G4
=== Positional Discard ===
</code>
If Player 1 is given a 4-clue, the G4 will be saved, but the Y3 will be the new CHOP card. One option to save both Y3, and G4 is to give Player 1, a 1-clue. This would make the R1 the new CHOP card, and the G1 will be the next CHOP card.


* In the endgame when you can see all remaining playable cards, you can use a positional discard to communicate the slot position in another hand.
* Typically used with {{Hclue|0}} or where trash cards make it awkward to clue the target.


'' Double Save''
{{infoBox |maxWidth=650
|title=Positional discard example
|body={{Hr|5}} {{Hy|5}} {{Hg|4}} {{Hb|5}} {{Hw|5}}
{{cardholder|{{Hg|5}}{{Hb|2}}{{Hr|4}}{{Hb|3}} |Bob 🡲}}


This is an alternative solution if you are low on clue-tokens, or don't have enough players to execute multiple saves in a row.
* Alice discards '''slot 1'''
* Bob plays '''slot 1''' ⇨ {{Hg|5}}
}}


<code>
=== Long finesse ===
Example Double Save
In this example, W1 has not been played yet. Both the Y3 and the G4 need to be saved.


  Player 1: G1, R1, B4, Y3, G4
{{infoBox |maxWidth=650
</code>
|title=Long finesse example
This situation is similar as the Hint to Discard. However, in this situation a 1-clue will be interpreted as PLAY G1 (which isn't playable). To save both Y3 and G4, a blue-clue can be given to Player 1. This will cause him to BOMB on B4 (which isn't playable). But this tells him that all the cards RIGHT of the B4 needed to be saved. Note that this is a desperate measure, because it costs 2 clue-tokens (1 for the blue-clue and 1 for the BOMB card that should have been discarded) for 2 saves, but gives you no information about the saved cards.
|body=&ZeroWidthSpace;
* Alice to Bob: this card is a 4.


----
{{Hr|1}} {{Hy|1}} {{Hg|1}} {{Hb}} {{Hw}}
{{cardholder|{{Hw|1}}{{Hw|2}}{{Hw|4|n=}}{{Hg|1}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hw|3}}{{Hb|1}}{{Hg|1}}{{Hy|1}} |Cathy 🡲}}


'''2P GAMES'''<br>
* Bob has been given a play clue and does not see a playable card in any hand, so Bob blind plays his draw card.
With 2 players, you are limited in your options. Therefore the gameplay is different from 3+P games.
* {{Hw|1}} successfully plays.
* Cathy sees that Bob has {{Hw|2}} in front of {{Hw|4}} but {{Hw|3}} is missing, so Cathy knows she must play {{Hw|3}} at the correct moment.
* Cathy discards, Alice discards and Bob blind plays his 2nd slot {{Hw|2}}.


----
{{Hr|1}} {{Hy|1}} {{Hg|1}} {{Hb}} {{Hw|2}}
{{cardholder|{{Hb|5}}{{Hy|1}}{{Hw|4|n=}}{{Hg|1}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hy|2}}{{Hw|3}}{{Hb|1}}{{Hg|1}} |Cathy 🡲}}


'''3+P GAMES'''<br>
* Cathy blind plays her 2nd slot {{Hw|3}}.
''Prompt''<br>
* Alice discards and Bob plays the marked {{Hw|4}}.
A prompt can clarify (an) already marked card(s) to be played as well as mark the next card to play.
}}


<code>
=== Layered finesse ===
Example Prompt


All players have agreed on the convention that a colour-clue means PLAY the left-most marked card.
{{infoBox |maxWidth=650
|title=Layered finesse example
|body=&ZeroWidthSpace;
* Alice to Bob: these 2 cards are blue.


            (newest ... oldest)
{{Hr|1}} {{Hy|1}} {{Hg|1}} {{Hb}} {{Hw|4}}
  Player 1:  XX, XX, XX, XX, XX                  Played: R0, Y1, G0, B2, W0
{{cardholder|{{Hb|2|c=}}{{Hb|5|c=}}{{Hy|1}}{{Hg|1}} |Bob 🡲}}
  Player 2:  ??, ??, ??, ?2, ?5
{{cardholder|{{Hr|2}}{{Hy|2}}{{Hb|1}}{{Hg|1}} |Cathy 🡲}}
  Player 3:  Y3, G5, R4, B3, W1                  Discarded: -
</code>


Player 1 give a yellow-clue to Player 3, marking Y3 as PLAY. Player 2 sees that the Y3 is ALMOST playable. This means that Player 2 has the LOGICAL in-between step: Player 2 has to play Y2. In this case, the Y2 is not on the DRAW card. The logical place for that card is the already marked 2. So Player 2 can assume that his card between the CHOP and the 5 is the Y2.
* Bob sees a playable {{Hb|1}} in Cathy's hand, layered behind other playable cards {{Hr|2}} and {{Hy|2}}.
* Bob discards and Cathy blind plays for {{Hb|1}}. {{Hr|2}} successfully plays.
* Cathy knows this cannot be a bluff because Bob would not discard unless he sees a playable {{Hb|1}} in Cathy's hand.
* So Cathy knows she is promised {{Hb|1}} and keeps playing each slot from left to right until her {{Hb|1}} is played.
}}


''Finesse''<br>
=== Trash bluff ===
This advanced move, can get you 2 cards into play, with only 1 clue-token. You do this, by marking an ALMOST playable card as playable. Someone else will have to play the LOGICAL in-between step, to make the card genuinely playable.


<code>
{{infoBox |maxWidth=650
Example Finesse
|title=Trash bluff example
|body=&ZeroWidthSpace;
* Alice to Cathy: this card is a '''1'''.


All players have agreed on the convention that a colour-clue means PLAY the left-most marked card.
{{Hr|1}} {{Hy|1}} {{Hg|1}} {{Hb|1}} {{Hw}}
{{cardholder|{{Hb|2}}{{Hy|4}}{{Hg|4}}{{Hr|4}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|1|n=}}{{Hw|2}}{{Hr|2}}{{Hy|5}} |Cathy 🡲}}


            (newest ... oldest)
* Bob must act now to prevent a misfire of {{Hr|1}}.
  Player 1:  XX, XX, XX, XX, XX                  Played: R0, Y0, G0, B0, W0
* Bob blind plays {{Hb|2}}.
  Player 2:  ??, ??, ??, ??, ?5
* Cathy knows Bob would not blind play for a playable '''1''', so Cathy now knows that her '''1''' is trash and this was a ''trash bluff''.
  Player 3:  G5, B2, R4, B3, W1                  Discarded: -
}}
</code>


Player 1 gives a blue-clue to Player 3, marking B2 as PLAY, and B3 as SAVE. Player 2 sees that the B2 is ALMOST playable. This means that Player 2 has the LOGICAL inbetween step: Player 2 has to play B1. The only logical place for that card is at the '''LEFT-MOST POSITION''' so Player 2 can assume that the '''DRAW''' card is the playable B1. If it was somewhere else in your hand, the card would have been clued earlier. '''Note: for the in-between player, a prompt always has priority over a finesse; if a player has a marked card that can be the in-between card, they should play it.'''
=== Finesse bluff ===


''Bluff''<br>
* If the following two players both have a playable finesse position, you may be able to perform a finesse bluff.
This works the same as finesse. Only this time, the LOGICAL inbetween step, is a different playable card, so the player is tricked. It is slightly less strong that finesse, because it gives 1 play + 1 save for 1 clue-token.
* The first blind play connects to the target.
* The second blind play does not connect to the target.


<code>
{{infoBox |maxWidth=650
Example Bluff
|title=Finesse bluff example
|body=&ZeroWidthSpace;
* Alice to Donald: this card is white.


All players have agreed on the convention that a colour-clue means PLAY the left-most marked card.
{{Hr}} {{Hy}} {{Hg}} {{Hb}} {{Hw}}
{{cardholder|{{Hw|1}}{{Hy|4}}{{Hg|4}}{{Hb|4}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|1}}{{Hw|4}}{{Hg|4}}{{Hg|3}} |Cathy 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|4}}{{Hw|3|c=}}{{Hy|3}}{{Hb|2}} |Donald 🡲}}


            (newest ... oldest)
* Bob blind plays {{Hw|1}}.
  Player 1:  XX, XX, XX, XX, XX                  Played: R0, Y0, G0, B0, W0
* Donald now thinks his white card is {{Hw|2}}.
  Player 2:  W1, B2, R4, B3, G5
* Cathy must act now to prevent a misfire of {{Hw|3}}.
  Player 3:  ??, ??, ??, ??, R?                  Discarded: -
* Cathy blind plays {{Hr|1}}.
</code>
* With two blind plays, Donald now knows his white is {{Hw|3}} and this was a ''finesse bluff''.
}}


Player 1 gives a red-clue to Player 3, marking it as PLAY. Player 2 sees that the R2 is ALMOST playable, so applies finesse logic and plays his DRAW card. Much to Player 2's surprise, he has not played R1, but W1 (which was also playable). Because Player 3 saw Player 2 playing his DRAW, which was a different colour than the clue he received, Player 3 knows it was a bluffed finesse situation. He concludes that his red card is R2, and saves it for later.
=== Double bluff ===


''Reverse''<br>
* If the following two players both have a playable finesse position, you may be able to perform a double bluff.
This works the same as finesse. Only this time, the LOGICAL inbetween step, is a different players hand. This also gets 2 plays for 1 clue-token, but takes longer than a normal finesse.


<code>
{{infoBox |maxWidth=700
Example Reverse
|title=Double bluff example
|body=&ZeroWidthSpace;
* Alice can bluff Bob's {{Hw|1}} with a blue clue to Donald.
* '''Instead''': Alice to Donald: this card is a 2.


All players have agreed on the convention that a colour-clue means PLAY the left-most marked card.
{{Hr}} {{Hy}} {{Hg}} {{Hb}} {{Hw}}
{{cardholder|{{Hw|1}}{{Hy|4}}{{Hg|4}}{{Hb|4}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|1}}{{Hw|4}}{{Hg|4}}{{Hg|3}} |Cathy 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|3}}{{Hw|3}}{{Hy|3}}{{Hb|2|n=}} |Donald 🡲}}


            (newest ... oldest)
* Bob blind plays {{Hw|1}}
  Player 1:  XX, XX, XX, XX, XX                  Played: R0, Y0, G0, B0, W0
* Without colour, Donald thinks his '''2''' is {{Hw|2}}.
  Player 2:  ??, ??, W?, ??, ??
* Cathy must act now to prevent a misfire of {{Hb|2}}.
  Player 3:  W1, B2, R4, B3, G5                  Discarded: -
* Cathy blind plays {{Hr|1}}.
</code>
* With two blind plays, Donald now knows his '''2''' is not {{Hw|2}} or {{Hr|2}} and this was a ''double bluff''.
}}


Player 1 gives a white-clue to Player 2, marking it as PLAY. However, Player 2 sees that the DRAW card of Player 3 is a playable card of the same colour. Therefore, Player 2 assumes that it is (reversed) finesse, and that his white is ALMOST playable. Player 2 decides to discard his CHOP. Player 3 recognises the (reversed) finesse play, and plays his DRAW card to play the W1.
=== Promise bluff ===


'''This move only applies to 1-away-from-playable bluff interpretations.'''
* Promise bluffs give more information than regular bluffs, as they ''promise'' the necessary connecting cards to make the clued bluff target 1-away-from-playable. These connecting cards must be either marked or unmarked in finesse position.


''Having the optimal player draw the last card (endgame)''
{{infoBox |maxWidth=650
|title=Promise bluff example
|body=&ZeroWidthSpace;
* Alice to Cathy: this card is white.


At the end of the game, the person who draws the last card (which happens either by playing or discarding) triggers the end of the game. After the last card is drawn, each player receives exactly one more turn. Sometimes near the end of the game you will want a specific player to play or discard in order to get the last turn. Giving an unusable clue can prevent a player from drawing the last card and begin the last round.
{{Hr|1}} {{Hy|1}} {{Hg|1}} {{Hb|1}} {{Hw|1}}
{{cardholder|{{Hb|2}}{{Hw|3}}{{Hg|4}}{{Hr|4}} |Bob 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hr|1}}{{Hw|4|c=}}{{Hr|2}}{{Hy|5}} |Cathy 🡲}}


<code>
* Bob must act now to prevent a misfire of {{Hw|4}}.
Table:
* Bob blind plays {{Hb|2}} and the bluff is revealed.
<br />'''1 card remaining in deck - Your turn'''
* Cathy sees Bob's {{Hw|3}} was in finesse position behind {{Hb|2}}, so now knows that her marked card is '''either''' {{Hw|4}} or {{Hw|3}}.
<br />R Y G B W M
* Bob knows that for the bluff target to be a valid 1-away-from playable, he is also promised {{Hw|3}} in his slot 2.
<br />5 5 3 4 5 5
}}


XX|XX|5b - me
=== Empty clue double save ===


??|??|3? - you
* With not enough {{Hclue}} or turns to save consecutive unique cards, an empty clue can save two chop cards.


1y|4b|5g - 3rd player
{{infoBox |maxWidth=650
</code>
|title=Double save example
|body={{Hr|2}} {{Hy|1}} {{Hg|2}} {{Hb|2}} {{Hw|1}}
{{cardholder|{{HBack}}{{HBack|2|{{w}}|n=|c=}}{{HBack}}{{HBack}} |Alice 🡲}}
{{cardholder|{{Hb|2}}{{Hr|2}}{{Hg|4}}{{Hy|3}} |Bob 🡲}}
Discarded: {{Hy|3}}{{Hg|4}}


In this situation, assume everyone knows where the remaining playable cards are. Instead of discarding in this situation, you want the 3rd player be the one to play and draw the last card. Give any clue to prevent triggering the endgame so that 3rd player can play 4b triggering the endgame and then in their last turn play the 5g.
* {{Hy|3}} and {{Hg|4}} need to be saved.
* If Alice gives a '''3''' clue, {{Hg|4}} might be discarded.
* A '''2''' clue will cause a misfire of {{Hb|2}}.
* Alice gives an empty clue (e.g. '''1''' or '''5''' or white).
* Bob knows that if Alice did not play her {{Hw|2}}, this empty clue must mean something.
* Bob does not have a playable card and knows Alice could have saved his chop card with this clue token.
* Bob interprets this as 'do not discard two chop cards' and discards {{Hr|2}}.
}}

Latest revision as of 00:01, 27 September 2024

Refer to Game Help Definitions

Thinking

  • Check visible cards, including played and discarded to determine the focus and the meaning of a clue.
    • e.g. you are given a 2 clue. You see
      red2
      ,with a
      red2clue,
      was played and the second
      red2
      ,with a
      red2clue,
      is in another hand. Therefore the clue means "2s which are not red".
    • e.g. you are given a 4 clue that marks only your chop. You see no 4s have been discarded and no 4s on the chop of the players next to you. Therefore the clue means "this 4 is playable".

Cluing

  • Don't mark trash cards (a.k.a. "good touch" rule).
  • Save unique cards as the first priority.
    • Look ahead for unique cards on chop. Sometimes more than one player must help to save consecutive unique cards.
  • With few ​clue tokens, work out which players need them.
  • Consider how the receiver can interpret your clue.

Discarding

  • Trust your teammates to manage your cards.
  • When there is nothing urgent to clue, don't be afraid to discard! Discarding is often the best move for the team.

Playing

  • When multiple cards are marked, determine the focused card. Each clue only has one focused card.
  • Logically playable cards are marked at the earliest opportunity, so the leftmost card is assumed to be the focus of play clues (where no other cards are known to be playable).

Triggering the final round

  • Sometimes a specific player should draw the last card to maximise the score.
  • Giving empty clues (e.g. "you have no red card") can help to manage which player draws last card.
Last card example
cards in the deck1
,with a
cards in the deck1clue,
red5
,with a
red5clue,
yellow5
,with a
yellow5clue,
green3
,with a
green3clue,
blue4
,with a
blue4clue,
white5
,with a
white5clue,
red3
,with a
red3clue,
yellow1
,with a
yellow1clue,
green1
,with a
green1clue,
blue5
,with a
blue5clue,
Bob 🡲
green2
,with a
green2clue,
red1
,with a
red1clue,
green4
,with a
green4clue,
green5
,with a
green5clue,
Cathy 🡲
  • Alice and Bob both give empty clues e.g. "to Cathy: you have no white card".
  • Cathy plays
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    and draws the last card.
  • Alice discards, Bob plays
    blue5
    ,with a
    blue5clue,
    and Cathy plays
    green5
    ,with a
    green5clue,
    .

Skip

  • When a player gives a clue that could have been given by one of the skipped players, it means the skipped players have a better move than to give the clue that was used to skip.
  • Skipping should be avoided unless there is a good reason.
A bad skip / steal
​
  • Alice skips Bob to clue Cathy red.
red​
,with a
red​clue,
yellow3
,with a
yellow3clue,
green3
,with a
green3clue,
blue3
,with a
blue3clue,
white3
,with a
white3clue,
red2
,with a
red2clue,
yellow1
,with a
yellow1clue,
white1
,with a
white1clue,
blue3
,with a
blue3clue,
Alice 🡲
blue1
,with a
blue1clue,
yellow5
,with a
yellow5clue,
white5
,with a
white5clue,
blue4
,with a
blue4clue,
Bob 🡲
red1
,with a
red1clue,
white4
,with a
white4clue,
white4
,with a
white4clue,
white3
,with a
white3clue,
Cathy 🡲
  • If Alice discarded instead, Bob would have clued Alice red to finesse
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    and
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    .

Potential reasons for skipping players:

  • Clue-giver is locked i.e. all cards are marked without any immediate plays.
  • Gain tempo to play e.g. skipped player(s) all have playable cards.
  • Gain tempo to clue e.g. skipped player(s) must give a fix clue.
  • Avoid a bad clue e.g. mark cards with good touch.
  • Ensure a good clue e.g. mark cards with good touch.
  • Cause a discard e.g. of a playable card so that its copy can be marked with good touch, or of trash.
  • Avoid a discard e.g. a double discard, or of nice-to-have (non-unique) cards.
A good skip example 1
red1
,with a
red1clue,
yellow1
,with a
yellow1clue,
green1
,with a
green1clue,
blue1
,with a
blue1clue,
white1
,with a
white1clue,
white1
,with a
white1clue,
yellow2
,with a
yellow2clue,
white2
,with a
white2clue,
red2
,with a
red2clue,
Bob 🡲
white2
,with a
white2clue,
red1
,with a
red1clue,
blue2
,with a
blue2clue,
green1
,with a
green1clue,
Cathy 🡲
  • Alice skips Bob to give Cathy a blue clue so that a duplicate
    white2
    ,with a
    white2clue,
    is not marked.
A good skip example 2
red1
,with a
red1clue,
yellow1
,with a
yellow1clue,
green1
,with a
green1clue,
blue1
,with a
blue1clue,
white1
,with a
white1clue,
white1
,with a
white1clue,
yellow2
,with a
yellow2clue,
white2
,with a
white2clue,
red2
,with a
red2clue,
Bob 🡲
yellow4
,with a
yellow4clue,
white2
,with a
white2clue,
red1
,with a
red1clue,
blue2
,with a
blue2clue,
Cathy 🡲
  • Alice skips Bob to give Cathy a blue clue because Bob has let let
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    reach chop and does not want to mark it because he might hold a copy.

Additional interpretation

An additional finesse convention is that skipped player(s) cannot discard.

  • i.e. Alice can clue Cathy only if Bob has a play or should give another clue.
  • If a skipped player has no marked playable cards and no good clue to give, they can blind play their newest, unmarked card.
  • A clue-giver who causes unmarked play(s) purely from a skip is responsible for any misinterpretation.
Example 1: unambiguous skip play
​
  • Alice skips Bob to give Cathy a 1 clue.
red​
,with a
red​clue,
yellow​
,with a
yellow​clue,
green​
,with a
green​clue,
blue​
,with a
blue​clue,
white​
,with a
white​clue,
yellow1
,with a
yellow1clue,
yellow2
,with a
yellow2clue,
white2
,with a
white2clue,
red2
,with a
red2clue,
Bob 🡲
white2
,with a
white2clue,
red1
,with a
red1clue,
blue2
,with a
blue2clue,
red4
,with a
red4clue,
Cathy 🡲
  • Bob has no clue to give and no known play, so he blind plays his newest unmarked card.
  • yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    does not connect to 1, so Cathy interprets Bob's move as a skip play and plays
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    .
Example 2: bluff
​
  • Alice to Cathy: this card is red.
red1
,with a
red1clue,
yellow1
,with a
yellow1clue,
green1
,with a
green1clue,
blue​
,with a
blue​clue,
white​
,with a
white​clue,
blue1
,with a
blue1clue,
yellow2
,with a
yellow2clue,
white2
,with a
white2clue,
red2
,with a
red2clue,
Bob 🡲
yellow4
,with a
yellow4clue,
red3
,with a
red3clue,
white3
,with a
white3clue,
blue2
,with a
blue2clue,
Cathy 🡲
  • Cathy now knows her marked card
    red3
    ,with a
    red3clue,
    is playable.
  • Bob does not see the connecting
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    , so assumes he has to play it now.
  • Bob does not have a marked card that could be
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    , so Bob blind plays his newest unmarked card.
  • blue1
    ,with a
    blue1clue,
    successfully plays and the bluff is revealed.
  • Before Bob played, Cathy thought her marked card was
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    .
  • After Bob plays, Cathy knows her marked card is any valuable red (
    red3
    ,with a
    red3clue,
    ,
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    or
    red5
    ,with a
    red5clue,
    ).
Example 3: lie
​
  • Alice skips Bob to give Cathy a 3 clue.
    • red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    yellow​
    ,with a
    yellow​clue,
    green​
    ,with a
    green​clue,
    blue​
    ,with a
    blue​clue,
    white​
    ,with a
    white​clue,
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    yellow2
    ,with a
    yellow2clue,
    white2
    ,with a
    white2clue,
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    Bob 🡲
    white2
    ,with a
    white2clue,
    red3
    ,with a
    red3clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    Cathy 🡲
    • Bob has no clue to give and no known play, so he blind plays his newest unmarked card.
    • In this convention,
      yellow1
      ,with a
      yellow1clue,
      does not connect to 3, so Cathy interprets as a bluff and her 3 is not playable.
    • This is a lie because
      red3
      ,with a
      red3clue,
      is playable.
    • Instead, Alice should have discarded and allowed Bob to clue Cathy so that she knows her
      red3
      ,with a
      red3clue,
      is playable.

    2 Player strategy

    Basic

    1. Marked cards are not discarded.
    2. Unique cards are saved.
    3. Saves are given as late as possible.
    4. Play clue focus is the leftmost card.
    5. All known playable cards are played before discarding (including 5s with flamboyants).
    6. Marked trash cards are corrected.

    Intermediate

    1. Playable first copies are clued.
    2. Playable cards marked with both colour and number will play first.
    3. Last 1clue tokens is only used to mark a unique or playable chop.
    4. Off-chop saves for consecutive unique cards.
    5. Double discards can be avoided with a stall clue.
      • empty clue
      • splash that marks no new cards
    6. Cards are played in clued order.
    7. Plays that lead to other plays are prioritised.
    8. Lower ranked cards are prioritised.
    9. Unique cards are splashed.
    10. Black Powder:
      black powder1
      ,with a
      black powder1clue,
      is only marked on chop unless all other 1s (or
      black powder2
      ,with a
      black powder2clue,
      ) are already played.

    Advanced

    1. Number clues that mark a non-unique chop are play clues.
      • e.g. with no 3s discarded, play the left 3.
    2. Black Powder: 5s are marked with a playable
      black powder5
      ,with a
      black powder5clue,
      on chop. In a following turn the 5 to the left of
      black powder5
      ,with a
      black powder5clue,
      is marked with colour to play
      black powder5
      ,with a
      black powder5clue,
      .
    3. Before playing, a connecting card on chop can be marked.
    4. Flamboyants: consider not locking a hand with a 5 save.
    5. Avalanche: any card can be multicolor.
      • i.e. wait for negative multicolor on a
        red5
        ,with a
        red5clue,
        before playing as
        red5
        ,with a
        red5clue,
        .
    6. Scream discard = save the chop card (and move chop one slot to the left).
    7. 1-away from playable cards are splashed.
    8. Trash cards are discarded before being splashed.
    9. Already-marked trash cards are splashed.
    10. An early game 4 may be discarded.
    11. Black Powder: avoid discarding after an early game
      black powder1
      ,with a
      black powder1clue,
      or 5 save.
      • To allow consecutive
        black powder1
        ,with a
        black powder1clue,
        and colour 5 saves.

    Early game

    1. At least 3clue tokens are used before the first discard.
    2. Black Powder:
      black powder5
      ,with a
      black powder5clue,
      is marked first if it is the leftmost 5.
    3. 2s are marked next.
      • Black Powder:
        black powder4
        ,with a
        black powder4clue,
        is marked if there are no other 4s.
    4. 1s are marked next.
      • With multiple marked unknown 1s in your hand, consider first playing your 1s or marking 1s individually with colour.

    Alternative strategy

    1. Any card may be saved, including non-unique cards.
    2. Cards marked with a number are only splashed with colour:
      1. If a previously unmarked card is playable.
      2. As a stall clue.
    Clued misplay example
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    yellow3
    ,with a
    yellow3clue,
    green3
    ,with a
    green3clue,
    blue3
    ,with a
    blue3clue,
    white3
    ,with a
    white3clue,
    blue1
    ,with a
    blue1clue,
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    red5
    ,with a
    red5clue,
    Bob 🡲     Discarded:
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    • There are no misfires.
    • Alice needs to save
      red5
      ,with a
      red5clue,
      and
      red4
      ,with a
      red4clue,
      .
    • Alice to Bob: these 3 cards are red.
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    yellow3
    ,with a
    yellow3clue,
    green3
    ,with a
    green3clue,
    blue3
    ,with a
    blue3clue,
    white3
    ,with a
    white3clue,
    blue1
    ,with a
    blue1clue,
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    red5
    ,with a
    red5clue,
    Bob 🡲     Discarded:
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    • Bob misfires
      red1
      ,with a
      red1clue,
      as
      red2
      ,with a
      red2clue,
      .
    • Bob interprets this as a clued misplay to save the remaining red cards.
    Scream discard example
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    yellow4
    ,with a
    yellow4clue,
    green2
    ,with a
    green2clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    white2
    ,with a
    white2clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    5clue,
    Alice 🡲
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    green5
    ,with a
    green5clue,
    blue5
    ,with a
    blue5clue,
    white5
    ,with a
    white5clue,
    red5
    ,with a
    red5clue,
    Bob 🡲
    • There are 0clue tokens but Alice needs to save
      blue5
      ,with a
      blue5clue,
      and
      green5
      ,with a
      green5clue,
      .
    • Alice discards her chop + 1 = 3rd slot while she has
      yellow5
      ,with a
      yellow5clue,
      to play.
    • Bob expected Alice to play their known playable card.
    • Bob knows Alice could have discarded her chop to save his chop.
    • Bob interprets Alice's move as moving his chop two places from his 3rd slot to 1st slot.
    • Bob now has two unmarked unique cards saved and discards
      yellow1
      ,with a
      yellow1clue,
      .
    Positional misplay example
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    yellow3
    ,with a
    yellow3clue,
    green3
    ,with a
    green3clue,
    blue3
    ,with a
    blue3clue,
    white3
    ,with a
    white3clue,
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    red3
    ,with a
    red3clue,
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    red5
    ,with a
    red5clue,
    Bob 🡲
    • There are 0clue tokens and no misfires.
    • Alice really wants
      red2
      ,with a
      red2clue,
      to play so that Bob can play all his marked cards.
    • Alice blind plays her second slot and causes a misfire.
    • Bob interprets this as a clue for him to play the same position in his hand.
    Splash correction example
    red3
    ,with a
    red3clue,
    yellow2
    ,with a
    yellow2clue,
    green2
    ,with a
    green2clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    white2
    ,with a
    white2clue,
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    red3
    ,with a
    red3clue,
    white3
    ,with a
    white3clue,
    blue3
    ,with a
    blue3clue,
    blue5
    ,with a
    blue5clue,
    Bob 🡲
    • Alice to Bob: these 2 cards are red.
    red3
    ,with a
    red3clue,
    yellow2
    ,with a
    yellow2clue,
    green2
    ,with a
    green2clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    white2
    ,with a
    white2clue,
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    red3
    ,with a
    red3clue,
    white3
    ,with a
    white3clue,
    blue3
    ,with a
    blue3clue,
    blue5
    ,with a
    blue5clue,
    Bob 🡲
    • This marks
      red4
      ,with a
      red4clue,
      as playable and splashes
      red3
      ,with a
      red3clue,
      so that Bob knows it is trash.
    Self prompt example
    red​
    ,with a
    red​clue,
    yellow​
    ,with a
    yellow​clue,
    green​
    ,with a
    green​clue,
    blue​
    ,with a
    blue​clue,
    white​
    ,with a
    white​clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    1clue,
    Alice 🡲
    white4
    ,with a
    white4clue,
    yellow4
    ,with a
    yellow4clue,
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    Bob 🡲
    • Bob to Alice: this card is red ⇨
      red1
      ,with a
      red1clue,
    • Alice to Bob: this card is red ⇨
      red2
      ,with a
      red2clue,

    Advanced moves

    Discard clue

    • A discard clue marks known trash cards to prevent an unwanted discard (or misfire).
    Discard clue example
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    blue1
    ,with a
    blue1clue,
    white1
    ,with a
    white1clue,
    white1
    ,with a
    white1clue,
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    white4
    ,with a
    white4clue,
    yellow3
    ,with a
    yellow3clue,
    Bob 🡲     Discarded:
    yellow3
    ,with a
    yellow3clue,
    white4
    ,with a
    white4clue,
    • yellow3
      ,with a
      yellow3clue,
      and
      white4
      ,with a
      white4clue,
      need to be saved.
    • If Alice gives a 3 clue,
      white4
      ,with a
      white4clue,
      might be discarded.
    • Alice gives a 1 clue so that Bob discards
      red1
      ,with a
      red1clue,
      and
      white1
      ,with a
      white1clue,
      before his chop card.

    Play refusal

    • Instead of playing, a player clues or discards their chop.
    • The next player must consider if the play refusal is waiting for a potential reverse or if there are unique card(s) to save.

    Positional Discard

    • In the endgame when you can see all remaining playable cards, you can use a positional discard to communicate the slot position in another hand.
    • Typically used with 0clue tokens or where trash cards make it awkward to clue the target.
    Positional discard example
    red5
    ,with a
    red5clue,
    yellow5
    ,with a
    yellow5clue,
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    blue5
    ,with a
    blue5clue,
    white5
    ,with a
    white5clue,
    green5
    ,with a
    green5clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    blue3
    ,with a
    blue3clue,
    Bob 🡲
    • Alice discards slot 1
    • Bob plays slot 1 ⇨
      green5
      ,with a
      green5clue,

    Long finesse

    Long finesse example
    ​
    • Alice to Bob: this card is a 4.
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    blue​
    ,with a
    blue​clue,
    white​
    ,with a
    white​clue,
    white1
    ,with a
    white1clue,
    white2
    ,with a
    white2clue,
    white4
    ,with a
    white4clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    Bob 🡲
    white3
    ,with a
    white3clue,
    blue1
    ,with a
    blue1clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    Cathy 🡲
    • Bob has been given a play clue and does not see a playable card in any hand, so Bob blind plays his draw card.
    • white1
      ,with a
      white1clue,
      successfully plays.
    • Cathy sees that Bob has
      white2
      ,with a
      white2clue,
      in front of
      white4
      ,with a
      white4clue,
      but
      white3
      ,with a
      white3clue,
      is missing, so Cathy knows she must play
      white3
      ,with a
      white3clue,
      at the correct moment.
    • Cathy discards, Alice discards and Bob blind plays his 2nd slot
      white2
      ,with a
      white2clue,
      .
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    blue​
    ,with a
    blue​clue,
    white2
    ,with a
    white2clue,
    blue5
    ,with a
    blue5clue,
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    white4
    ,with a
    white4clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    Bob 🡲
    yellow2
    ,with a
    yellow2clue,
    white3
    ,with a
    white3clue,
    blue1
    ,with a
    blue1clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    Cathy 🡲
    • Cathy blind plays her 2nd slot
      white3
      ,with a
      white3clue,
      .
    • Alice discards and Bob plays the marked
      white4
      ,with a
      white4clue,
      .

    Layered finesse

    Layered finesse example
    ​
    • Alice to Bob: these 2 cards are blue.
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    blue​
    ,with a
    blue​clue,
    white4
    ,with a
    white4clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    blue5
    ,with a
    blue5clue,
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    Bob 🡲
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    yellow2
    ,with a
    yellow2clue,
    blue1
    ,with a
    blue1clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    Cathy 🡲
    • Bob sees a playable
      blue1
      ,with a
      blue1clue,
      in Cathy's hand, layered behind other playable cards
      red2
      ,with a
      red2clue,
      and
      yellow2
      ,with a
      yellow2clue,
      .
    • Bob discards and Cathy blind plays for
      blue1
      ,with a
      blue1clue,
      .
      red2
      ,with a
      red2clue,
      successfully plays.
    • Cathy knows this cannot be a bluff because Bob would not discard unless he sees a playable
      blue1
      ,with a
      blue1clue,
      in Cathy's hand.
    • So Cathy knows she is promised
      blue1
      ,with a
      blue1clue,
      and keeps playing each slot from left to right until her
      blue1
      ,with a
      blue1clue,
      is played.

    Trash bluff

    Trash bluff example
    ​
    • Alice to Cathy: this card is a 1.
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    blue1
    ,with a
    blue1clue,
    white​
    ,with a
    white​clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    yellow4
    ,with a
    yellow4clue,
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    Bob 🡲
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    white2
    ,with a
    white2clue,
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    yellow5
    ,with a
    yellow5clue,
    Cathy 🡲
    • Bob must act now to prevent a misfire of
      red1
      ,with a
      red1clue,
      .
    • Bob blind plays
      blue2
      ,with a
      blue2clue,
      .
    • Cathy knows Bob would not blind play for a playable 1, so Cathy now knows that her 1 is trash and this was a trash bluff.

    Finesse bluff

    • If the following two players both have a playable finesse position, you may be able to perform a finesse bluff.
    • The first blind play connects to the target.
    • The second blind play does not connect to the target.
    Finesse bluff example
    ​
    • Alice to Donald: this card is white.
    red​
    ,with a
    red​clue,
    yellow​
    ,with a
    yellow​clue,
    green​
    ,with a
    green​clue,
    blue​
    ,with a
    blue​clue,
    white​
    ,with a
    white​clue,
    white1
    ,with a
    white1clue,
    yellow4
    ,with a
    yellow4clue,
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    blue4
    ,with a
    blue4clue,
    Bob 🡲
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    white4
    ,with a
    white4clue,
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    green3
    ,with a
    green3clue,
    Cathy 🡲
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    white3
    ,with a
    white3clue,
    yellow3
    ,with a
    yellow3clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    Donald 🡲
    • Bob blind plays
      white1
      ,with a
      white1clue,
      .
    • Donald now thinks his white card is
      white2
      ,with a
      white2clue,
      .
    • Cathy must act now to prevent a misfire of
      white3
      ,with a
      white3clue,
      .
    • Cathy blind plays
      red1
      ,with a
      red1clue,
      .
    • With two blind plays, Donald now knows his white is
      white3
      ,with a
      white3clue,
      and this was a finesse bluff.

    Double bluff

    • If the following two players both have a playable finesse position, you may be able to perform a double bluff.
    Double bluff example
    ​
    • Alice can bluff Bob's
      white1
      ,with a
      white1clue,
      with a blue clue to Donald.
    • Instead: Alice to Donald: this card is a 2.
    red​
    ,with a
    red​clue,
    yellow​
    ,with a
    yellow​clue,
    green​
    ,with a
    green​clue,
    blue​
    ,with a
    blue​clue,
    white​
    ,with a
    white​clue,
    white1
    ,with a
    white1clue,
    yellow4
    ,with a
    yellow4clue,
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    blue4
    ,with a
    blue4clue,
    Bob 🡲
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    white4
    ,with a
    white4clue,
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    green3
    ,with a
    green3clue,
    Cathy 🡲
    red3
    ,with a
    red3clue,
    white3
    ,with a
    white3clue,
    yellow3
    ,with a
    yellow3clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    Donald 🡲
    • Bob blind plays
      white1
      ,with a
      white1clue,
    • Without colour, Donald thinks his 2 is
      white2
      ,with a
      white2clue,
      .
    • Cathy must act now to prevent a misfire of
      blue2
      ,with a
      blue2clue,
      .
    • Cathy blind plays
      red1
      ,with a
      red1clue,
      .
    • With two blind plays, Donald now knows his 2 is not
      white2
      ,with a
      white2clue,
      or
      red2
      ,with a
      red2clue,
      and this was a double bluff.

    Promise bluff

    This move only applies to 1-away-from-playable bluff interpretations.

    • Promise bluffs give more information than regular bluffs, as they promise the necessary connecting cards to make the clued bluff target 1-away-from-playable. These connecting cards must be either marked or unmarked in finesse position.
    Promise bluff example
    ​
    • Alice to Cathy: this card is white.
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    green1
    ,with a
    green1clue,
    blue1
    ,with a
    blue1clue,
    white1
    ,with a
    white1clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    white3
    ,with a
    white3clue,
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    red4
    ,with a
    red4clue,
    Bob 🡲
    red1
    ,with a
    red1clue,
    white4
    ,with a
    white4clue,
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    yellow5
    ,with a
    yellow5clue,
    Cathy 🡲
    • Bob must act now to prevent a misfire of
      white4
      ,with a
      white4clue,
      .
    • Bob blind plays
      blue2
      ,with a
      blue2clue,
      and the bluff is revealed.
    • Cathy sees Bob's
      white3
      ,with a
      white3clue,
      was in finesse position behind
      blue2
      ,with a
      blue2clue,
      , so now knows that her marked card is either
      white4
      ,with a
      white4clue,
      or
      white3
      ,with a
      white3clue,
      .
    • Bob knows that for the bluff target to be a valid 1-away-from playable, he is also promised
      white3
      ,with a
      white3clue,
      in his slot 2.

    Empty clue double save

    • With not enough ​clue tokens or turns to save consecutive unique cards, an empty clue can save two chop cards.
    Double save example
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    yellow1
    ,with a
    yellow1clue,
    green2
    ,with a
    green2clue,
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    white1
    ,with a
    white1clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    2clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    clue,
    card back​
    ,with a
    clue,
    Alice 🡲
    blue2
    ,with a
    blue2clue,
    red2
    ,with a
    red2clue,
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    yellow3
    ,with a
    yellow3clue,
    Bob 🡲     Discarded:
    yellow3
    ,with a
    yellow3clue,
    green4
    ,with a
    green4clue,
    • yellow3
      ,with a
      yellow3clue,
      and
      green4
      ,with a
      green4clue,
      need to be saved.
    • If Alice gives a 3 clue,
      green4
      ,with a
      green4clue,
      might be discarded.
    • A 2 clue will cause a misfire of
      blue2
      ,with a
      blue2clue,
      .
    • Alice gives an empty clue (e.g. 1 or 5 or white).
    • Bob knows that if Alice did not play her
      white2
      ,with a
      white2clue,
      , this empty clue must mean something.
    • Bob does not have a playable card and knows Alice could have saved his chop card with this clue token.
    • Bob interprets this as 'do not discard two chop cards' and discards
      red2
      ,with a
      red2clue,
      .
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