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Cry Baby (BGA) Strategy Guide
The One Thing You Need to Accept First
Losing tricks on purpose is not just okay in this game, it is often the correct play. If you fight that instinct, you will lose. The Crybaby bonus (lowest card played each trick) gives you either a free point or a hand adjustment, and collecting these consistently is a real path to winning.
Orientation: Slow Down Here
You get two versions of your hand at the start of each round. Take time on this decision because everything else follows from it.
Count your Dragons (black) first. They win every trick they are played and can be played any time regardless of suit. Orient your hand to keep them. Then count Wizards (yellow), which are trump. Then look at whether one orientation gives you a cleaner, more consistent hand versus a spikey one with a couple of highs and a lot of junk. Consistent hands are easier to bet accurately on.
If one orientation gives you several very low cards, that is not necessarily bad. It might mean you are set up to cry multiple times and collect bonus points. Decide whether that is your plan for the round.
Betting: Treat Your Bet Cards as a Finite Resource
You only have 5 bet cards across the whole game. Hit a bet and that card is gone. Miss and you keep it.
The practical upshot is that missing a bet is not a disaster, it just means you scored zero from betting that round. The bigger mistake is burning your high-value bet cards early on mediocre hands. Save aggressive bets for rounds where your hand clearly supports them.
If your hand is weak or hard to read, deliberately play a loose round, miss your bet, bank a few cry points, and keep your bet card for a better round. That is a valid strategy, not giving up.
The Crybaby Bonus: Know Which One to Take
When you play the lowest card in a trick you choose between flipping one of your remaining cards to the other side, or taking a free point.
Take the flip when you are early in the round and one bad card is threatening your bet. A single flip mid-round can completely rescue your hand. Take the point when your hand is already working, when you are in the last two tricks and a flip does not matter, or when you have given up on your bet and just want guaranteed points.
Two or three cry points per round adds up fast. Players who consistently bank these often beat players who swung for big bets and missed.
Playing Tricks
Follow suit if you have it. You must. Plan ahead so you are not forced to waste a high card you need later.
Dragons can be played any time, even when you have the leading suit. They always win. Use them when you genuinely need to take a trick for your bet, or to block an opponent who is close to hitting theirs. Do not burn them reflexively.
Leading low on purpose is a legitimate move when you want the Crybaby bonus more than you want to win that trick. Leading high forces opponents to spend their good cards following suit.
Watching Your Opponents
Check who is close to hitting their bet and who is not. A player who needs one more trick will be playing to win. A player who has already hit their bet or given up on it may be crying for points instead. Adjust what you lead accordingly.
Watch how many bet cards people have left. Fewer remaining means either they are doing well and removing them, or they are struggling and burning them on misses. The score will tell you which.
In the last round, remember that ties are broken by whoever scored most in round 4. That changes how aggressively you should play if scores are close.
Quick Priority List
- Orientation decision: count Dragons, count Wizards, pick the more consistent hand.
- Set a realistic bet, not an optimistic one.
- Play for your bet in early tricks, but always take the Crybaby bonus when your bet is already safe or already lost.
- Save Dragons for moments that matter.
- In rounds 3 and 4, know your score gap and adjust. If behind, take risks. If ahead, play safe and bank cry points.