How To Get Better At Scrabble – Without Needing To Cheat
There are a lot of games that withstand the test of time, and Scrabble is certainly one of them. From the classic board game to digital versions, Scrabble is a staple of the game world with thousands of clubs spread over 100 countries. Even Scrabble GO, the online version, had more than 2.5 million people playing at its peak every day. There’s one big question that everyone has when playing Scrabble, though: How do I get better?
Due to the anonymity of playing online, your opponent can’t see that you’re cheating if you decide to go that route. If you want to do things the old-fashioned way and simply hone your skills, there are some tips for doing just that. Some of the top players in the world have suggested ways to improve your score by up to 50 points per game, and it might be easier than you think.
One tip that many people might not consider is the use of the two-letter word. With over 100 of them in the Scrabble dictionary, two-letter words can help you branch off into double or triple letter/word spaces easily. For example, let’s say there’s a triple letter score hanging just above an ‘A’ tile. If you were to put a ‘Z’ in that space, you’re getting big points and can make a word around the ‘Z’ to juice it up even more.
The next tip is to not play the same people over and over. This is where online play becomes a huge bonus since you can play anonymous people from around the world and learn different styles and words. Even in losses, you can learn a lot about how to play Scrabble. If you can, try to take on some of the highest competition available and make mental notes throughout the game to use for your next match.
The best players in the world all make use of the bonus spaces. Even if you’re not maximizing your points when using them, you’re still preventing your opponent from possibly getting a triple-digit score for one word. Just like in sports, defense is just as important as any offensive attack. If you can run parallel words and eat up those bonus spaces at the same time, you’ll be in ultimate control over your opponent as they scramble to find anywhere to put their tiles.
If you can’t find someone to play against online, you can always just take on the computer. To really get some tips on how to improve your skill to the highest level, crank up the difficulty and find words and placements that you never would’ve imagined. It makes it a lot easier to lose, too, knowing that you’re being defeated by an AI designed to play Scrabble rather than someone that can trash talk you for not knowing that “Pfft” was an acceptable Scrabble word.
Lastly, you have to know what tiles you have in your rack. If you have a blank tile, hang on to it for as long as you can, especially if one of those coveted triple-word spaces becomes available. That tile, while blank tiles might not be worth anything themselves, they can help to form a word that seals a victory for you. For tiles that have higher point values, try to unload them as quickly as you can. If you have a couple of them in your rack when the game ends, it can go from what seemed like a 10-point win to a 20-point loss in a hurry.
With these tips in mind, you can start to boost your average Scrabble score almost immediately. You don’t have to memorize the Scrabble dictionary to be a top player, you just have to know the intricacies of the game itself to really stand out.