ScRaBbLe

I've been a Scrabble addict most of my life.  I don't remember where it started, although I've always liked words, languages, spelling, etc.

I started playing online Scrabble several years ago when Ian told me about it.  He got me set up on the site and explained how it worked.

Once I started playing on the ISC site, I was HOOKED!!!

I've learned a lot since I first started:

1.) I like fast games.  That isn't really a 'revelation' since I find myself bored when playing drawn out board games.  (Or should I say 'bored games'?!)

2.) A good game time for me is set at 6 minutes.  Each player gets six minutes, plus an extra minute after the timer runs down.

3.) The first order of business when the game begins is to search for any possible bingoes I might have.  *A bingo is when a player uses all seven tiles in one turn.

4.) The best way to look for bingoes is if I have any of these combinations: 'ing', 'er', 'ed'.  If I do, I rearrange the tiles on my tray to see if I can combine those letters with something else to form a bingo.  (Example: ITNRGAN...would be 'RANTING'.)

5.) As much as possible, it is best to find bingoes early in the game because the board is open.  The more filled up the board gets, the less chance one has of finding a spot for a bingo to fit.

6.) Bingoes are important because they earn the player an extra 50 points on top of the letter value.

7.) On ISC, most players are of at least the same caliber as I am.  If I see a spot open, they do, too.  It often comes down to who is lucky enough to get the better tiles.

8.) Almost always, playing letters alongside another word is much better than playing them all separate.  For example: if the word 'teams' is played, and I have the letters to form 'zoo', it is better to place the z in front of the a to form 'za' (yes, it is a word, folks), the 'o' in front of the 'm' to form 'mo' (another word, yes), and the last 'o' in front of the 's' to form 'os', rather than to form 'zoos' off the 's' from teams.  Usually the resulting score is much higher.  The exception would be if there were a triple word score available or if there were a double or triple letter score available for the 'z', which is a high scoring letter.

9.) The moment I make a play, I begin to look at possible plays for my next turn.

10.) If I notice a player is using only one tile per turn, that sometimes indicates that he/she might have a bingo and is waiting for an opening.  I will try to thwart that by closing off any place that could be used.

11.) If I have a bingo, but nowhere to place it, I will pass two to three times, but then I will break it up.  I have learned that to pass too many times results in a huge loss of points.

12.) If I have all vowels or all consonants, I often use my turn to change my tiles.  Occasionally there is a chance to use several vowels at once, depending on the openings available.

13.) If I have a high scoring tile, I scan the board for double or triple spots.  For instance, an 'x' is a high scorer.  It can be placed after any vowel (except u or i) to make a word.  U or I can be placed after x to form a word.  Ideally, an 'x' used on a double or triple space with a vowel in front, and one behind, it results in a big score. 

14.) The tiles I value the most are 's', 'e', 'a', 'x', 'q', 'z', 'h', 'w', 'r', 'd', 'j'.  They are easy to play or high scoring.

15.) I dislike 'v', 'u', and 'c'.  They are not easy to use in most cases.

16.) Unfortunately, there are quite a few rude players on ISC.  I've had people accuse me of cheating, use profanity at me, belittle me, and ignore me.  (Ignore means that they do not use any common courtesy, such as greeting me or thanking me for the game.)  I will go through losing streaks, then win a game, and my opponent will say something like, 'You got lucky because you got all the good tiles.'  Do I really need to hear that?

Well, with that, I'm off to play a round of Scrabble before I get to my housework!!!

HUGSxxxAnnie