These tips are geared towards players who are avid Words with Friends players looking for more advanced tips to help them improve their game! For beginners tips, please check out this page.

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1. Sometimes it’s worth sacrificing some points for positioning.

There are some cases when it is worth sacrificing a few points, especially when doing so will prevent your opponent from scoring a LOT of points on their next turn. Sometimes the best play is not the highest scoring play.

In Diagram 1, you can play the bingo TROUBLE in row 10 for 65 (hooking NEVER) but you should instead block the TW-TL-TL and DW-DW combination by playing TUMBLER 1c (63). It is easily worth the sacrifice in points to block this dangerous opening: even if you needed to sacrifice 10 points, you should do so.

In Diagram 2, you have several bingos to choose from, but you should select a bingo that does not open too much. AERATION 6h and ORIENTAL j1 score the most points, but create very dangerous TW-TL openings. ANTERIOR is also a dangerous option. However, by playing AERATION at 6e and sacrificing points, you significantly limit your opponent’s ability to score next turn.

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2. Learn the art of the setup.

Create openings that are hard to use for random tiles, but easy for the tiles remaining in your leave. Use the Tiles remaining function to examine how many tiles are left that can use your setup (for example, how many S remain to pluralize your word, or how many C, P, or T remain to go in front of your _RICK hook)

Here, you can play CAPSULE for 60 on row 14, or you can play LUCKS on row 10 for 48, keeping a P-hook. By looking at the tile bag, you’re notice there is only one C left to hook LUCKS next turn, making LUCKS a superior play.

3. Keep strong tiles!

Your strategy with the X and Z should be to score 30+ points by using bonus square multipliers, while your strategy with the S and blank should be to use them either in 30+ point scoring plays or bingos. If these tiles don’t achieve these goals, you should usually save them until they do.

In this position, you should play INDENT l1, scoring well and blocking the T while saving the Z for a future scoring play next turn.

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4. Use the Tile Bag, especially towards the end of the game.

(The Tile Bag is located behind the box with 3 horizontal lines in the lower left line.)  Doing so can provide you with key strategic information that can help you win more games. Pay special attention to high point tiles, S, and blanks as well as consonant/vowel ratio and severe duplication. Reviewing this box will allow you to make subtle strategic adjustments such as setups and inform you about which scoring spots are the most dangerous.

By observing the Tile Bag, you can notice tiles that don’t remain.  For example, you might consider playing VEIN 10k, setting up your Y, but there are two S remaining, making such a play extremely dangerous.  However, you *can* play VINY at 10k, setting up your L, since no Ls or blanks remain in the tile bag.