Sacramento Scrabble® Club

National Scrabble® Association Club #433

New Player Information

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Are there Club Dues? Your first visit to the club is free. After that, one dollar is collected each time you come to the club.

2. Do I need to be a member of the National Scrabble Association? The Sacramento Scrabble club is affiliated with the National Scrabble Association (NSA), however you do not need to be a member of the NSA to play at the club. Membership is only required if you participate in NSA-sponsored tournaments (after your first tournament). The fee for membership is $20 per year, which includes a subscription to the Scrabble newsletter.

3. How many games are played at a club meeting? We generally play anywhere between two to four games. We encourage you to try and arrive by noon to ensure a few games. If you do need to leave after the first or second game, please let the director know ahead of time, so you won't be paired for the next game.

4. How are players paired? Players are paired on a first come, first serve basis. After the first game you will be paired with others who are, or become, available. You may play other newcomers, seasoned tournament players and everything in between. Generally, you learn more by playing many different skill levels of players.

5. What do I need to bring? Due to several incidents involving the misplacement of costly items we ask that everyone please try and bring their own deluxe or custom game boards, pro-tiles, digital clocks, and tile racks as well as your own pen and paper to keep score. Although the club owns several boards and a few clocks, our resources are limited. We'd greatly appreciate you help in this area. If you are a newcomer all you will really need for your first few times is a pen and some paper for scorekeeping.

6. Do you use clocks? A digital clock is generally used during all club games. A clock is actually a set of two timers; only one of which is running at any given time. Each player is allotted 25 minutes. Your timer will be running when it's your turn. When you complete your turn, you press a button to simultaneously stop your timer and start your opponent's timer. The clock can also be neutralized (both timers stop) for special situations like challenging, score reconciliation, questions for the director, and at the end of the game. If you happen to use more than the allotted 25 minutes, an overtime penalty of 10 points is subtracted from your final score for each additional minute or fraction of a minute used. Newcomers are usually given an extra 5 minutes for the first visit.

7. What Dictionary is used? The official dictionary or word list used at the club (as well as tournaments) is the second edition of the Official Tournament and Club Word List (OTCW2 or just TWL2). This word list includes acceptable words up to 9 letters in length. Longer words are checked using the "Long List", a book published by the NSA which contains all the acceptable 10-15 letter words. The "TWL2" is available through the club director, or can be ordered from the National Scrabble Association, if you are a member. The current fourth edition of the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (OSPD4) found in bookstores is intended for home and school play, and while not the official dictionary used at the club, it does provide definitions for most of the acceptable words in the "TWL2".

8. Who keeps score? Each player is expected to keep track of both players' scores. Minimally, you should write down the cumulative score after each turn. Additionally, you may wish to record the word or words played in a turn as well as the score of that particular turn. If there is ever a disagreement on the score, neutralize the clock and correct the discrepancy with your opponent.

 

Basic Rules for Play:

A. Starting a Game: Each player draws a tile. The person who has picked the lowest tile starts. The blank is low, followed by the A.

B. Completing a Turn:

1. Position your tiles on the board, declare the blank (if applicable), announce your score and start your opponent's clock, ending your turn.

2. Record your score and replenish your rack. Track tiles, if desired.

3. Verification of the cumulative score MUST be on your own time.

C. Playing a Blank: Be sure to state clearly what letter the blank represents. To avoid confusion write the letter on the score cards provided or on your tracking/score sheet.

D. Exchanging tiles: There must be at least 7 tiles left in the bag.

1. Announce the number of tiles you wish to exchange

2. Place the tiles face down on the table leaving the others on your rack.

3. Start your opponent's clock. You must exchange the group of tiles on the table.

4. Draw the required number of tiles from the bag.

5. Put the replaced tiles in the bag and shuffle the bag.

E. Overdrawing: When you realize you have more than 7 tiles.

1. If you have 8 tiles, you put your tiles face down on the table.

2. Your opponent then randomly draws 3 tiles and turns them face up.

3. Opponent then selects 1 tile to return to the bag.

F. Holding a play: It is each player's responsibility to look at all the words their opponent plays. If you do not challenge at once but are considering a challenge, call "HOLD  to notify your opponent not to draw replacement tiles.

G. Challenging a play:

1. When your opponent's turn ends, you may challenge any word(s) formed on that play. To do so, call "CHALLENGE  and neutralize the clock.

2. If someone is available to adjudicate, call them over, otherwise the person challenging looks up the challenged words. A second opinion may be called over if needed. *Note to word judges: Always check the board to verify the spelling of the words challenged. To avoid confusion, have the players write the words out on paper, making sure they agree on words challenged. Turn away, look up all words, and make no additional comments beside "Acceptable  or "Not Acceptable."

H. End of Game: The game ends when one player plays their last tile or there are sixconsecutive passes. If you go out, increase your score by double the total value of the unplayed tiles on your opponent's rack. If the game ends with neither player going out, each player reduces their score by the total value of the tiles remaining on their rack.

I. Overtime: Reduce your score by 10 points for each minute of overtime or fraction thereof.

J. Winning Slips: It is the winner's responsibility to fill out and return the final winning slip. Record the winner, final scores, bingos (if any), and any other information you?d like to report about the game (high scores, triple-triple, double-double, etc.).

K. The Official Tournament and Club Word List, 2nd Edition is the final source for acceptable words. The OSPD is for school and recreational use and does not contain all words acceptable at club and tournaments.

*Further questions and information should be directed to either the Official Tournament Rules (published by the NSA) or a club director.

 

Club Etiquette:

1. Sportsmanship: We have a diverse group of individuals ranging from different backgrounds, ages, and ability levels. Please be sensitive to other members. We insist on promoting a friendly, honest, and encouraging environment. Abusive and/or offensive behavior will not be tolerated. It is the director's discretion to remove players for the good of the club. If there are any concerns, please contact the directors to handle the situation.

2. "Coffee-housing:  Inappropriate talking during play is often distracting and can mislead the opponent. Here are some examples:

a. Purposefully mispronouncing your play ("RE-STING") hoping to draw a careless challenge.

b. Play a phony-looking word you know is acceptable but intentionally saying something like, "I'm not sure if it ends in AR or ER.

c. Commenting on your play such as, "You may want to challenge this,  "I'm not sure if this is a good word  or "I know this is a good word.  It is unethical to discuss the validity at any time other than after the game.

d. Talking a lot to divert attention from a phony word.

e. The game is close, the Q is still out and whoever gets it will be stuck with it. Moaning about your bad luck in tiles may lead your opponent to believe that you have the unplayable Q, possibly altering their next play. Imagine their surprise when they draw the Q their next turn!

3. With new members, it is the responsibility of everyone to welcome them and be the best possible teachers on the rules and etiquette of competitive scrabble.

 

Basic Scrabble Strategy:

Rack Management

1. Get rid of duplicate letters. Having two of the same kind of letter (except for blanks, S's and E's) will generally penalize your rack by about 6-8 points. That means it's worth sacrificing about 6-8 points to break up two T's or two O's, for example.

2. Keep an even mix of consonants and vowels. Having slightly more consonants is better than having slightly more vowels. Experienced players learn vowel dumps to clear vowel-heavy racks.

3. Keep your bingo-prone letters (Blank, S, E, N, R, T). Get rid of bad letters, such as the Y, F, B, G, W, and Q. Only keep a U if a Q is unseen late in the game and U's are scarce. Play off high-point tiles (J, Q, X, Z) quickly for good scores rather than hanging on to them too long.

4. Try to keep only one higher point tile on you rack (B, C, F, H, M, P, V, W, Y), especially try to get rid of high point tiles that are less bingo friendly (mostly the W and Y)

5. Synergy can be very important. Try to rid your rack of bad letter combinations with little synergy such as UI, WU, YI, and FV.

6. Consider exchanging if you can neither score well nor get rid of most of your bad letters without using a good letter such as an S or a blank.

7. The biggest mistake most players make is wasting the two best tiles in the bag. You should never play the S just because you can. Estimates of the value of an S range from 8 to 20 points. This means that before you even consider playing an S, you should make sure the play is worth at least 10 points more than your 2nd best play. Throw away an S and you might as well be handing your opponent an extra turn.

The blanks, being able to substitute for any letter, are by far the most valuable tiles in Scrabble. In fact, you shouldn't look at the blanks as being anything less than bingo tiles. About the only time you play a blank for less than 50 points is when you're stuck with the Q, all the U's are out, and you need the points too much to exchange.

8. AVOID fishing (one letter dumps)! Rarely does fishing pay off. In fact, the more you do it the farther behind you can get. If you have a good bingo prone rack consider playing off at least two or three tiles for a decent score and keeping the most bingo prone tiles on your rack. Many times, in order to win, you need to average over 20 points a play. If you make an 8-point play, you need a 32-point play to get even. Fish a couple more times and you need a bingo just to catch up. That puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on yourself. Until you're a strong enough player to know when it's strategic to fish (almost never), avoid it as much as possible.

Board Strategy

1. Open the board as much as possible when you are far behind and need at least a bingo to catch up. Close the board if you are ahead at least forty or more points. Therefore, create hooks if you are behind, use up the hooks if you are ahead.

Use blocker tiles (such as C, V, and K) to block bingo lanes if you are closing the board.

Consider opening up an attractive premium square spot for your opponent if you are far behind and are trying to keep them from taking the last bingo lane.

2. Play a more closed and defensive game if your opponent is a considerably stronger player than you. Keep the board open if you are the stronger play, taking advantage of your superior word knowledge.

3. Avoid opening double-double lanes and especially triple-triple lanes, unless you are more than a bingo score behind or unless you have high point tiles (which may be difficult to bingo through) that can score very well in those lanes.

4. Try to interpret the intention of your opponent?s moves. For example, playing away a single tile may mean he is close to a bingo, if he makes a low-scoring word with an S it may mean he has another one or opening up a TLS next to an I could mean he has the X

5. Look for hot spots (DWS, TWS, DLS, TLS) where you can score well. Try and use them if you don't have a better, higher scoring play elsewhere. Watch out for open premium word squares (particularly spots for the J or X going both ways across a Triple Letter Square.)

6. Force your opponent to play bingos in a position which gives you a counter play. For example, you might block one of two free bingo lanes obliging your opponent to use a row next to a TWS in which you can score 30 or more points in return.

7. Always keep an eye out for possible front and back extensions to words on the board. Consider extensions that may be more than one letter (i.e. PRE-, OUT-, UN-, RE-, etc.) that you can add to extend your opponents word to a premium square (DWS, TWS). Watch out for playing words in which your opponent can do likewise.

8. Try to minimize your opponent?s scoring opportunities and maximize your own. Very often your opponent will score well off a tile because you put it there.

 

For more advice, see Everything Scrabble by Joe Edley, which is available at major bookstores.

 

 

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