Is there an advantage to going first in Scrabble?

There is an adage in Scrabble that says “the player going first will win 54% of the time – all other things being equal”. Going first allows you to control the board – you determine whether your move will be horizontal or vertical , expose a premium square or a double word file, close or open the board.

Does it matter who goes first in Scrabble?

The player with the highest final score wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with the highest score before adding or deducting unplayed letters wins.

How do you decide who goes first in Scrabble?

To determine who goes first, each player draws a letter – the player with the letter closest to “A” goes first. The ‘blank’ tile automatically goes first. Ensure you thoroughly remix the tiles before drawing letters. Each player draws 7 letters and places them on his or her letter rack.

What’s the best way to play Scrabble to win?

Start by learning some of these Scrabble hacks and then go play the game. If you have still trouble with winning then learn a couple more strategies. Repeat this until you win every game. You might be surprised to find out that professional players use short words often. Using short words can give you an up to 50 points advantage.

Which is the second step in playing Scrabble?

The second step is being able to read your opponent and make a correct assessment about their abilities. Scrabble is not a game of luck, it is one of skill. Every player has his or her own playstyle.

What makes a person an advantage in Scrabble?

A large vocabulary will give you an advantage in Scrabble. This is why it makes sense to learn new words from the official dictionary. It is also wise to study words with which you can score big. You might often find yourself in a tight spot where you have either too many vowel or consonant tiles in your rack.

Which is the best way to order tiles in Scrabble?

Make finding new word ideas easier for yourself by ordering all tiles in your rack by prefixes and suffixes (lose letters that will not fit anywhere). Put word beginnings to the left side of the rack and word endings to the right side of your rack. This layout structure will help you discover new options faster.

Start by learning some of these Scrabble hacks and then go play the game. If you have still trouble with winning then learn a couple more strategies. Repeat this until you win every game. You might be surprised to find out that professional players use short words often. Using short words can give you an up to 50 points advantage.

How is the first turn scored in Scrabble?

If the play stands, the first play is not doubled, but it is scored according to whatever premium squares that it covers. The second player may then play across the center star, earning a double word score.

Do you play your first word vertically or horizontally in Scrabble?

Finally, a number of tournament players play their first word vertically, but the majority don’t. It makes no difference, particularly in a casual game, since the board is symmetric, but some tournament players do it to throw their opponent off of their rhythm. As mentioned, only the first rule is an official rule.

What happens when you play one letter at a time in Scrabble?

Playing one letter at a time usually means you’re scoring very few points. Even if you magically draw the A for NUCLEAR and score 70 points, it may not be enough to make up for all the low-scoring plays you made on the previous turns.