A family friend “Rob” brought this game by and I kept winning 😂 so I downloaded the app and this is what I learnt…
When the opportunity presents itself; it’s best to give away all the cards you own.
Sometimes having all my cards exposed; after giving every card up will work in my favor. I will get new cards, and playing fair will regularly force the stack to replenish me with better cards that eventually enable me to win.
When I play fair and unselfishly with other players, I’m more likely to win. They are more likely to play fair even if it’s just to see game works in their favor.
Being selfish with my cards towards other players usually costs me the game. I gain more advantage when I help other players and give away some of my best cards, or hidden cards.
Playing the “Skip Card” to see if it makes a difference and makes my hidden cards work better is not always what the creators of the game intended for me to do. And so, it does more damage to my share of cards than what I intended.
Hiding all the bad cards are more often than not the best decision. Don’t let the others see your disadvantage until you’re in a position to overcome it.
Yet hiding the good cards that will help in the future is best, because other players aren’t able to stop me from winning when they see I have a possible advantage.
Exposing the cards which are of higher value e.g. #12 is usually my best decision. This is more often than not, what other players will see as the game changing card. The card that will bring newness. Letting them know I have the fresh start card! Or as Mike Todd would put it … I have “the SAUCE”
Playing offline with the computer, takes almost no effort. I have all the time in the world to waste, then go back to playing because no one is waiting for me to make a move/play. Therefore, winning or losing doesn’t matter so it does not take nor reward me with coins because no investment was made to begin with. I was in the shadows!
Playing in the real world with strangers across the world forced me to put my best shot in. I never know if they are going to be selfish towards me based on my MAIN CARD and my exposed cards, but I hope for the best.
No matter how good I was at the game I did not level up because I was playing in the shadows. Saving my coins for a spree, (coins that I realized were just sitting there that I made no use of or tried to grow) were always a bad decision.
Saving my coins for when I felt like playing a few rounds online and enjoying my ‘real winnings’ were a blast. I enjoyed having enough to have a field day with the Online players but eventually had to go right back to the beginning after I spent it all.
Having spent all my coins to enjoy the Online game like everyone else was a wake up call to being “Skip Bo! Broke”. I needed to either save more, or invest more. Save more and over spend on a game spree, or invest more and not have to worry about what to do if I kept losing more Skip Bo! Coins in the future.
Practicing in the shadows made me a better player and equipped me with the skills I’d need for when I was ready to come into the online battlefield. The real world! Where other participants were waiting to help me win, or take me down!
When playing online against real players I learned to make decisions or act in a timely manner; or the opportunity to do something will run out and the computer will toss up any card it chooses and expose it 🤦🏾♀️. Leave it long enough and the opportunity will be so far gone that I won’t even know how the game ends or who won. 😂 PAY ATTENTION!
Others in the world may help me if they can, but the computer players gave me a hard time. This only enhanced my training and prepared me for playing with real humans who most likely know what they are doing, are pros, or new players with a lot of favor!
You have the choice to play selfishly and risk losing either way, or help other players who’s cards will help you gain advantage.
Take the opportunity to play your cards when you have the chance. And if you are able to stop another player from playing their MAIN CARD before you, then do so. Otherwise prepare for them to finish their MAIN CARD stack before you, because THEY took the opportunity and went for it.
Rely on the stack! The stack is what makes the ultimate decision if you win or not. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it does not. The Stack is what sees how everyone is playing. Playing selfishly always failed me, even when I’m down to my last card and others aren’t.
Having the most MAIN CARD in comparison to other players doesn’t always mean I will lose. The more I gave away, the more favor I was granted when the stack restored my cards. And that favor is what made me win most of the games I played.
Let’s call the number 12 the best card. It’s the least amusing card to have, because you have to wait PATIENTLY to play it. Yet it’s the card that will allow you to complete the PILE and allow others to either start fresh, or create the opportunity for them to build on “eventually”, which may be something you need if you yourself have a middle card (#5).
The card you need to play is exposed for others to see. They will either stop you or help you. The higher the value of the card e.g. #12 they will have NO CHOICE but to help you if they themselves need to play their #10’s or because you’re the one who will bring newness to to PILE and eventually give them an advantage for their next MAIN CARD.
Restarting the PACKING is not always a bad thing. Sometimes a fresh start is exactly what I needed to win.
If I have enough of one card hidden then I can expose it to the other players, to let them know I can help them if needed. They may need my unused card more than I do. Sometimes I do. However when I give it up and add it to the PILE to help another player then it eventually helps me with my other cards. Eg if I have 2 #5 cards, and another player has a #6 MAIN CARD. My #5 will help them to go further, and when the game comes back around the PILE number may be high enough for me to add my #11 card to or I keep building until it does.
To sum it up, being selfish in the game, will cause the game to be selfish back to you. It’s a hard lesson but one worth learning.
How to play!
