If you’re doing math in your head while playing, then Dominoes isn’t as fun anymore. You might be trying to decide if Player A gets a blocked round because there was fewer pieces? Or does Player B get it because their tiles has lighter pips? The competition becomes a discussion on house rules and you’re … Read more

Mathematical Trap: From across the table, Ingenious looks like child’s play: “Place a tile, get points. Place a tile, get points.” It sounds easy enough, but beneath that honeycomb of hex tiles lie a clever math trap. Yes, you feel good about placing a tile for points. But while you’re doing that, your opponent is … Read more

Qwirkle looks like an easy little kid’s game with its colorful tiles and uncomplicated shapes. But any player who’s ever given it a try will tell you: the action lie in its scoring system. On the surface, the rules are clear. Just lay down the tiles and draw a line from those with matching colors … Read more

What sounds like a game of dominoes plus a geometry class is actualy quite straightforward, except when it comes time to count scores. Because there are bonus points for shapes, penalty points for what’s left in your rack (which no one else can see), and point totals that fluctuate wildly even within rounds as they … Read more

Sometimes there’s uncertainty at the end of an okey game, where no one recalls order of discards and everyone wonders how final scores could be so lopsided? Was it a joker finish, or did someone forget to record their initial count? That’s where the calculator app comes into play. It’s not necessarily cards that are … Read more

There is a silence when one player clears their rack in Rummikub, and you know it’s different than any other kind of game. The winner isn’t just relieved. Everyone else knows how expensive their remaining tile are going to be, or how horribly theyve played. Scoring in Rummikub is more than math. It’s psychological warfare … Read more

Now it’s your turn; you’re seated opposite a friend who has just played a double-six tile. A previous player left a blank on one side of the train. Glancing down at your hand, you notice that all of your pips doesn’t match. This is where matador dominoes become more than just a matching game. It … Read more