Board Game Strategies That Could Change Your Holiday Gatherings

When gathering for the holidays, many people will gather around the table and play board games. From classics like Monopoly and Scrabble to newer hits like Ticket to Ride and Wingspan, gaming is a popular way to pass the time with family and friends. Now, gaming experts have gotten together to reveal winning hacks for many longtime popular games. Cormac Moylan, with the digital game store Loaded, teamed up with Snakes and Lattes board game cafes to unveil some winning strategies.

What are some of the games they have tips for?

For Monopoly, Moylan's team suggests buying the orange properties of St. James Place, Tennessee Avenue, and New York Avenue. He says those properties are mathematically the most landed on spaces due to their proximity to Jail and Chance Cards. Players who buy orange early have a 40% higher win rate. Also, the group says don't build hotels; you get more bang for your buck by only building three houses on a property.  Check out below for some more winning tips for other popular games:

SCRABBLE:  Learn those unusual 2-letter words like Qi, Za, and Xu. Anais Guibert with Snakes and Lattes says there are 124 two-letter words accepted in tournament play that can increase your score by as much as 30%.

CLUE: The expert team says send others on a wild goose chase by making false suggestions with cards that you own, so that way they waste time trying to disprove it.

RISK:  Secure Australia first. It has only one border to defend, and you get the guaranteed bonus. They also say to focus on continent bonuses over individual territory count, and card trades are more beneficial than territories, so time them right.

UNO:  The Snakes and Lattes Toronto store says challenge Wild +4 when played. A player cannot normally play a Wild +4 unless they have no other legal cards, if you succeed, they have to draw 4 cards instead.

BOGGLE:  Don't worry about misspelling words. While they won't earn points, you won't get penalized either.

CATAN:  Hugh Wyeth, co-owner of Bad Moon Cafe, says ore and wheat are the most valuable resources, so try to grab those with a 6 or 8 during setup to get off to a good start.

Moylan says there is a renaissance in strategic board gaming over Christmas, so more and more people are interested in understanding the games they are playing rather than relying on luck. So bone up on the rules and those winning methods before those games hit the table for New Year's.

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READ MORE FROM AUTHOR PAUL HABSTRITT