Reading Your Rack
Pairs are the scarce resource
Why the pair you already hold should decide your hand.
Intermediate · lesson 1 of 22
A joker can fill any group of three or more. It can never fill a pair, and it can never fill a single. So every pair a hand asks for is a tile you have to find yourself, twice.
That makes pairs the most expensive thing on the card, and it should change how you choose. Two hands the same distance away are not equally close if one of them needs a pair you do not have.
Tip
Start from the pairs you are already holding and look for hands that want them. It is a much better first question than picking a hand you like and hoping.
This is also why the pretty, expensive hands at the bottom of the card stay out of reach. They are mostly pairs and singles, so there is nothing a joker can do for you.
Reading ahead is fine. The path takes lessons in order, so this one ticks off once you get here.
See where you are