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NOT ONLINE Sholly73

Sholly73 has been a member since 11/9/05 and was last logged in on 10/2/18

SHOLLY'S STRATEGY CORNER: Scopa King Training Game 7/22/11 1:36 PM

For those of you who wanted to play the Scopa King Training Game, you'll find it in your challenges now. I suggest you play it through once before reading this blog, then come back here and see what I did and why.

NOTES: I don't note the suits of the cards, except that cards of the Coin suit will be noted in boldface. My plays will be in standard type, computer plays in italics.

Please be advised that my strategies will not always work to your best advantage. This is true in almost every card game--no matter how good your strategy is, there are always deals that can make it look bad.

So without further ado, here's how the game went:

BOARD IS DEALT: 7, Knave, Knave, 3
HAND 1: Knight, 2, King

Me: King takes 7 and 3
My only possible capture at this point. Also the best play because it takes a 7, which is important for your Primiera score, and leaves the CPU with a poor board.
CPU: 5 discarded

Me: Knight discarded
I choose the Knight instead of the 2, because if the CPU has a 7, it can take both number cards. Maybe I can force a useful discard instead.
CPU: 3 discarded

Me: 2 discarded
No such luck--the CPU did have a 7 and held on to it. Had it held a 2 along with the 7, it might have chosen to discard it. This is one of those plays where it didn't matter what I did--in cases like that, you should still do the right thing, just in case.
CPU: 7 takes 5 and 2
Again, nothing could be done. This makes it all the more important to grab the other two 7s if possible.

BOARD: Knave, Knave, Knight, 3
HAND 2: 6, 7, Knight

Me: Knight takes Knight
A no-brainer. Take the Knight of coins with no other capture available. Don't leave it out there in case the CPU has a Knight as well.
CPU: Knight discarded
Sure enough...

Me: 6 discarded
Normally, I'd slightly prefer discarding the non-Coin card, but my other card happens to be a 7. There's always a chance the CPU will have to pitch a 7 or an Ace, in which case I can make a capture instead of discarding it.
CPU: Knight takes Knight
Nothing to be done about that.

Me: 7 discarded
CPU: 2 discarded

BOARD: Knave, Knave, 3, 6, 7, 2
HAND 3: 2, 6, King

Me: King takes 7 and 3
I can make a capture with any of my cards, but only one play takes two cards, including a 7.
CPU: King takes Knave and 2

Me: 6 takes 6
A no-brainer, with only the other Knave and the 6 of Coins on the board.
CPU: 5 discarded

Me: 2 discarded
CPU: 6 discarded
Again, waste no time making captures when you can. Had I not taken the 6 for whatever reason, I would have lost it.

BOARD: Knave, 5, 2, 6
HAND 4: Ace, Ace, Knave

Me: Knave takes Knave
I'd rather take the 6 and 2, but Scopa rules require me to take the Knave instead.
CPU: 4 discarded

Me: Ace discarded
Holding onto the Ace of Coins, in case the CPU doesn't take this one. If you must discard one of a pair and you have the Coin, hold onto the Coin. That one card may mean a 1000 point difference in your score.
CPU: Ace takes Ace
Of course it had an Ace. Yeesh. Realistically though, even if it didn't, there are a lot of number combinations out there, so it could probably have made a combination capture anyway.

Me: Ace discarded
With a shrug.
CPU: 3 takes 2 and Ace
That's the kind of capture YOU want to make--three Coins, taking low cards off the board. Why take the low cards off? To give your opponent fewer opportunities to make combinations.

BOARD: 5, 6, 4
HAND 5: 4, 5, 6
Look at that--my cards match the three board cards. So, what to take first...?

Me: 4 takes 4
For two reasons: One, making sure the Coin ends up in my pile. Two: Taking either of the other two cards would allow for a possible combination for the CPU (though the 6 would have been safe, as all the Knights are gone. Extra points for you if you remembered that). However, 5 and 6 total 11, which means no combo for the CPU.
CPU: 4 discarded

Me: 5 takes 5
Again, getting the lowest card off the board. Had I been thinking about the Knights being gone as noted above, I would have taken the 6 instead. As you're about to see, I paid for my forgetfulness...
CPU: King takes 6 and 4, Scopa
Yep, the King of Coins was still out, but the Knights were all gone. That's why you should try not to leave combinations totaling 7 or 10 on the board when Sette and Re Bello are still out there!

Me: 6 discarded
CPU: 4 discarded

BOARD: 6, 4
HAND 6: 7, 3, 5
If you have a memory sharper than mine, you know what cards the CPU has left, as this is the last deal. If you don't, then the important thing to remember is to give yourself the best chance to make a capture with Sette Bello.

Me: 3 discarded
I have no "safe" discard (without knowing the CPU's hand), but the 3 puts a 7 combination on the board, and I'm pretty sure all the other 7s are gone, so I go with that.
CPU: 2 discarded

Me: 7 takes 4 and 3
Whew! That's 1000 points. That's why making that capture was so important.
CPU: Knave takes 6 and 2, Scopa
Looks like the CPU was setting up too. That means I'll lose the last two cards, but oh well. Getting Sette Bello is too important.

Me: 5 discarded
CPU: Ace discarded, taking the rest for last capture

Bad luck in the score:
I took 19 cards to the CPU's 21--no points
I took 4 Coins to the CPU's 6--no points
I took Sette Bello, but not Re Bello--1000 points
I had the higher Primiera total, thanks to taking three 7s--1000 points
No Scopas for me.

Time Bonus and Primiera score are also figured into the final total, and that's how I got where I got.

The key play of the game was in Hand 5, when I captured the 5 instead of the 6. Had I been paying attention and noticed that all the Knights were out, I would have taken the 6 instead. Then the CPU would take the 4, I'd take the 5 (for a Scopa!) and the CPU would have had to discard Re Bello, giving me a chance to pick it up for last capture at the end. If you care to, play it that way and see how it turns out.

Hope you found this exercise useful. Let me know what you think below. Take care and good luck!

Comments

  • 21balloonz

    LOL, I analyze my games the same way, but can NEVER REMEMBER what has been played (Course I haven't tried that hard...)! I just pray for battles, and three stabs at different results! For example, first two games below 1000, LAST game over 7K!!

  • banhop

    Another thing to think about: try to be the last one to take cards, since that player gets all that remains on the table. It can be useful in the last round -not- to take a combination you have in hand, but first to discard something Might be risky, but can also make you win!


    It can be worth doing this if (a) your pile and the computer's are just about equal, (b) there are several Coins remaining, or (c) there are valuable cards left (7s, Sette or Re Bello). Make sure the reward is worth the risk before refusing the capture in front of you. Thanks for your input!

  • banhop

    even without the game the explanation is useful. Thanks!

  • gsleader1471

    Well, I've told my dailies and a few others of this....very impressive & awfully nice of you. If not too much trouble, & you do it again, could you include me?? thanks!

  • krackajack

    Many thanks,played this 3 times,first score 1992,second 3990 (think),third just over 7000 by trying to remember about the important cards.Have to see if I can repeat when faced with only one attempt.Very useful game & tips.Thanks again..KJ x

  • gsleader1471

    Nice....very nice! Wish I had the game..but you explain it so well....I'll let others know!