Strategy

What every ask tells you

A hit

The asker now holds the card, and the player asked does not.

A miss

Neither the asker nor the player asked holds the card.

Any ask

The asker holds another card of that set, until they give away a card that could be it.

Hand sizes

Everyone can count the cards in each hand. If a card can be in only one hand, it is there. If you know every card in a hand, it holds nothing else.

Take sure cards first

A hit keeps your turn, so a card you can place costs nothing to take. Ask for every card you are sure of before you take a risk.

Build a run

A run is a chain of sure asks that ends in a claim. You can win a set for certain when you can place all six cards from what the table has seen, and you hold one of them, so you can ask in it.

When your team holds all six cards and you can place them, claim at once. A claim needs no ask.

Claim when you are sure

A right claim lets your team choose who plays next. A wrong one gives the set away. Claim when the counts make it certain, and guess at a claim only when you have no ask left.

When you must guess

• Never ask a player who you know does not have the card, or for a card you know is somewhere else.
• A miss gives the turn to the player you asked. Before you guess, look at what they could then win for certain, and choose the ask that gives away the least.
• Your ask tells the table that you hold a card of that set. If only one card of the set can be yours, everyone now knows which one.
• When your team is one card short of a set, do not guess at an opponent who may hold that last card, unless you ask for that card.

Choose who plays next

After your team wins a set, give the turn to the teammate who can win the most sets for certain. Their run ends in a claim, so your team chooses again. When you must choose from the other team, give the turn to the player who can win the least.

How the bots play

The bots here follow these same ideas. Each bot sees only its own hand, reads every ask, and gets no help from the other bots.