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IT APPEARS ...

IT APPEARS ...
Posted by LADY_AWE (VIP) Sep 25 2014 6:50PM
    


So all you seasoned canasta players out there, am I wrong in recognizing that "he who has the most wilds always wins"? And if that is not the case, suggestions please. Its almost like right after the deal, you can pretty much toss it in or start the pile war. I looked here on the site for helpful hints on how to better my play, but there was nothing. Anyone willing to coach a small timer or shall your valuable insights?




Posted by iuuri (VIP) Sep 26 2014 5:50AM
    


Hi there Love! :) First of all, i need to say that i'm very far from being as experienced as most of the canasta players here in game colony. I'm 34 and learnt this game when i was 8. Canasta was the "official game" in my family and we used to play it a lot. Then i knew about yahoo games when i was about 28, and made more or less 6000 games till yahoo games ended this year. Only foud out about game colony in this year's January, when i became pretty much a fan of this site! All this to say that canasta is all about experience! At first you learn the basic, but with time you get to know all the tricks and, above all, you get the dominium of the game phases, wich, in my opinion, is the key to win games! In response to your first question, i don't agree with you. Of course luck is an important issue in canasta, but i've won several games with less wilds than the opponent... There are 108 card, and you can read your opponent's game from the cards that are shown. And then there are the "mind games" between pile wars, that put canasta at the level of a thriller movie! That's what i most enjoy in canasta! :) I bought a small vintage book on ebay, called "canasta", written by Jonh R. Crawford. To be honest, i learnt nothing new from it, but it has lot's of tips and advices that are very usefull! This is just my opinion, and of course it is not "law", just my way of seeing things. Hope you can be successfull in canasta! You've finished 1st in ladder on the previous month, and you're getting allong very well in this one, so that must mean you're a good player! Keep on playing and, above all, let's all have fun! :)



RARE WINS
Posted by LADY_AWE (VIP) Sep 26 2014 8:00PM
    


Come on now ... I have been tracking wins and of course, I will agree, that there are rare circumstances when the player with the lesser wilds wins. But it is few and far between! One of the early lessons I needed to retrain myself with was "patience." It was like I HAD to just show my opponent as quickly as I could what I could meld. I am now holding 'em longer and it has improved my game. So being more covert seems to help. Keep them guessing (which is what I am still doing each and every time I sit down to a table - lol). Anymore ideas or am I asking the wrong crowd?



WILDS..........
Posted by stageinharmony (VIP) Sep 29 2014 5:19PM
    


Well, wilds are certainly significant, but not the be all and end all. There are many facets to this game, and building experience certainly helps, as does playing regularly( my game has deteriorated a little since I stopped playing so much - might have to rectify this!) You seem to be answering yourself to an extent - being less open certainly helps, as does knowing your opponent. I used to know when to bluff certain players that I knew shied away from pile wars. But maybe you ARE asking the wrong people - you are evidently a good player and your opponents may not wish to advantage you further!



wilds
Posted by duddle (VIP) Sep 29 2014 6:49PM
    


here is my input for what it is worth !!!! I feel that when only one canasta is required the player with most wilds will win .With 2 canastas required you play a much more strategic game as you can have all the wilds but if you dont have ( 2) four of a kind it is very difficult even when u have all the wilds. I also would like to see games set where the pile is not frozen which again means you have to play differently and yes getting familiar with how your opponent plays does help . Hope that helps



TOO MANY WILDS
Posted by LADY_AWE (VIP) Sep 29 2014 8:55PM
    


Yes, I too have experienced a ton of wilds with no place to put them. That was quite a shock and extremely frustrating. I kept thinking ... what did I do wrong? When I lose, I do a quick survey of the wild count. But while I tend to get grumpy about it, I have noticed that experienced players don't gloat. Thank you to those who are willing to share their thoughts and advice. Good sportsmanship goes beyond how you play the game. Going to get braver and start focusing my game on a 2 canasta strategy. Thanx again.



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