How to play 24/7

24/7 is easy to learn and takes only a couple of minutes to explain. Click on the file below to see a short tutorial on how to play. Once you’ve reviewed the rules check out the basic strategies.

How to turtorial:

Basic Strategies: The 3 Phases of Play:

24/7 has 3 distinct phases of play that requires a slight shift in strategy within each phase:

Phase 1: The start-game.

What it looks like: Board is greater than 75% empty. Very few tiles are in play in this phase, so there are not as many scoring opportunities and low ones at that.

Offense: Look for “Sums of 7” and “Runs of 3.” Try to capitalize on the Double Time spaces to turn these meager scores into decent ones. A series of “Sums of 7” or “Runs of 3” played on the Double Time space will give you an early lead.

Defense: If you can’t score on your turn, play a tile whose sum is greater than 7, but less than 14. Your opponent may have the right tile for a quick “Sum of 7” or “Sum of 24” so be careful not to set him/her up!

Phase 2: The mid-game.

What it looks like: There are numerous tiles in play during this phase, making it rich with scoring opportunities. This is your best chance of moving ahead of your opponent if you play the right tiles.

Offense: Scan the board in all four directions looking for “Sums of 24” first. This score is mid-range, but they’re much easier to find than the big “Runs or Sets” or the oh-so difficult to find “Over Time” bonuses. You might try baiting your opponent by playing a tile that gives them an easy score, but sets you up for an even bigger score. Set yourself up by playing a pair that is open at both ends. On your next turn, you can score a “Set of 3” (or possibly a “Set of 4” if your opponent takes the bait!).

Defense: Look out for the easy score. It may prove more advantagious to your opponent by providing him/her with an even bigger scoring opportunity. Play a tile that blocks potential big scoring opportunities (big Sets/Runs). With more tiles on the board, it is impossible to block all plays. Be careful your block doesn’t provide another scoring opportunity.

Phase 3: The end-game.

What it looks like: tiles and stones take up about 75% of the board. Scoring opportunities are few and far between, similar to the start-game. If your opponent has a big lead, it can be difficult to catch up, but not impossible.

Offense: If you can, try to save your smaller numbers for this phase. You definately don’t want a handful of large numbered tiles in your rack. The smaller numbers will come in handy for those remaining “Sums of 24” and “Sums of 7” which just might help push you over the top.

Defense: Time to start plugging those holes by playing tiles that block your oppentent from scoring. This is especially true if you have the lead and want to keep it that way.

If you have a strategy you’d like to share, please send it to us. If we think it is valuable, we may post it.