Tips and Strategy for Creights – Beware!

Honestly, I probably shouldn’t be writing this page. Sure, there are some effective ways to increase your odds of winning Creights. There are specific opportunities to watch out for – cards to love and loathe – tactful maneuvers to better destroy your opponents. But that isn’t what the game of Creights is about! Well, it is about destroying your opponents… but it’s not about strategy.

Creights is a game of speed. The five-second rule exists for a reason. The faster everyone plays, the more fun it is. Slowing down enough to calculate every decision… well, it just sucks the fun right out of the game!

Don’t Let Strategy Spoil the Game

The only way I’d recommend employing any type of Creights strategy is if done so with natural flare. Don’t let those five seconds tick down as you go back and forth from one card to the next, carefully deducing which would be best to play. Know what you have, how it can help you, who it can hurt—never hesitate.

Fortunately, unlike most card games, once you become familiar enough with the rules, strategic game play comes pretty natural. You’ll only need a bit of practice to get it right, without interrupting the flow of the game.

To avoid spoiling all the fun, I would suggest reading over the following Creights tips and strategies, and implementing them a little at a time. With enough experience, they’ll become second nature. Until then, keep it light, and above all, have fun!

Tips and Strategy for Creights

You’ve made it this far through my ramblings (or just scrolled past them – whatever). Now for the good stuff. Lock and load your arsenal of cards as we deploy various tactics to finish on top.

Keep Your Friends Close

No, not your friend-friends, or your partners—your card friends. 3s and Aces are your best friends, and the best cards to hold onto. Aces will help you in a Crank, and are worth very little points. 3s are great for covering high-point cards. Holding onto 8s and 9s might seem like a great idea, since you can play them on anything, but get caught with these, and the penalty points are tremendous!

Be careful not to be caught with nothing but an Ace and 3, either. 3s cannot cover Aces. And by some rules, if you have an 3 left that can’t cover, it’s an instant 100 penalty points—Youch! Knowing the cards and all their powers can keep you out of sticky situations.

Apply Pressure to Wounds

When the deck is very low, and you know an opponent is out of a certain suit, exploit it to the fullest. You (and your partners, if applicable) should shovel as many extra cards as possible down this player’s throat in hopes he or she will get the pressure.

If you’re not playing with partnerships, this is a perfect time to play a 5. Cause everyone else to draw, guaranteeing anyone but you gets the pressure. If there’s just a single card left in the stock pile, dropping a 7 will do just as well.

Crank it Up!

Hold onto Aces and 2s. If you have at least two of them, play the 2 to start a Crank. The odds of everyone else being able to keep are slim to none, forcing cards onto another player. If that player happens to be on or close to one card, all the better!

Don’t Be a Dumbass

In the right (or wrong) crowd, dumbass cards can be doled out in quick succession. As I said before, don’t jump into this game without full knowledge of the rules and the powers of each card (see Creights Rules and Variations below). Calling an illegal card, an illegal suit on a 9, playing out of turn, and simply being unaware that it is your turn—these are very common dumbass moves in Creights. Pay attention!

That’s about all the help I can give you. Be sure to read some of our other Creights materials below to learn more about this fast and furious card game.

How to Play Creights in Canada (Standard Rules)
More Ways to Play Creights (Rule Variations)
History of Creights Card Game