Leaster Strategy
When nobody picks, the rules flip - take the FEWEST points to win
What is a Leaster?
A Leaster occurs when all five players pass on picking. Instead of the normal game where you want the MOST points, in a Leaster the player who takes the FEWEST points wins.
The blind stays face-down and goes to whoever takes the last trick. This creates interesting endgame dynamics - sometimes you WANT to lose the last trick!
Core Leaster Strategy
Avoid Winning Tricks with Points
Every Ace (11 pts), Ten (10 pts), and King (4 pts) you capture hurts you. The ideal Leaster hand wins zero tricks, or only wins tricks with zero points.
Low Cards Are Gold
7s, 8s, and 9s are your best friends in a Leaster. They let you follow suit without winning, and they're worth zero points if you do take a trick.
Don't Lead High Cards
Leading an Ace or Ten is usually terrible - you're likely to win the trick AND collect points from everyone else's high cards they dump on you.
The Last Trick Dilemma
Whoever wins the last trick gets the blind (usually 10-20 points). Sometimes it's worth taking a small early trick to avoid being stuck with the last one!
Evaluating Your Leaster Hand
Good Leaster Hand
7ā£ 8ā£ 9ā 7ā„ 8ā¦ 9ā¦
- All low cards (7, 8, 9)
- Can follow suit without winning
- No high trump to get stuck with
- Zero points if you do win
Bad Leaster Hand
Qā£ Qā Aā£ Aā 10ā„ Jā¦
- High trump you can't avoid playing
- Aces will win tricks with points
- You'll collect everyone's point dumps
- Almost impossible to avoid winning
Advanced Leaster Tactics
Dump Your Points Early
If someone else leads high, throw your Aces and Tens on their trick! Get rid of dangerous point cards while someone else takes the hit.
Lead Low Trump
Leading 7ā¦ or 8ā¦ is often safe - higher trump will beat you, and you might pull out someone's Queen or Jack they didn't want to play.
Watch the Last Trick
Count how many tricks have been played. In trick 5-6, be very careful about winning - you might get stuck with the blind's points.
Sometimes Take an Early Trick
If you can win a trick with 0-4 points early, it might be worth it to avoid being forced to win the last trick with the blind.
Use Trump to Escape
If you're void in a fail suit, you can trump low to avoid winning. Playing Jā¦ under someone's Qā£ keeps you out of trouble.
The Blind: The Leaster Trap
The blind typically contains 10-20 points. Since it goes to whoever wins the last trick, this creates a dangerous endgame.
Endgame Scenarios:
- You have 0 points going into trick 6: Try to lose it! Even taking 20 from the blind means you have 20 total.
- You have 15 points going into trick 6: If blind has ~15, you'll tie or lose. Consider taking it if others have less.
- Someone else has 30+ points: You can probably afford to take the blind and still win.
Common Leaster Mistakes
Leading Aces
You'll win the trick AND everyone will dump their 10s and Kings on you. Disaster.
Forgetting About the Blind
Winning the last trick costs you ~15 extra points. Plan ahead!
Playing High Trump Early
Save your Queens and Jacks. You might need them to intentionally over-trump later.
Not Dumping Points
When someone else is winning, throw your highest point cards. Don't hold them!
Leaster Pro Tips
- ā¢ Track points: Know roughly how many points each player has taken
- ā¢ 7s and 8s are premium: They almost never win tricks
- ā¢ Void suits help: You can trump low to duck out of winning
- ā¢ Queens are liabilities: You can't play under them
- ā¢ Consider passing strong hands: If everyone has weak hands, a Leaster favors the weakest