Lost Cities is a fast-paced card game of adventurous expeditions and daring gambles. Winning requires more than just luck—it demands a superior strategy and sharp intuition. Every card drawn can tip the scales between victory and defeat. Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned player aiming to refine your skills, this strategy guide will help you improve your game and outwit your opponent.
Play just 3 colors (sometimes 4)
You can only play so many cards in a round of Lost Cities, so you can’t spread yourself too thin. I have found that, if possible, it’s usually best to focus on just 3 expeditions (colors). This reduces the negative points you take from starting additional expeditions and allows you to invest the cards you play to make your existing expeditions profitable.
Of course, sometimes plans change. I usually begin every round trying to stick with 3 expeditions but I often usually end up with 4 (or even 5) anyway. For example, sometimes in the middle of a round you might draw several high cards of a color you had originally written off. It makes sense to grab those points, especially if your other expeditions have temporarily stalled due to unlucky card draws.
Play Wager Cards early in the round
This is one of the most basic and well-understood strategies in Lost Cities, but it bears discussion. Wager Cards are the path to big scores, and they can only be played as the first cards in any color. Playing your Wager Cards early establishes them on the board and, perhaps more importantly, gives you more time to draw additional cards and formulate a more long-term plan.
You’ll commonly have more than one Wager Card in your hand to start a round – so how do you know which to play first? If I have the choice, I like to play the color card in which I have the fewest numbers so that I don’t tip off my opponent which color I’d most like to focus on. That way there is a larger chance that they discard a number card in that color (or sometimes even another Wager Card if you wait long enough).
DID YOU KNOW? The latest version of Lost Cities (here on Amazon) features a two-sided game board with a 6th expedition, adding to the fun and strategy!
Focus on scoring big with one color each round
As previously discussed, you’ll almost always end up with at least 3 or 4 expeditions in a round. However, the big scores usually come from one (sometimes two) expedition. Huge scores happen when you manage to play multiple Wager Cards together and then stack high-value number cards on top of them. This usually takes some planning, foresight, and luck to accomplish.
If you get two early Wager Cards in one color then that’s a good indication that you should try to focus on that expedition – especially if you also have some number cards in that color. Try to slow-play the number in that color to give yourself as many opportunities as possible to draw more number cards in that color. That will give you the best chance of scoring well on that expedition as well as notching the 20-point bonus for playing 8 cards in that color.
Know the number of cards left in the draw pile
Every round of Lost Cities is limited by the number of cards left in the draw pile. With 60 cards in the deck and 8 cards in each player’s hand, 44 cards are left in the draw pile. If neither player takes a card from the board during the round, each player will get 22 turns. Always keep this number in mind when making your decisions, because sometimes you simply won’t have enough time to start another successful expedition.
If you draw an unexpected amount of beneficial cards late in the round then you might want to consider slowing the round down by picking cards from the board. This will give you some additional turns to play all of your high-scoring cards, but you’ll want to time it appropriately so that you don’t give your opponent an unnecessary amount of potentially helpful draws from the draw pile. If you see your opponent drawing seemingly useless cards from the board then that’s a good indication that they want to extend the game, so make sure to end the game as quickly as you can by taking from the draw pile.
Cling to cards that would help your opponent
Lost Cities is all about furthering your ambitions while inhibiting your opponent’s progress. Denying beneficial cards to your opponent is a foundational skill if you want to win. As a general rule, you should try to avoid discarding any cards that your opponent could use on an expedition they have already started. This is especially true for expeditions with one or more Wager Cards.
Sometimes, discarding a potentially helpful card is unavoidable. In that case, make sure you do the math before choosing which card to discard. Depending on the presence of Wager Cards, a 4 might be more beneficial to your opponent than a 9 of a different color.
Play the odds when starting an Expedition
Sometimes you might feel hesitant to begin an expedition if you have a Wager Card but no (or very few) number cards in that color. Near the beginning of a round, this usually shouldn’t be much a concern – the odds are that you will draw several of that color before the end of the round.
There are 54 points from number cards in each color. Therefore, statistically, you should plan on an average of 27 points in number cards being added to your hand from each color in a round. You won’t have time to play them all, and they’ll likely come in less-than-ideal orders, but you also get to choose which colors to focus on. The takeaway here is that it’s relatively uncommon to not draw enough points of a color to turn an expedition profitable.
This changes as the round continues, of course. For example, once you’re about 1/3 of the way through a round I would recommend against starting a new expedition with a Wager Card unless you already have at least 10 points worth of cards to add to it.
Don’t be afraid to discard, but be selective
Discarding is a necessary skill in Lost Cities, but it might be the most difficult to master. You don’t want to pass beneficial cards to your opponent, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. In general, I think it’s okay to discard cards with values 5 or lower if your opponent hasn’t begun an expedition in that color yet. They could pick the card up, but with a value of 5 or lower it’s not going to hurt you much.
If you’re in a pinch, sometimes it’s even okay to give a beneficial card to your opponent. You could have a bunch of high cards in one color, waiting to draw one or more Wager Cards to turn them more profitable. It’s okay to discard a 6 that your opponent can use if it gives you another shot at doubling or tripling the value of all your high cards. Take calculated risks – they should pay off over the long run, and it makes the game more fun!
Draw from the pile in most cases
If at least one card has been discarded, each player has the option of drawing a new card from the board or from the draw pile. In general, you should favor drawing from the draw pile because:
- Discarded cards tend to be lower in value than cards from the draw pile
- Discarded cards are usually not wanted by the other player, and are therefore less valuable
- Your opponent won’t know what card you have drawn (more hidden information)
- You increase your odds of drawing valuable cards like Wagers, 9’s, and 10’s
I sometimes won’t even pick up a card from the board worth 4 points or less – even if it’s in a color of an expedition I’ve already started. Cards worth 2, 3, or 4 points don’t move the needle enough to make it worth it unless there are several multipliers on that expedition. Instead, I’ll take my chances with the draw pile in the hopes of drawing a more valuable card.
There are, of course, many exceptions to this rule. Sometimes the circumstances change and a mediocre card on the board suddenly makes a lot of sense to draw, or maybe you’re trying to extend the game to be able to play more high-value cards.
Remember how the scoring math works
The scoring in Lost Cities isn’t overly complicated, but it can be difficult to keep it straight in a fast-paced game. Make sure you have a clear grasp of the rules and how the scoring math works, because it’s easy to make a mistake that can cost you a lot of points.
Always make sure to do the mental math when discarding – especially when choosing between multiple cards that your opponent can use. Don’t discard a 5 instead of an 8 just because the 5 is lower – it might be worth more to your opponent than the 8 depending on their Wager Card and expedition situation.
Play to your outs if you’re behind in the game
If you’re behind in Lost Cities then it’s time to take more chances. Be more aggressive and hope for good card draws. Discard mediocre cards and go all-in on one or two colors, hoping to score huge and pass your opponent. Start a new expedition late in the game and hope to draw some high numbers in that color.
Conversely, if you’re up big then you should play more conservatively. Don’t needlessly start new expeditions that could lose you big points. Draw from the draw pile on every turn and try to run out the clock. Take the sure points and try to leave your opponent with few options.
Thanks for reading! Did I miss something, or do you have some tips of your own? Drop a comment below – I’d love to hear from you.
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