Sleeping Queens is a great family card game that is fun for kids and adults alike. It’s one of my daughter’s favorite card games, so we’ve been playing it quite a bit over the last few years. Even though the game is geared toward kids and families we still tend to get pretty competitive about it. Sleeping Queens is relatively low on strategy as far as card games go, but I have picked up some tips and strategies that can definitely increase your chances of winning.
In general, the best Sleeping Queens strategies are to remember where the Rose Queen is hidden, save your Power Cards until late in the game, and prioritize high-value queen cards. You should also avoid pairing the Dog and Cat Queens together and put the Rose Queen back to sleep when possible.
Remember that Sleeping Queens is still largely a game of luck so these tips don’t ensure victory. However, if you play enough games you’ll find that if you implement these strategies you’ll end up winning more often than most. I’ll dive deeper into how and why to apply these strategies in your own games so you win more often.
Remember where the Rose Queen is hidden
The Rose Queen is the most powerful and desirable card in Sleeping Queens. If you draw the Rose Queen you get to immediately draw another queen card, giving you a significant advantage in the game. The Rose Queen itself is only worth 5 points, but since you also get the points from the subsequent queen draw you always come out 5 points ahead.
If the Rose Queen is ever put back to sleep with a Sleeping Potion make sure to remember where it is placed on the table. The next time you can awaken a queen you can then draw the Rose Queen and a bonus queen.
Tip: If you need a refresher on the rules of Sleeping Queens I have quickly explained them here, complete with video.
Take note of high-value Queen locations
Similarly, you want to try to remember the location of high-value queen cards. Sleeping Queens can be won either by accumulating enough queen cards or enough points. High-value queens are therefore more desirable because they get you closer to your points goal.
The Heart Queen is worth the most points (20), and the Dog, Cat, and Pancake Queens are worth 15 points. When putting queens to sleep with Sleeping Potions, you should generally focus on these queens first. If these queens are ever revealed and put back to sleep, try to remember where they are so that you can draw them later in the game.
| Queen | Point Value |
|---|---|
| Heart | 20 |
| Pancake | 15 |
| Dog | 15 |
| Cat | 15 |
| Ladybug | 10 |
| Moon | 10 |
| Peacock | 10 |
| Sunflower | 10 |
| Cake | 5 |
| Rainbow | 5 |
| Starfish | 5 |
| Rose | 5 |
Be wary of the Dog and Cat Queens
The Dog and Cat Queens are a special case in Sleeping Queens because they are the only two queens who cannot be owned by the same player. If you already have one and you draw the other you must put one back to sleep, losing the points and the queen.
It can be advantageous to have either the Dog Queen or the Cat Queen since they are worth 15 points apiece, but if either is revealed and put back to sleep you want to make sure to remember where they are placed so that you don’t draw them while in possession on the other.
Save your Power Cards for later in the game
Power Cards (Kings, Knights, Dragons, Jesters, Sleeping Potions, and Wands) are what makes Sleeping Queens so fun, and they give you the ability to steer the game in your favor if used wisely. In general, it is best to save your power cards for late in the game when decisions become more important.
CHECK IT OUT: If you like Sleeping Queens, you’ll also love Sushi Go!, another fast and family-friendly game from Gamewright. You can buy it for cheap on Amazon and, as always, read my Complete Strategy Guide to Sushi Go!
Early in the game, you should try to stockpile Power Cards and focus on discarding number cards, which have no strategic purpose. By accumulating lots of Power Cards and saving them for later in the game you give yourself more flexibility to make critical plays as you (and other players) collect more queens.
Put the Rose Queen back to sleep
If a player has drawn the Rose Queen it is usually a good idea to put her back to sleep. This gives you the chance to draw her (and another queen) on a subsequent turn.
Keep in mind that other players will also have the ability to re-draw the Rose Queen. I like to wait to put the Rose Queen back to sleep until I have a King Card in my hand so that I know I’ll be able to draw her myself on my next turn if nobody else has done so first.
Steal high-value queens (usually)
Many new Sleeping Queens players focus too hard on collecting a lot of queens while not placing enough emphasis on the point values of the queens. When stealing a queen with a Knight card, you should generally try to prioritize stealing queens with high point values. This gets you closer to the goal of winning through points.
CHECK IT OUT: Did you know that there’s a sequel to Sleeping Queens? Sleeping Queens 2: The Rescue (link to Amazon) is a smash hit followup that you’re sure to love if you’re a fan of the original.
If the Heart Queen (worth 20 points) is held by another player but you have the option of stealing a queen worth 15 points (Pancake, Dog, or Cat) it might be best to steal the queen worth 15. That way, if another player tries to steal a queen they are more likely to leave you alone and steal the Heart Queen instead. Of course, if stealing the Heart Queen will put you over the point total needed to win you should always steal her.
Use defensive cards sparingly
There are two defensive Power Cards in Sleeping Queens: the Magic Wand and the Dragon. The Magic Wand protects your queen(s) from a Sleeping Potion, and the Dragon protects them from a Knight.
It is tempting to use one of these defensive Power Cards whenever possible, but it is usually best to hold them in reserve to be used at the right moment.
For example, using a Magic Wand card to defend your Starfish Queen very early in the game probably isn’t the best choice. The Starfish Queen is only worth 5 points, and if most players only have 1 or 2 queens at the time you are in no danger of losing. It would be better to hold your defensive card to be used when you are closer to winning the game, or to defend a queen with a higher point value.
Discard number cards as quickly as possible
The number cards in Sleeping Queens hold no strategic value since they can’t be used to directly influence gameplay. Early on in the game, you should prioritize getting rid of number cards and swapping them out for more Power Cards.
It is more efficient to get rid of multiple number cards using the ‘addition’ rule, but since you can only hold 5 cards in your hand it is usually best to just get rid of the number cards as quickly as possible and as soon as they come. Wait until later in the game to play your Power Cards.
Track how many points each player has
Players are required to show their queens in front of them so that other players can keep track of how many queens they have and how many points those queens are worth. Make sure you’re keeping track of the points each player has since he or she could technically win a game with only 3 queens (20+15+15=50).
It’s easy to only watch how many queens each player has, but that’s only half the battle (and the easy half, at that). For example, if one player has the Heart Queen (20 points) and the Pancake Queen (15 points) then you should do everything you can to stop them from getting a third queen. If they draw the Dog or Cat Queen (15 points) then they will win the game!
Thanks for reading! If I missed something or you have your own opinions, please drop a comment below.
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