Trix Strategy Guide
Tips and tactics to dominate at Trix
Contract Selection
When you are king, choosing the right contract order can make or break your game. Analyze your hand carefully before selecting.
- Pick the contract where your hand is strongest first. If you have no queens, choose Queens early to guarantee zero penalty.
- Save Trix (shedding) for when you have cards clustered near 7 in multiple suits. Cards far from 7 (A, 2, K) are harder to shed.
- If your hand is weak across all contracts, pick Lutoosh with lots of low cards โ you can avoid winning tricks by playing under.
King of Hearts Strategy
The key is either avoiding the Kโฅ entirely or forcing someone else to take it.
- If you hold Kโฅ, try to dump it when you cannot follow suit. Getting rid of it early prevents the risk of winning it in a trick you lead.
- If you do not hold Kโฅ, avoid winning heart tricks late in the hand when the Kโฅ is likely to appear.
- Lead with low hearts to flush out the Kโฅ early when you have few hearts in hand.
Diamonds Strategy
Every diamond captured costs -10 points. Minimize your diamond exposure.
- Void yourself of diamonds early by dumping high diamonds when you cannot follow suit in other suits.
- Lead non-diamond suits to avoid winning diamond-heavy tricks.
- When following in diamonds, play your highest diamond just below the current winner to avoid taking the trick.
Queens Strategy
Each queen captured is -25 points. Track which queens have been played.
- If you hold a queen, dump it when you cannot follow suit โ this is your best chance to get rid of it without winning a trick.
- Lead low in suits where queens are still outstanding to force them out from other players.
- Playing A or K in a suit before the queen has appeared is risky โ you might win a trick containing a queen.
Lutoosh Strategy
Every trick won costs -15. The goal is to win zero tricks.
- Play the lowest card possible when following suit. Let someone else win the trick.
- When leading, play your lowest card to minimize the chance of winning the trick.
- If you cannot follow suit, dump your highest cards โ this is a safe way to dispose of dangerous high cards.
Trix (Shedding) Strategy
The only positive contract. Race to empty your hand first for +200 points.
- Play 7s early to open new suit sequences. More open sequences means more plays available to you.
- Focus on clearing one suit completely rather than spreading plays across all suits.
- Hold back 7s strategically if you do not have many cards in that suit โ opening the sequence benefits opponents more than you.