The difference between winning and losing Ticket to Ride often depends on making strategic decisions. Anyone aged eight and up should be able to enjoy the game, but becoming skilled at ticket to ride strategy requires understanding concepts like route efficiency and ticket selection effectively.
A single 6-train section awards 15 points, which exceeds most tickets in the game! This fact expresses why winning at ticket to ride involves more than just connecting random cities - it requires calculated moves.
1. Choose the Right Starting Tickets
Your first vital decision in Ticket to Ride happens before you put a single train on the board. The tickets you pick at the start shape your whole strategy and can make or break your chances to win.
Pick one long route with high points
Smart players know that destination tickets aren't all worth the same. Long routes give you the most points, making them the best picks right from the start. The most valuable destination tickets in the game include:
- Seattle to New York (22 points)
- Los Angeles to New York (21 points)
- Los Angeles to Miami (20 points)
- Vancouver to Montreal (20 points)
These high-scoring tickets are the core of any winning strategy. You should grab at least one long ticket (longer than length 12) to give your game direction and establish yourself across much of the board.
Long tickets also give you better value because they help you make the most of your limited turns. Each route costs one turn no matter its length, so longer routes naturally give you more points per move.
It also puts you in a great spot to grab that valuable 10-point "Longest Continuous Path" bonus when the game ends. This bonus often decides who wins in close games.
Look for overlapping smaller routes
After you've got your high-value ticket, look for smaller ones that fit with your main route. The quickest way to win comes from making your paths overlap.
To name just one example, if you're building Seattle to New York, a ticket from Pittsburgh to Denver fits perfectly because it uses the same path. This lets you complete multiple tickets with the same trains, basically scoring twice for the same work.
The board has two areas where routes overlap best:
- Down the centre of the US map
- Along the east coast
These spots get pretty competitive in serious games. Keep an eye on tickets with New York and Los Angeles - these cities connect to many high-value routes.
Routes that overlap create a natural flow in your game. Building toward your main destination moves you closer to your other goals, making your strategy work better.
Avoid scattered or conflicting tickets
Knowing which tickets to toss is just as important as picking the right ones. The game starts by dealing you three destination tickets, and you must keep at least one. This gives you the chance to dump tickets that don't fit your plan.
Toss out tickets that make you build in completely different parts of the board. Scattered tickets force you to spread your trains too thin, making it hard to finish any of your routes.
In spite of that, don't bite off more than you can chew. Players often keep too many tickets, especially big ones they can't finish. Note that incomplete tickets cost you points at the end, a nasty surprise that can wipe out your lead.
Your train supply needs careful thought when picking tickets. Even with the right cards late in the game, you might run out of actual trains. Try to keep about five trains ready for unexpected detours.
The tickets you pick at the start often determine who wins. Poor tickets with no overlap or only small rewards put you behind good players from the start. If this happens, try drawing more tickets early to find a long, valuable route.
Here's the bottom line: picking your starting tickets needs the right mix of ambition and practicality. Pick one high-value destination as your main goal, add smaller tickets that share the same path, and drop anything that spreads you too thin. This sets you up for success as the game unfolds.
2. Collect Train Cards Efficiently
You need to focus on collecting the right train cards after selecting your tickets. Card collection might look simple. The way you draw cards can make all the difference between winning and losing.
Start with face-down cards to stay hidden
Your main goal in the opening rounds should be to build a diverse hand while keeping other players guessing. Drawing from the face-down deck at the start gives you key strategic advantages:
"Building a card arsenal early puts you in the perfect position to start laying down whole sections of track at once," notes one expert player. This lets you gather cards without showing which colours you want.
Blind draws from the deck give you about a 20% chance to get any specific colour from a full deck. Better yet, each blind draw is a chance to get valuable wild cards without revealing your strategy to others.
Yes, it is essential to keep other players guessing about your route plans to win Ticket to Ride. Players can't block your intended routes if they don't see which cards you're collecting.
Switch to face-up cards when targeting colours
The time comes to change your strategy once you know which routes you need. Drawing from face-up cards becomes more useful at this point.
Keep these principles in mind:
- Watch the face-up cards for colours you need
- Note that each colour has exactly 27 route segments on the board
- Track which colours show up often in the face-up display
You can gain an edge by taking control of specific colours. Take cards of a particular colour whenever they appear face-up. This helps you build your hand and stops others from getting those cards.
This works best in games with 2-3 players. The face-up card pile changes less often, making it harder for others to spot and counter your colour-hoarding plan.
Many players don't realise how well this works. You can block others from finishing their routes by controlling a vital colour, even if they've started building toward them.
Save wild cards for critical routes
Wild locomotive cards are without doubt the most valuable in the game. The deck has only 14 wild cards. Each one is precious and needs smart use.
To get the most value:
- Keep wild cards for vital routes instead of easy connections
- Use them mainly for routes where you can't get the right colours
- Save them for tunnel and ferry routes that often need them
The rules for drawing wild cards work differently based on where you take them from. You can only take one card on your turn if you grab a face-up wild locomotive. But if you draw a wild card from the face-down deck, you can still take a second card.
This creates an interesting choice: take a sure wild card from display or try drawing two cards that might include a wild.
Don't take face-up wild cards until late in the game. Use them only in emergencies - like someone about to take a route you need or when most cards of a colour you want are gone.
A balanced hand with multiple colour options gives you flexibility throughout the game. Having diverse card options lets you adapt your strategy as routes get blocked and plans change.
3. Secure Key Routes Early
Your Ticket to Ride strategy can succeed or fail based on claiming the right routes at the right time. Plan your path after getting your original cards. The next crucial step is to claim important connections before other players block you.
Identify chokepoints like Las Vegas or Houston
Experienced players quickly spot several strategic bottlenecks on the Ticket to Ride board. These chokepoints connect different regions of the board and players often fight over them throughout the game.
The most crucial chokepoints are:
- Houston to New Orleans (grey route)
- Nashville to Atlanta
- Los Angeles to Phoenix
These passages matter because they're usually the only practical way to connect major parts of your network. The Houston to New Orleans grey route becomes vital when you try to complete the valuable Los Angeles to Miami route (20 points). You'll waste trains and turns on long detours without this connection.
Two-player games make more chokepoints important, including Seattle to Portland and Dallas to Houston. Once claimed, these natural bottlenecks can limit your opponent's choices.
Claim short grey routes before others do
Grey routes need special attention in any ticket to ride strategy. Players can claim them using any matching set of coloured cards, unlike coloured routes that need specific card sets. These routes are available to everyone, no matter which colours they collect.
Grey routes disappear first from the board because of this flexibility. Their strategic value is a big deal as it means that their worth goes beyond just points.
The grey Houston to New Orleans route might score just a few points, but smart players claim it before gathering cards for longer, higher-scoring routes. This creates an interesting challenge - claim too early and everyone knows your plan, wait too long and someone else takes the route.
Timing becomes everything in this situation. The best approach is to grab these vital grey routes once you have enough matching cards, but not so soon that clever opponents figure out your whole strategy.
Protect cities with limited connections
Controlling cities with few access points is another key to securing early routes. Pittsburgh has many connections (7 in total), but other cities have just one or two ways in and out.
Las Vegas shows this perfectly with only two single tracks connecting to other cities. The first player to claim these routes controls Las Vegas access and can block opponents who need this city.
Cities with limited access naturally become control points on the board. You create a strong network base and restrict your opponents by establishing your presence early at these locations.
The best results come from building at both ends of your planned routes instead of working from one end to the other. This approach, combined with securing chokepoints and grey routes, creates a strong framework that opponents struggle to break.
Understanding the board's geography and spotting these vital connections are the life-blood of how to always win ticket to ride. Like chess, early control of these strategic points helps you throughout the game, well before the final scoring.
4. Build Routes Strategically
Your train placement on the board can reveal or hide your destination tickets. A perfect ticket selection and enough cards won't help if you place your trains poorly. Let's look at how you can build routes to win more games.
Avoid straight routes that reveal your plan
New players often make the mistake of building a direct path between destinations. This gives away their plans to watchful opponents who can then block their progress.
Building your route from start to finish isn't smart. You should create separate track segments in different areas of the board. This keeps other players guessing about your destination tickets and makes it harder to mess up your strategy.
"A linear path can be a dead giveaway when the goal is not to let other players know what you're planning". When you keep others guessing about your destinations, they focus on their own plans instead of disrupting yours.
Place trains in the middle to confuse opponents
A clever ticket to ride strategy puts trains somewhere in the middle of your planned route before connecting them to either destination. You can build a continuous track without making your goals obvious.
Gather train cards for several turns, then play trains in quick succession. You'll complete big parts of your route before others can react. This works best when you have enough cards to claim multiple connections at once.
This middle-out approach gives you options. If someone blocks part of your route, you'll usually have other paths available without scrapping your whole plan.
Use long routes for better point efficiency
Here's how different route lengths score points in ticket to ride:
|
Train Cars |
Points Earned |
|---|---|
|
1 car |
1 point |
|
2 cars |
2 points |
|
3 cars |
4 points |
|
4 cars |
7 points |
|
5 cars |
10 points |
|
6 cars |
15 points |
A single 6-car route gives you 15 points, while six 1-car routes only add up to 6 points. This is a big deal as it means that longer routes score much more efficiently.
Long connections offer another benefit - they help complete your destination tickets better. Even without a specific ticket, a 6-train section can score more than many tickets.
Look for ways to match your destination tickets with these longer connections. To cite an instance, the Los Angeles to New York route scores 21 points and lets you use several high-value long routes.
Success comes from balancing key chokepoints with longer, efficient routes. Long routes might seem risky, but their point value makes them worth the investment.
5. Control Information and Deceive Opponents
The psychological side of Ticket to Ride is what sets champions apart from good players. Players who control information can mislead their opponents and learn their plans.
Draw from the deck to hide your strategy
The face-down pile serves two purposes. You get a chance to collect any colour or wild cards you need. Your opponents won't know which colours you want.
Blind draws throughout the game hide your plans well. Other players can't figure out your routes easily. This approach becomes more valuable midway through when players start watching your every move.
Pro tip: You should think about taking cards from the face-up display that another player needs, even if you don't want them. This defensive move forces them to waste turns waiting for new cards.
Watch opponents' moves for clues
Players give away their plans through subtle behaviours:
- Which face-up cards do they consistently take?
- What areas of the board do they repeatedly examine?
- Do they appear disappointed when certain routes are claimed?
These little signs often reveal where they want to go. You can block their vital connections by watching these behaviours and predicting their next moves.
You'll learn how to spot which routes matter most to your opponents based on where they've already built. This insight lets you block them at just the right moment for maximum impact.
Use fake tells to mislead others
Smart players create false impressions about their strategy. A great trick is to pretend you need cities that aren't part of your plan. Looking at parts of the board you don't care about or acting upset when someone claims an unimportant route will fool others into blocking the wrong paths.
Stockpiling specific colours creates an artificial lack of those cards. Other players will struggle to find the colours they need when you hold onto cards without using them. This works best after the first reshuffle, when specific colours become harder to find by a lot.
6. Adapt and Finish Strong
The right timing to change gears can reshape a potential loss into a clear win in Ticket to Ride. Your game's outcome often depends on how well you adapt and make the most of your final moves.
Draw new tickets only when you're ready
The middle of the game offers the best chance to draw more destination tickets. You should ideally have completed most of your original routes and still have at least 17 trains available. This gives you enough resources to tackle new challenges while building on your network.
Players often make the mistake of drawing tickets too soon. They do this before they understand which areas of the board are getting crowded. Take several turns to spot major bottlenecks and see which regions remain available before you commit to new destinations.
Late-game ticket draws can give you quick, easy points. This works especially well if you have good horizontal control across the board. You might find that all but one of these new tickets connect cities you've already linked, which means free points without extra work.
Change plans if blocked or stuck
Knowing when to switch direction is vital to any winning ticket to ride strategy. Watch for these warning signs that show your current plan needs a change:
- Another player blocks a route you need
- You keep waiting for specific coloured cards that rarely show up
- You don't have enough trains for your planned routes
Create backup options right away. Try using shorter connected routes through different cities or find paths around blockages. Smart players always keep alternative routes ready for important connections.
Use remaining trains for high-value routes
Keep track of each player's train supply and scores throughout the game. This helps avoid surprises, like someone ending the game while you're still working on significant tickets.
If you have a comfortable lead, you might want to end the game quickly. Claim long routes, even ones not connected to your tickets. A single 6-train route gives you 15 points, which often beats many ticket values.
Note that the game ends when any player has two or fewer trains left, and everyone gets one final turn after that. This knowledge helps you time your last moves perfectly to secure your win.
Key Takeaways
- Becoming skilled at Ticket to Ride needs strategic thinking and tactical execution. Players can boost their chances of winning through smart ticket selection, quick card collection, and clever route building.
- Top players focus on high-value tickets that have overlapping routes. Stay flexible and adapt when your main plans hit roadblocks.
- Card collection is the foundation of any winning strategy. Drawing from face-down cards keeps your plans hidden from others.
- Smart use of wild cards on crucial connections gives you the most value. Your routes should confuse opponents instead of revealing your strategy - this sets you apart from casual players.
- Players who plan several moves ahead excel at this game. These strategies help you claim the longest route bonus and complete more destination tickets than before.
FAQs
Q1. What are the key strategies for winning Ticket to Ride? The key strategies include choosing high-value destination tickets that overlap, securing critical routes early, collecting train cards efficiently, building routes strategically to confuse opponents, and adapting your plan when blocked. Balancing ticket completion with long route building is crucial for maximising points.
Q2. How important is luck versus strategy in Ticket to Ride? While luck plays a role in card draws and ticket selection, strategy is paramount for success. Skilled players can mitigate bad luck through efficient route planning, strategic card collection, and adapting to opponents' moves. Good decision-making throughout the game is more important than lucky draws.
Q3. When is the best time to draw new destination tickets? The ideal time to draw new tickets is typically in the mid-game, when you've completed most of your initial routes and still have at least 17 trains remaining. This allows you to build upon your established network while having enough resources to tackle new challenges.
Q4. How can I prevent opponents from guessing my strategy? To keep your strategy hidden, draw cards from the face-down pile, build disconnected segments across the board instead of linear paths, and place trains in the middle of your intended routes. You can also use fake tells, like pretending to focus on irrelevant cities, to mislead opponents.
Q5. What's the most efficient way to score points in Ticket to Ride? Prioritise longer routes for better point efficiency. A single 6-train route is worth 15 points, significantly more than multiple shorter routes. Also, focus on completing high-value destination tickets and try to secure the longest continuous path bonus. Balancing these elements is key to maximising your score.
