# Quick Scrabble rules question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718 "2004-12-02T17:26:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/1 "2004-12-02T17:26:13Z")
Apologies if this is on the box lid but I just thought of it today. I hit my first “bingo” last night (the word was RELISHES) which included a double word score. Does the 50-point bingo bonus also double or is the bingo bonus an add-on after all other scoring is calculated? Since it didn’t occur to me until well after the fact we scored it as an undoubled add-on. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/2 "2004-12-02T17:32:48Z")
Nope, the bonus doesn’t double. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/3 "2004-12-02T17:34:39Z")
No, the 50 points is above and beyond the regular score. Not doubled. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/4 "2004-12-02T17:52:03Z")
Oh well. So I only crushed her by 100 points instead of 150. I’ll live. ---
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/5 "2004-12-02T18:05:43Z")
Just imagine if the rule had been the other way and you played your bingo across two triple word scores… 😃 Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/6 "2004-12-02T18:11:57Z")
SInce Scrabble has come up as a topic, I suggest reading [“Word Freak”](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0142002267/002-0656112-6469667?v=glance) by Stefan Fatsis. It was fascinating and I have been hounding people to play ever since. FTR, I don’t think I’d want to replace my passion for words with a passion for strategy/victory/rules minutia, as the players in the book seem to have done, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a brilliant game. I still remember my first bingo. “CAVALIER,” and I got it on my opening draw. I was as surprised as the people against whom I was playing. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/7 "2004-12-02T18:13:31Z")
Should have added the little brackets that meant I played it across the “E.” Ooops. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/8 "2004-12-02T19:36:03Z")
Oh, I suppose I should include my brackets too: RELI[S]HES. I was also playing both of the blanks (for the final ES, is there a notation for that?). ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/9 "2004-12-02T20:39:37Z")
We play a cheaty variation of Scrabble in which each player gets 9 tiles instead of 7. It makes bingos far more common, and makes the game move a lot faster. I like it. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/10 "2004-12-02T20:59:42Z")
OK, since you’re all here to fight ignorance, why doesn’t someone fight a little of mine, and explain to me what a “bingo” is in the game of Scrabble. Please? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/11 "2004-12-02T21:01:06Z")
When you use all seven of the tiles on your rack in a single turn. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/12 "2004-12-02T21:23:20Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > We play a cheaty variation of Scrabble in which each player gets 9 tiles instead of 7. It makes bingos far more common, and makes the game move a lot faster. I like it. > Daniel I assume a “bingo” the way you play would still mean just 7 tiles, instead of the 9 that constitutes a full rack (again, the way you play)? Cheater! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/13 "2004-12-02T21:35:28Z")
> [@Fiver](#): > > I assume a “bingo” the way you play would still mean just 7 tiles, instead of the 9 that constitutes a full rack (again, the way you play)? Bingo. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/14 "2004-12-02T23:08:06Z")
Oh. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/15 "2004-12-02T23:22:09Z")
I played Australian rules once. You know, you have to words that don’t exist. My favorite was Euralaivydongs ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-scrabble-rules-question/277718/16 "2004-12-03T06:24:15Z")
I forget what the word was when I played my first bingo, but I recall it was on a triple word score and I was quite pleased with myself, heh. I was playing against mom the other day, and losing. About 6 turns before the end I managed to play PEERING on a double word score, and in my next turn I did a play on a triple word score. Moral of the story: picking up 135 points towards the end is a great way to come from behind and win. 😃 **Happy Scrappy** , Word Freak is atop my must-read list. My dad picked it up from the library for me a week ago but I just don’t have the time to read it, so come winter break that’s going to be the first thing I do.