The Core Problem

Sometimes your rack is simply bad. You have seven tiles that do not combine into any valid equation, or the only equations they form score poorly against the current board. You have two options: pass your turn (keep your tiles, lose a turn) or swap your entire rack (lose your tiles, draw new ones, lose a turn). Choosing wrong can cost you the game.

When to Pass

• The tile pool is nearly empty — fewer than 10 tiles remain. Swapping will not significantly improve your rack, and you need to make do with what you have.
• You have 2–3 high-value tiles you want to preserve for a specific upcoming play, and your other tiles are workable.
• The AI is also struggling — if both players pass consecutively, the game ends. If you are ahead on score, ending the game now is in your interest.
• You can form a valid equation, but it scores under 20 points. Sometimes passing is better than placing a move that helps the AI more than it helps you.

When to Swap

• Your rack has no valid placements whatsoever and the pool has 20 or more tiles remaining. There is no reason to hold tiles that cannot be played.
• You have 5–7 low-value tiles (values 1–5) that will never produce a high-scoring equation regardless of board position.
• You need a specific type of tile — a high number for a ×2 cell you have lined up, or an operator tile you are missing — and your current rack cannot provide it.

The Decision Framework

Ask yourself one question before deciding: "If I keep my current tiles for one more turn, do I have a realistic path to a 50-point or higher play?" If yes, pass. If no, swap. The worst outcome is passing multiple turns in a row while the AI keeps scoring — that is when swapping, even at the cost of your good tiles, becomes the only rational move.

The Single-Tile Swap

BEDMAS also has a single-tile swap option. Use this when your rack is mostly strong but one tile is blocking you — typically an extremely low number (1 or 2) or an extremely high number that does not fit any equation you can currently build. The single-tile swap costs a turn but lets you keep the rest of your rack intact.