Jenga Tips & Tricks:Jenga Strategy to Stack & Play Jenga!

Basana Saha

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If you are looking for tips and tricks on Jenga, then here you will find these and also proper strategies to play Jenga and it will help you to win Jenga.

Jenga is a game of patience, strategy, and a little bit of luck. It is no secret that winning in the game of Jenga requires both skill and strategy.

The game is simple enough that anyone can pick it up and play, but winning is another matter entirely. 

This is a game that involves and improves your manual dexterity.

I have been playing Jenga for more than 5 years, and with my experience, I am writing this post.

Jenga Tips and Tricks with Strategy

Let’s get started!

About Game of Jenga

Jenga is a popular game that can be played by people of all ages. It consists of 54 pieces of rectangular wooden blocks of similar dimensions(Not a single block is thicker or thinner than the other) stacked in 18 rows with 3 in each row.

The objective of the game is to remove blocks from the stack without causing the stack to collapse.

It is much different than playing board games.

During the initial stacking before the start of the game, you need to make a stable tower out of the 54 blocks.

Your tower needs to be balanced and stable. 

You can take the cardboard tray given with the Jenga set to stack it up or use your steady hands to build the tower.

However, I would say, using the cardboard tray is easier and it would automatically lead to the creation taller and more stable tower.

Then once they are stacked, you need to move one block at a time. You need to repeat this by taking turns with your opponent.

In each turn, you need to remove a block using one hand at a time and place it at the top.

You can use only one hand at a time and simultaneous use of both hands is not allowed in the Jenga game.

To maintain the stability of the structure think that whatever the move you take you to need to maintain the center of gravity for the Jenga tower.

Once the tower collapses, the person causing it to fall loses the game.

The last person remaining in the game wins the game.

This game can take too long to finish if your opponents and you both play well.

If you do not know the rules of Jenga yet, you can check this guide here. Also, you can check the Jenga moves which are not valid here.

There are various versions of this game and the size of the blocks differs from them.

One of the popular variations of Jenga is Giant Jenga. (You can check the Rules of Giant Jenga Here.)

Tips for Winning in Jenga

Jenga is a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a simple game that can be played with just a few pieces of wood and a little bit of patience. 

While the game may seem easy, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances of winning.

Here are tips on how to win in Jenga:

1. Start from the Sides of the Top Rows

When you are playing Jenga and trying to remove a block, it is important to start from the top and specifically the side pieces.

Alternately, you can look at the center blocks from the top rows(not the topmost, but any top row from below the topmost completed row).

There the blocks are slightly looser and easily removable.

This will help you to gather out all the low-hanging fruits that can be easily removed without even impacting the balance of the tower.

2. Identify the Loose Blocks

It is important to be able to identify the most easily removable blocks out in your Jenga.

You will see that some of the blocks feel much more easily removable and are like loosely attached.

Once you figure them out easily in your game, then sustaining for long in the game is easy.

3. Be careful with your moves

When you are playing Jenga, you need to be careful with your moves. If you make a mistake, it could cause the whole structure to collapse.

4. Take your time and focus

If you want to win in Jenga, you need to take your time. This is a game that requires patience and if you rush your moves, you are more likely to make a mistake.

Also, focus before you remove any block from the Jenga Tower.

If you don’t focus and remove blocks then any shake can impact and make the Jenga tower collapse.

5. Have Practice

Another tip is to practice, practice, practice.

Though Jenga Looks very simple to play, once you play for some time you will know how challenging it is.

The more you play, the better you’ll get and the more likely you are to win.

6. Push Jenga Blocks on the Other Side

When it’s your turn to move the Jenga Block, most people try to pull a block out.

However, it is much more stable when you first gently tap a Jenga block to loosen it and then slowly push the block out using one hand.

In this way, the impact on the tower would be less and you would easily be able to remove one block.

7. Stay calm

Your opponent may try to break your focus and distract you while playing Jenga.

So, stay calm and try to concentrate while playing Jenga. This will help you to keep the tower stable.

8. Think Moves Ahead

Jenga is a game of planning. Think about your next few moves and how they’ll impact the game.

Plan your Next move too. Also, have a backup plan if that move is taken by your opponent.

9. Watch Pros Playing Jenga

Watch carefully the people who play the game Jenga well.

Observe how they choose a move, how they act during the game, and their moves carefully, and try to figure out their thought process behind that.

Then slowly adjust your move choice the next time and see if that helped.

10. Use a Light Touch

While moving out blocks in your turn make sure that you touch the Jenga block lightly. Otherwise, the tower may start to shake and lose its stability.

Jenga Strategy

Here are some of the winning Jenga strategies which I found very useful while playing the Jenga Games.

Jenga Strategy
Jenga Strategy

Think about Staying in the Game Longer Rather than Winning

We generally think most time about winning in Jenga when there are a lot of opponents.

It is definite, that most would get eliminated after some time. You can easily increase your winning chances by thinking about staying in the Jenga Game for a long.

Focus on Removing the Easiest Blocks First

As this is a game of strategy and patience, you need to keep patience too.

Don’t think about many blocks but think about the easiest blocks that you can remove from the side of the tower. Also, taking blocks from the center of the tower.

Take those first and remove them in your turn one at a time. Those are the safest blocks to remove and can help you to increase the likelihood of winning.

Try to avoid pushing any other difficult blocks that are not moving easily as forcing those blocks can make the tower unstable and likely to topple the tower.

Think about Maintaining the Stability of The Tower

We always think about the move but not always Jenga tower’s stability.

So, think about the stability of the tower, whether it is stable or it has started wobbling after the last move.

Then only decide the next turn. For a wobbly Jenga tower, removing the upper Jenga blocks would be good.

Also, look for if the tower is leaning to one side more. Think of balancing that by placing a piece on the other side to stabilize it.

Push blocks instead of Pulling Blocks from the Tower

Though you may feel this is a small change, however, this small thing has helped me win multiple times in Jenga in the last 5 years.

The more you practice, your improved dexterity would help you better to do this.

Is There a Strategy to Jenga?

Jenga is a game of skill and strategy. There are many different strategies that can be used when playing Jenga. The most important thing is to keep the tower stable and avoid causing it to collapse.

Can I take blocks from the top of the tower in Jenga Game?

No, you cannot take blocks on top of the tower. You can only take a block out from one row below the completed Jenga Block layer

When Does the Jenga Game End?

The game of Jenga comes to an end when one player makes the tower fall.

Conclusion

Let’s conclude the post on Jenga Tips, Tricks, and Strategies!

So, start using these tips and tricks and form your own Jenga Strategy to take command in this game.

Make sure that the tower should not fall on your turn. So, keep an eye on the moves and also on your opponent’s moves whenever you play.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post.

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Basana Saha