News From the Dragon's Lair http://dqsoft.com	March 2007
	Player Tips & More
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News from DreamQuest Software

The Luck of the Irish It's March! The time of year when everyone's out looking for that sparse four-leaf clover. Too bad we have had snow on the ground since December to spot any bit of green anywhere! Maybe you'll be a bit luckier than us in your search! Your luck is only starting this month as we launch the Lucky Penny Sale! We've also added Google Checkout to your payment options. Be sure to read below how Google Checkout will benefit you!

Lucky Penny Sale

It must be your lucky day, because during the month of March we're giving everyone the chance to get Championship Checkers Pro for a penny! It's like two games for the price of one! Unlike penny sales of the past, we're letting you purchase any Championship Pro game to receive Championship Checkers Pro for just a penny! Get Championship Checkers for your PC or take it with you anywhere on your mobile! Don't let your luck run out! Offer expires April 4th!

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Google Checkout Now Available

Now you can buy your favorite Championship Pro games with Google's easy and secure checkout process! With Google Checkout, your customer information is saved so you will only have to input your information once. All of your orders are kept in one place, so you can shop knowing that Google protects you from unauthorized purchases.

Checkout with Google is easy! Just pick your desired Championship Pro game as usual and when you're ready to check out click on

Gin Tips: The 10 Golden Rules

Read below for the top 10 strategies to follow for a successful game!
Courtesy of GamesGrid.com.

1. Play to knock

As quickly as possible, develop a hand consisting of melds, a triangle, and a knock cache. When you hit one of the four cards needed to create a meld from the triangle, you can knock.

When playing Oklahoma, you should evaluate this rule based on the knock card; the closer to ten it is, the more applicable the rule.

2. If you're going to knock, knock!

If you are not playing to gin, knock as soon as possible. Every delay gives your opponent a chance to beat you to the knock. This is the most commonly violated rule in gin rummy (as well as in life generally).

3. Always pick up a meld

If your opponent's discard makes or increases a meld in your hand, pick it up. This improves your point count and brings you closer to the goal of knocking. Of course, you must weigh this rule appropriately if you have a possible draw-to-gin.

4. Don't pick up strays

If your opponent's discard does not make or increase a meld in your hand, don't pick it up. Your odds are better picking from the stock.

5. Don't help your opponent

If you know that a card will make or increase one of your opponent's melds, keep it in your hand. An exception occurs when the only choice is to give your opponent a new meld.

6. Don't try to help your opponent

If you think that a card might make or increase a meld for your opponent, keep it in your hand. If you have a choice of discards, choose the one with the fewest number of hits.

7. Throw the big bombs early

If you start with four (or more) unmatched 10-point cards in your hand, start discarding them immediately, regardless of the combination chances. It is good to keep one high-card triangle early on, but if it is still unfilled after six or seven draws, start discarding it safely. More points are lost more quickly by disregarding this rule than by any other failing.

8. Sweep the floor

This is an extension of rules (1) and (3). If you consider your knock cache a meld, then it is prudent to pick up a discard to fill it.

9. A tie is better than a loss

In the end game, thoughtful play is extremely valuable. You have more information about your opponent's hand, and can calculate the odds of any discard filling their needs. For the last few draws, your goal is to prevent your opponent from winning the hand. Win if you can, but play your discards completely safely.

10. An undercut is better than getting ginned

If you are faced with the choice of the risk of an undercut on your knock or the risk of discarding a card that gives your opponent gin, knock. Your opponent is more likely to gin than they are to undercut, and the loss when they gin is much greater than the loss when they undercut.

• Penny Sale
• Google Checkout
• Gin Tips
• March Trivia
• Answers to Last Month's Trivia
• Safer Passwords
• Meet a DQ Allstar

Penny Trivia

Since March is all about finding lucky pennies, we decided to find out how savvy all of you are in your penny knowledge!

Question: We've all picked up lucky pennies before, but do we know what present day pennies are made of? Which element is most prevalent in the penny?

1. Silver
2. Zinc
3. Copper
4. Gold

3 correct entries chosen at random will receive a copy of Safer Passwords, your guide to protecting yourself on the internet! Find out more below. Submit entries to contest@dqsoft.com by March 31st.

Last Month's Contest - Spades Trivia

Question: Which variation forces one partner from each team to bid nil everytime?

Answer:

1. Cutthroat
2. Insanity
3. Standard
4. Suicide

Contest Winners:

Congratulations! Since there was such a large turnout we chose 5 winners this month instead of 3. Enjoy reading folks!

Safer Passwords

DQ Guide Brian's new eBook Safer Passwords tells you everything you need to know to protect yourself on the world wide web! His simple tips and techniques will help you create unique passwords that will protect your work while also easy to remember.

3 winners of this month's contest will each receive a copy Safer Passwords!

Meet a Featured DQ Allstar

Brian's work as a forum administrator has been essential to DreamQuest's success. To date, he has personally deleted over 1,000 spammers from our online forum! We want to thank Brian for all his hard work in keeping the forums safe for everyone.

Be sure to check out Brian's eBook, your guide to safer passwords!