1st game, fairly easy player...
She exchanges first two turns. First 7 turns are pretty nondescript, I'm up 84-208. Next 6 turns are worth nearly 330 to me... REAGENTS thru the T (ENRAGES didn't play), COONTIEs thru the E (I hesitate to say that COiTION didn't occur to me)... a no brainer 53 pt X play, and TRINDLEs, thru the R. 570-231. No challenges by either of us.
2nd game, solid new player. While I was playing my first game, this guy was registering what appears to be the club high score this year...640. He had 5 bingos, although one was hooked as XUS*.
Against me he didn't fare so well... I drew every S and blank, usually in bunches and usually in conjunction with unproductive combinations. I opened with LORRY, he played QUERY to my Y; I had a good look with AGIORST rack, saw nothing (Lexpert thankfully confirms there was nothing) and I dump AGO for 15, both for leave and to make the board slightly more S-friendly. He parallels the "pen" of HAPPEN on top of that AGO for 31. 4th turn I hold ?IMBERS, plenty of choices but nothing earthshattering... took BeRIMES for 79. The pick up from this was VACDIS?, and ADVICeS didn't play (Lexpert confirms this as the only 7). I get into some consonant trouble for a few turns. He tries to hook QUERY as EQUERY and EX, I put a stop to that. And pointed out that since I didn't use that hook for BeRIMES, that should have tipped him off that it maybe he shouldn't try it.
I finally bingo again with ATOmIST/AWEE for 79, and actually lose a challenge next turn for doubting his 18 point RUMINAL. He's already out of the game, but plays a surprisingly bad endgame... dumps Z into triple word lane for 17 (missing several better scoring and defensively safe plays), while my rack holds SEIE.
433-269.
3rd game... novice level player, who had that 640 game played against her.
She opens YEARN, I phony YOICK*. She plays PIXIE onto her E. That P is what I need for natural PROTRUDE. I challenge her JOS*/PIXIES, two turns later I shamelessly phony ADULATER*, playing it just short of a DWS. With at least one S on her rack, she can't resist ADULATERS* hook, which I shamelessly challenge off. I later throw down NEUTRoN and AGONIES. 590-223
4th game, Dave H, strong player.
Dave swears by the "tile turnover" thing. He opens by exchanging, I have TATLIKE, forget my weird K's (TILAK), and dump IKAT. After 10 turns of his fishing and saving and exchanging, I've been plugging away unremarkably but steadily and have 286-152 lead. After sticking JAIL to top center trip for 33, he lands REACTION, with the N inviting a 3x3 if it's in 6th position. With AEILSU? rack and time trouble threatening, I only look for 20 sec, see nothing, and take the play I had already seen during his turn: JALoUSIE for 95. LeXpert says there were 2 playable 3x3's: LAUwINES and ALUmINES, worth 27 more than JALOUSIE. Didn't matter, really. 446 to 290.
That's a new high one-night average for the club, 509.8 points. Yes, I know, I milked the two weaker players for a lot of points I couldn't get from more solid competition... but still... a record's a record =)