Back in the good old days, it was easy to catch someone who cheated in Scrabble. You either see them peeking in the bag of tiles, taking time drawing tiles out, or placing words on the board but being unable to define them. Today, since Scrabble has gone online, it's no longer as simple as any of those. There are now numerous tools that can be found online that help people cheat in Scrabble: anagram solvers, word finders, and even a Scrabble cheat board. Now, people are either fine with using the tools in the game or completely against it. For those who say no to cheating, how would you know if your opponent was using a Scrabble cheat board or any such tool?
Since the game is online, you aren't able to see your opponent as he or she plays the game. This is certainly a huge advantage to those players who choose to cheat in online Scrabble. But there are certain tell-tale signs that may indicate your opponent isn't being honest. One of the most common signs is the fact that he or she can come up with high-scoring words within a few seconds to a minute. Unless you're playing with a Scrabble champion, most players take quite a bit to strategize and build a word that would give them the best advantage. Players who opt to use an anagram solver or a Scrabble cheat board will be able to come up with a high-scoring word within a minute. Even players who guess words will need a couple of minutes to figure things out.
Another tell-tale sign that your opponent may be cheating is that he or she is coming up with really unusual words almost all the time. Building unusual words doesn't mean someone is cheating. But if it seems that your opponent is playing these weird words again and again, it may mean he or she is getting some "assistance" somewhere. In addition to the unusual words, always playing bingos or really high-scoring words can indicate a cheat, especially if they aren't playing the game defensively. This means that your opponent keeps racking those points but then doesn't seem to be playing strategically. Remember, Scrabble is not just a word game but it also involves a great deal of strategy. Unfortunately for cheaters who use anagram solvers, the tool would only give them lists of words they can build but not necessarily tell them where to place it. If your opponent doesn't seem to be using the premium squares to his or her advantage, then he or she may be cheating.
Some cheaters, especially those whom we don't know personally, will not want to play a long-drawn-out game because they want the immediate gratification of winning. So, if you inform your opponent whom you suspect is cheating that you would like to make your move every 24 hours and he or she forfeits the game, it might mean that your opponent is using a Scrabble cheat board or anagram solver.
While these are certainly great tell-tale signs that can indicate a possible cheater, they do not unequivocally prove that he or she IS truly using a
Scrabble cheat board or any tool like it. But you can definitely use these signs as an indication if you want to continue playing with someone or not.
The author of this article, a word game fanatic, has admittedly used a
Scrabble cheat board a time or two but only to practice strategy and learn new words.
