Here are some hints to help you improve your game.

1. Formulate a strategy and plan!

Don't play haphazardly without focus and direction. Study your cards and carefully review your options before you collect new cards or discard any cards. Decide on your major and minor suits as early in the game as possible, but be flexible if possible. Continuously review your strategy during play. Watch what others are collecting and discarding, especially the player on your left. Try not to discard high-valued cards in the suit they're collecting.

2. Know the deck & memorize the play!

It can be very frustrating if you're waiting for a card to finish your hand, that's already been played. So you need to know how many cards of each rank there are, and whether your 'missing card' has already been played. 

3. Know all cards in a suit -- ranks & numbers

Here are some thoughts to ponder:

	Each 13-card suit totals only 2.25 whole pizzas altogether.
	Each card averages only 17.3% of a pizza.
	You need an average of six slices to make one whole pizza, that's almost half the cards from one suit.
	Respect number-3 and -4 cards. Why? You need at least two of these larger slices to increase your chances of winning.

And remember the old adage: 'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush!'

4. Think visually! Make good use of the graphics!

'A picture is worth a 1,000 words'! The playing card face has five pictures or graphic elements to help you judge spatial relationships. So you can get a quick understanding by studying these images.

The 'pizza-pie chart' at center shows the slice size in relation to a whole pizza. It also shows how many more equal-sized slices would be required to complete the pizza.

The four size-coded edge tags and measures also show slice size in relation to a whole pizza.

5. Think in fractions of a pizza, not just in whole pizzas!

You can build a whole pizza from two halves, or one half and two quarters, or four quarters, etc. So to increase your potential winning card combinations, try to think in pizza 'halves', 'thirds' or 'quarters' rather than just in whole pizzas.

For example, you can make a quarter of a pizza from:

One one-fourth slice One one-fifth slice + one one-twentieth slice One one-sixth slice + one one-twelfth slice Three one-twelfth slices

Or make a half of a pizza from:

	One one-third slice + one one-sixth slice
	One one-third + two one-twelfth slices
	Two one-sixth slices + two one-twelfth slices
	Two one-fourth slices
	One one-fourth slice + one one-fifth slice + one one-twentieth slice
	Two one-fifth slices + two one-twentieth slices

6. Use edge tags and measures to guard your cards from prying eyes!

Tags show both face value or slice size and suit or pizza topping. So fan your cards and study just the tags and measures on any card edge to guard them from others. With practice you can offset your cards in hand to expose a part of each tag and align tags side-by-side without exposing any cards.

The combined width of all tags in a complete pizza equals one full measure in any measurement system.

7. Checkout the fine print on the card face!

Each of the four measurement values on the card face is accompanied by a mathematical hint in small unobtrusive print. For example the fraction value '1/4' on a number-4 card,  reminds players that 4 x 1/4 = 1. This is obvious of course, but may be helpful in the heat of the moment when you're in need of advice. 

8. Checkout the Card Back for some winning game hints!

All card backs show some basic segment size relationships and how to group slices together to build whole pizzas.

Six rows of tags each total one whole pizza - one for each different slice size. Each row is labeled with slice number and size. For example, the 5 row shows that five one-fifth (1/5^th) slices combine to make one whole pizza.

The six rows are split into two groups of three rows. One group shows some of the relationships between fourths, fifths and twentieths. For example, one-fifth plus one-twentieth equals one-fourth.

The other end of the card back shows some of the relationships between thirds, sixths and twelfths. For example, one-third equals one-sixth plus two-twelfths.

I wish you and yours countless hours of fun and learning. Enjoy!

PS: Be ready! Math proficiency should improve your kid's self-confidence and may even generate peer envy! Mastery should lead to new opportunities and greater personal success in life!