Any good Alhambra strategies?

Answer 1

One of my strategies of preference is to forgo worrying about scoring in the first round and spend turns taking money. I only buy buildings when they can be paid for with exact change so that I can also take a turn to take money. This way, I'll build up a large mitt of money cards and I would be able to snag the buildings I want when they come out. I'll also buy up tiles (so long as I do so with the proper money amount) and chuck them into my reserve, just to deny the other players the opportunity (and I might add them to my Alhambra later)

Additionally, don't discount the bonus points for your long wall. In my last game, I think I netted something like 23 points from my wall, because I only had one, and it extended around the entire perimiter of my Alhambra (making good use of some tiles with walls on 3 sides at 3-points a shot, and to make 1-space gaps in walls into connecting points).. In the later game, if I have taken some tiles that don't fit (usually because of wall structure) I might take a couple of turns toward the end of the game to fit them into my Alhambra, if they help out the wall scheme.

Also, always be mindful of how many there are of each tile in the game. If you have a 3-player game, and you already have 5 towers, and each of the other players have 2 apiece, there is no way that either of them can take the majority in towers away from you.

Answer 2

You can find three different articles on Alhambra strategies at Boardgame Geek:

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/6249

Answer 3

Because the situation changes from turn to turn planning ahead is very nearly impossible. It is best to hold as sorts of money cards so you make two or three purchases during one's turn. You don't have to place tiles in your alhambra until the end of your turn so wait until then to place them.