Ludo Strategy: How to Win More Games
To win more at Ludo, treat every roll as a choice: capture, escape, get out or run. Keep your tokens 7 or more squares ahead of rivals, where one roll can't reach them, hop between the safe squares, capture the rival token that has travelled furthest, and keep a spare token on the track so no roll goes to waste. On GameLake there are no blockades, so two tokens on one square are a bigger target, not a wall.
Ludo is a game of choices, not just dice
You can't choose your roll, but with two or more tokens out you nearly always choose which token moves. Over a game that's dozens of decisions, and they add up. This guide is about making them well under the rules GameLake plays: a 6 to get out, a 6 to roll again (three in a row lose the turn), captures off the safe squares, an exact roll to get home and no blockades or bonus rolls for capturing. If you're new to the game, start with how to play Ludo.
A good order to run through on every roll, and roughly the order Hard Hop uses:
- Capture, especially a rival token that has come a long way.
- Finish a token if the roll is exactly what it needs.
- Bring out a new token if you rolled a 6.
- Escape: move a token that's sitting within one roll of a rival.
- Get safe: land on a star, a start square or your home lane.
- Otherwise, advance without stopping just in front of a rival.
The danger zone, in numbers
A rival can only capture you by landing exactly on your square. That makes the risk easy to work out from one number: how many squares behind you the rival token is.
| Rival is this far behind you | What it needs | Chance on its next turn |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 6 squares | The exact number | About 1 in 6 (17%) |
| 7 to 12 squares | A 6, then the rest | 1 in 36 (under 3%) |
| 13 to 17 squares | Two 6s, then the rest | 1 in 216 (under 0.5%) |
| 18 or more | Can't reach you in one turn | 0 |
So the single most useful habit is this: when you move, look behind the square you're landing on. Ending a move 7 or more squares in front of a rival cuts your risk from about 17% to under 3%. Ending it 1 to 6 squares in front is the most dangerous thing you can do.
Rival tokens still in their pond count too. Their start square is safe for them, so the danger is the six squares after it: a rival who rolls a 6 comes out, rolls again, and can land right on you.
Hop between the safe squares
Stars and the four start squares are safe for everyone, and different colours can share them. Counted from your own start square, the safe squares on your lap are at 0, 8, 13, 21, 26, 34, 39 and 47, and from 51 onwards you're in your home lane, where nobody can touch you.
Notice the pattern: the gaps go 8, 5, 8, 5. From a star, a roll of 5 lands you on the next start square. From a start square the next star is 8 away, which one normal roll can't reach, so leaving a start square always means a stretch in the open.
When a roll gives you a choice, landing a token on a safe square is often better than a bigger step that leaves it in the open, and moving a token off a safe square into a rival's reach is usually the worst option on the table.
Which token to capture
A capture sends the token back to its pond, so its owner loses every square it travelled plus the wait for another 6. Capturing a token that has just come out costs them almost nothing. Capturing one 40 squares along costs them most of a lap. When you can choose, hit the one that has travelled furthest.
Two more points under GameLake's rules:
- Capturing doesn't earn an extra roll, so a capture is worth exactly the damage it does. Don't leave a well-placed token in danger just to hit a rival that has barely moved.
- A capture can leave your token sitting right where the rival's friends can reach it. Check behind the square before you land.
No blockades: don't stack in the open
In some house rules two tokens of the same colour on one square form a wall that nobody can pass. GameLake plays without blockades: rivals move straight past a pair, and a rival landing on it sends both tokens home. Off the safe squares, a stack is the same risk for twice the cost. On a star or start square, stacking is perfectly safe.
How many tokens to keep moving
Early on, get tokens out. You need a 6 for each one, and it takes six turns on average to roll one; there's a 58% chance of going three turns without a 6. With only one token out, every roll has to move it, safe or not. A 6 spent bringing out a second token buys you choice for the rest of the game.
In the middle, keep two or three in play. More tokens means more options each turn, but also more targets. Two or three active tokens is the sweet spot for most of the game.
At the end, keep a spare. A token in the home lane needs an exact roll, which is a 1 in 6 chance each turn. If all your remaining tokens are waiting for exact numbers, most of your rolls are wasted. Leave one token out on the track to use the rolls the others can't.
Playing against Hop and his friends
In GameLake's Ludo you're pink, starting bottom left. In a two-player game your rival starts in the opposite corner, half a lap (26 squares) from your start square. With three or four players every start square has someone close behind it, so the danger rules above matter from the first roll.
- Easy bots move almost at random, so they leave tokens in reach and rarely chase you.
- Medium bots play sensibly but sometimes pick a weaker move.
- Hard bots always pick their best-scoring move, weighing much the same things as the checklist at the top of this guide: captures, safety and the quickest way home.
- Teach me shows a good move each turn and says why, for example that it captures, escapes danger or reaches a safe square.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best strategy in Ludo?
Get tokens out early, keep them 7 or more squares ahead of rivals or on safe squares, capture the rival token that has gone furthest, and keep a spare token on the track for the end of the game.
How far ahead of a rival token is safe in Ludo?
One roll reaches 1 to 6 squares, about a 1 in 6 chance. At 7 to 12 squares the rival needs a 6 and then the exact number, 1 in 36. At 18 or more squares it can't reach you in one turn.
Should I bring out a new token or move one already out?
Early in the game, usually bring one out: more tokens on the track means more choices. Move an existing token instead if it's in danger or the roll lets you capture.
Is it safe to put two tokens on the same square?
Not on GameLake, unless it's a star or start square. There are no blockades, so a rival landing on the pair sends both tokens home.
Is Ludo all luck?
The dice are luck, but choosing which token to move is skill. Avoiding the 1 to 6 squares in front of rivals and using safe squares makes a real difference over a game.