BananagramsFour other ways to play
Updated September 4, 2026 · 2 min read
Four official variants exist when your table wants something different: Best of five, Banana Smoothie, Banana Cafe, and Banana Solitaire. Each one uses the standard tiles but changes the draw, the calls, or the goal.
The short version
- Count total match victories over a set of hands in Best of five.
- Agree on the tiebreaker rule before dealing Banana Smoothie.
- Keep the pouch shut after taking tiles when playing Banana Cafe.
- Draw a tile whenever you choose during Banana Solitaire.
Best of five keeps every standard rule intact. The calls, the deal, and the play work the same way as the main game. Because a single hand takes about five minutes, you simply play a series of hands and track how many games each person wins across the set.
| Variant | Players | The idea in one line |
|---|---|---|
| Best of five | any | A hand takes about five minutes, so the table plays a set instead of one game and counts wins. |
| Banana Smoothie | any | The calm version. Deal every tile out evenly and face down, then play with no draws at all. |
| Banana Cafe | any | Built for a restaurant table. Everyone takes twenty-one tiles from the pouch and the pouch stays shut. |
| Banana Solitaire | one | One player, twenty-one tiles, peel whenever you need one. |
Banana Smoothie is the quiet variant with no draws during play. Every tile is dealt out evenly and face down at the start, leaving no tiles in the middle. Nobody calls Peel and nobody calls Dump. If nobody can use every tile, the winner is decided either by who has the fewest leftover tiles or who built the longest word, depending on which rule your group chooses before dealing.
Banana Cafe fits small restaurant tables where space is tight. Each player takes twenty-one tiles from the pouch, and the pouch stays shut for the rest of the game. Dump remains active, but nobody calls Peel. The first person to complete their grid wins the hand.
Banana Solitaire gives a single player two ways to practice alone with twenty-one starting tiles. You peel a new tile whenever you need one. You can either race your own best time or try to connect all 144 tiles using as few words as possible.
The mistake to avoid
It is tempting to start Banana Smoothie without agreeing on how a stalled game ends. Published rules offer two different solutions: the fewest leftover tiles or the longest word. Choose one out loud before the deal to avoid arguments later.
Questions that keep coming up
Can you Dump in Banana Cafe?
Yes. Dump is still allowed in Banana Cafe, but nobody calls Peel and the pouch remains shut.
How many tiles do you start with in Banana Solitaire?
You start Banana Solitaire with twenty-one tiles and take another tile whenever you need one.
Does Best of five change any game rules?
No, it does not. The rules, calls, and deal are identical to the standard game; only the match format changes.