BananagramsBanana Smoothie
Updated September 4, 2026 · 2 min read
Banana Smoothie is a calm variant where all tiles are dealt out evenly before anyone starts, leaving no middle bunch to draw from. You play your full hand without any Peel or Dump calls during the game.
The short version
- Deal out every tile evenly and face down among all players before calling Split.
- Build words without calling Peel or Dump at any point during the game.
- Call Bananas once you successfully place every dealt tile into a valid grid.
- Agree on the backup win rule out loud before dealing out the tiles.
Setup begins by dividing every single tile among the players face down as evenly as possible. Because every tile is distributed right away, nobody draws fresh letters after the start. Someone calls Split to begin, and everyone turns their letters face up at that same moment.
| Banana Smoothie | |
|---|---|
| Players | any |
| The idea | The calm version. Deal every tile out evenly and face down, then play with no draws at all. |
| What changes | No Peel. |
| No Dump. | |
| Every tile is dealt out at the start, so there is nothing in the middle to draw from. |
Play runs entirely without Peel and without Dump. You build your personal word grid using only the tiles dealt to your pile. If a player manages to connect all their dealt tiles into a valid grid, that player calls Bananas to stop play and claim the win.
Sources disagree on how to resolve the game when nobody can connect all of their tiles. One printed rule gives the victory to the player with the fewest unused tiles left over. Another printed rule awards the win to whoever formed the longest word, with a tie triggering another hand.
Choose which end condition you will use before anyone touches a tile. Agreeing out loud on the tiebreaker rule before the deal prevents confusion once players reach a standstill with their remaining letters.
The mistake to avoid
The mistake is trying to call Peel or Dump when you get stuck with difficult letters. Banana Smoothie removes both actions completely, so you must work through tough letter combinations using only the tiles dealt to you at the start.
Questions that keep coming up
Can you call Dump to swap bad letters in Banana Smoothie?
No, you cannot call Dump in this variant. All tiles are dealt out at the beginning, so there is no central bunch to exchange tiles with.
What happens if no player can finish their grid?
Published rules differ on this outcome. One version gives the win to the player with the fewest leftover tiles, while another awards it to the person with the longest word on the table. You should choose one of these rules before dealing.
How many tiles does each player receive?
Every tile in the game is dealt out evenly among all players at the start. Unlike the standard game, players do not start with fixed counts like 21, 15, or 11 tiles.