Think Sync Clue-Giving Guide: How to Play Like a Mastermind

Why Your Clue Decides Everything

In Think Sync, every turn one player is the mastermind. Nine words appear on the TV. Only your phone shows which three are the targets and which one is the Poison. You send one word, and everyone else secretly picks the three words they think it points to.

Here is the twist: every target a player picks is +1 for them and +1 for you. Every Poison pick costs you both a point. With five guessers, one great clue can be worth +15 to you. One sloppy clue can sink the whole room, and you with it.

The Fundamentals

Find the link that covers all three

You always have exactly three targets, so you always want one word that touches all three. Start with the two that obviously belong together, then look for a word that stretches to the third. If WHALE, WAVE and SHELL are your targets, "ocean" or "beach" covers the lot.

Check the Poison before you send

Before you send, read your clue against the Poison and the five other words. If SAND is the Poison, "beach" is a trap: half the room will happily pick it. "Ocean" keeps them in the water. The best clue is not the cleverest link to the targets; it is the one that points away from the Poison.

Two sure picks beat three wild ones

If no word covers all three, aim at the two you can make obvious. Guessers still pick three words, so the third becomes a guess between neutrals (worth 0) and the Poison (worth −1). Make sure your clue gives them no reason to drift towards the Poison.

Techniques That Separate Good From Great

Concrete beats abstract

"Kitchen" is a better clue than "home" when the targets are PAN, FORK and KETTLE. Abstract words spray wider, and the wider your clue, the more likely it lands on the Poison.

Clue for the whole room, not your smartest friend

Everyone picks at the same time, on their own phone, and each phone shows the words in a different order, so nobody can follow a leader or point. Your clue has to work for every guesser separately. A clue that is obvious to everyone beats one that is brilliant to one person, because every guesser who gets it pays you.

Use your re-roll wisely

Once per game you can re-roll: same nine words, new targets and a new Poison. Save it for a board where the targets truly have nothing in common, or where the Poison sits right in the middle of your best idea. Once it is spent, it is spent, even if the new board is worse.

Common Clue-Giving Mistakes

• Forgetting the Poison: a clue that fits the Poison as well as a target costs every guesser who falls for it, and you once for each of them.
• Being too clever: if your clue needs explaining after the reveal, most of the room did not see it.
• Ignoring who is playing: a film reference that half the room has never seen is a coin flip.
• Running out the clock: if no clue arrives in time, the turn goes on with "No clue given". You can still say something out loud, but it rarely ends well.

When You Are Guessing

Every player is mastermind once per round, so you spend most of the game guessing. The same logic applies in reverse: ask which three words fit the clue, then ask which word the mastermind was clearly steering you away from. That one is often the Poison.

With only two players there is no winner: both of you always score the same, so it becomes a co-op chase for the best total. With three or more, your clues and your guesses count equally, so a strong clue-giver who guesses badly rarely wins.

Frequently asked questions