Some rules about the game that make it a little bit harder than it seems.
Capturing: If, when a player is sowing his beads around the board, the last bead that he sows lands in an empty bin on HIS side of the board, something special happens. Example: If player one sows his beads around the board (you don't actually have to go around the entire board, you could sow one bin to the left, and capture stones) he/she captures all of the stones in player two's bin as well as the stone that he placed in his/her bin. This happens unless the opposite bin has zero stones in it. In that case, nothing special happens. If the other player doesnΓÇÖt see this coming, it can be a very good way of getting ahead.
Ending the game: You don't necessarily want to be the first person to get rid of all the stones in your bins. At the end of the game, the player who didn't go out takes all the beads in all his/her bins, and places them in his/her Mancala. You can see that if your opponent has many beads left in his/her bins, you do NOT want to go out, and let him/her have all the beads. It's a sure method for defeat.
Simple Strategies: When there is one bead left in the bin that is next to your Mancala, it is almost always a good idea to move that bead. You not only get one more bead in your Mancala, you get another turn.
