Read all three pieces first

Start with the most restricted piece: the one with the fewest legal positions. A large square needs a solid open area; a long piece needs an uninterrupted stretch. A small piece can fit in more places, but placing it first may occupy the only home for a larger one.

You do not always have to place the largest piece first. Instead, identify where each piece could go and whether a line clear would create another option. Treat this as a short plan that you check again after every move.

Prefer useful space to scattered gaps

Six empty cells in one connected region can be more useful than six isolated holes. The tray pieces must fit their exact shapes. Avoid leaving single-cell pockets unless a current piece can fill them or you have a concrete plan to clear the surrounding line.

A clear can create the next placement

Suppose the bottom row has six blocks and a horizontal pair is available. Filling its last two cells clears the row. In this example, that also empties the board, so a larger piece can be placed afterward. Putting the pair elsewhere would leave those six blocks in place.

Before: six occupied cells on the bottom row; its rightmost two cells are empty.
Place a horizontal two-cell piece in the two gaps. The outlined cells complete the row.
After the completed row clears, the board is empty.

This illustrates why placement order matters. On a fuller board, clearing one row might still leave obstacles above it. Ordinary line clears do not make the remaining blocks fall: that is what a Shake changes.

Compare the result, not just the points

A move that clears a line is attractive, but check whether the remaining tray still fits afterward. Two moves that earn similar points can leave very different gaps. When a combo is active, the game allows two non-clearing moves before the third breaks it; do not let the combo distract you from keeping a legal next move.

Re-plan after an item

A Shake or Popcorn changes the board substantially. Stop and reassess the actual result before dragging the next piece. Popcorn is random, so a precise follow-up position cannot be promised in advance.

There is no placement rule that guarantees an endless game. The aim is to keep more options available. The common mistakes guide turns these ideas into a short checklist.