Jambo (4)

HL came out spending like it was an Amazon 1 day sale. By the end of the 2nd turn she almost went down to zero money by outbidding HB for an arabian merchant, buying a market extension, using her 6th spot twice, and picking up 2 different sets of wares. HB took his time using his supplies to try and find some matching ware cards. The game moved along slowly because neither player was picking up any useful utility cards to spend our actions on. Lots of 3 and passes for the one gold bonus. HL got herself stuck a little with 4 rings, but was able to use the dancer to finally clear her market for nice payout. HB eventually picked up a boat, leopard, and market extension and used them to sell the big 18 and take a nice lead. HL quickly followed up with an 18 sale to narrow the gap. HL also took advantage of a few animal cards a lion, a parrot, and a crocodile. HB tried to use an elephant early, but it was blocked. The score was 57 - 53 HB when things started to get really tight and strategic for both players. HL tried to use a cheetah, but HB had a guard, severely hampering HL's strategy.  HB had a chance to nudge himself up to 60, but was scared that gap would not hold up. He delayed and HL went down to 48 on her next turn trying to set herself up for big finish. The next turn, HB decided that getting up to 64 would be adequate sized lead. HL had one last shot, but didn't have the cards she needed. In the end, she stayed right at 48. Final Score 64 - 48 HB.