Can you discard tickets in Ticket to Ride?
Only the tickets you just drew. You must keep at least 2 of your starting 4, and at least 1 of each 3 you draw later. Tickets you already kept can't be thrown away.
The rule:
In Ticket to Ride, you can only discard tickets you just drew: keep at least 2 of your starting 4 and at least 1 of every 3 you draw later. Tickets you’ve already kept stay with you for the whole game.
- At setup: you get 4 tickets and must keep at least 2. Return the rest to the bottom of the ticket deck.
- During the game: drawing tickets takes your whole turn. Draw 3, or fewer if the deck is nearly empty, and keep at least 1. Returned tickets go to the bottom in any order.
- Tickets you already kept stay with you for the rest of the game.
Keep your tickets secret until the end. There’s no limit on how many you hold.
Example:
Kai draws 3 tickets mid-game and keeps 1. Later he realizes an older ticket is impossible. He can't discard it, so it will cost him its points at the end.
Why players argue about it:
Players hoping to dodge a penalty try to throw away an old ticket during a later draw. The rules only let you return tickets from the draw you're making.