If a player makes a declaration too soon, they may not have enough valid melds to protect themselves, and if they wait too long, they may lose out on opportunities as opponents get closer to their own declarations. Declaring whfree slots to play for funen you have at least two or three strong melds formed, along with a few extra cards that are simple to incorporate into new melds, is a good general rule. When choosing whether to declare, players should also take the current state of play into account. It could be prudent to declare sooner rather than later if opponents seem to be getting close to finishing their hands or if they have been regularly selecting particular cards from the discard pile.