Optimal use of US money

When our group gets together, we usually have 6 players:
#1 = Germany
#2 = Russia/China
#3 = Japan
#4 = United States/France
#5 = United Kingdom/India/ANZAC
#6 = Italy

5 Players:
#1 = Germany/Italy
#2 = Russia/China
#3 = Japan
#4 = United States/France
#5 = United Kingdom/India/ANZAC

4 Players:
#1 = Germany/Italy
#2 = Russia/China/United States
#3 = Japan
#4 = United Kingdom/India/ANZAC/France

3 Players:
#1 = Germany/Italy/Japan
#2 = Russia/China/United States
#3 = United Kingdom/India/ANZAC/France

2 Players:
#1 = Germany/Italy/Japan
#2 = Russia/China/United States/United Kingdom/India/ANZAC/France

1 Player:
#1 = Germany/Italy/Japan/Russia/China/United States/United Kingdom/India/ANZAC/France

Okay, that last one was just a goof. It’s late and I’m getting silly now. Later all.

The Aussies have lots of IPCs and even an operational aircraft carrier.

I see a few problems here, depending on when Japan declares war.
J1 DOW: Japan will sink the SZ35 ships and take the Philippines before you can do this.
J2 DOW: While the US ships are probably safe in SZ54, Japanese naval presence will be such that you can’t safely move to SZ42.
J3 DOW: in this case, Japan will probably sink the US ships in SZ42 and may well take Java.

With a later DOW (US3, because there’s no reason to postpone it), it could theoretically work if Japan has already taken FIC. But with no early Japanese DOW, Japan probably won’t do that because it would lose the 10 IPC NO. So in that scenario, Japan would need to take FIC on J4. That implies the presence of at least one Japanese unit in FIC, which would have to be defeated by the single US infantry you’ve brought.
Even if Japan had already captured FIC earlier and then vacated it (not very likely, because it’s a popular spot for Japan to build and IC of its own), they could easily kick the US and the British out again. Though if I were aware of your plan as Japan, I would happily wait until the US kindly built that IC for me to capture……  :-D

I take 99 infantry as a bid for central usa. I lose. That is how I play USA

I use my fingers.

Right hand - Hits 1 through 5 normal; 6-10 pointing left; 11-15 pointing down; 16-20 pointing right.
Left hand - Hits 21 through 25 normal; 26-30 pointing right; 31-35 pointing down; 36-40 pointing left.

If it goes beyond 40, start over on the right hand.  Once the hits are known, we just pull that many pieces from the board.  Each land piece has its own color poker chip (except ships, so many ship pieces), so armies get colorful and stand tall.

@MacNaughton:

With all this going on, if Russia rolls a couple tanks and mech infantry through the North of China too, China will have the coastal territories liberated by turn 4 and Japan will be sunk by turn 7. I like it.

All this implies sleeping Axis…

You should always buy something because you never know if something unpredictable will happen, and you’ll be in some way prepared.
Also, the “save all your cash” move might not work too well, because you have a limited number of units you can buy on a turn.  I know 20 for the east coast seems like a hell of alot, but when you’re talking ships AND planes AND transports AND infantry AND tanks/artillery, you might be short.

AAlife -

I tend to use a lot of the Infantry / Armor / Planes.

Never used a significant amount of ships.