Your credit score is a game — and most people don't know the rules.

You've probably heard that a good credit score matters, but here's what's wild: your credit score isn't a measure of wealth. Someone earning $30,000 a year can have a higher score than a millionaire. That's because the score only tracks one thing — how reliably you play the borrowing game.

Your score is built from five ingredients, and they're not weighted equally. Payment history (paying on time) is the biggest factor at 35%. Next is credit utilization — how much of your available credit you're actually using. Experts suggest staying below 30%, but people with the highest scores often use less than 10%. The rest comes from how long you've had accounts, your mix of credit types, and how often you apply for new credit.

Here's the counterintuitive part: closing an old credit card can actually hurt your score. It reduces your total available credit, which spikes your utilization ratio. That unused card collecting dust in your drawer might be quietly helping you more than you think.