Most people start Daily Target by combining whatever numbers look friendly and hoping something lands near the target. It works sometimes, but there's a more reliable habit: start from the target and ask what could make it.
Almost every target between 101 and 999 is built around one multiplication. If the target is 438 and you have a 75, ask: 75 times what is near 438? 75 × 6 = 450, which is 12 too many. Now the question is just "can I make 6 and 12 from what's left?" That's a much smaller puzzle.
Once you have a near miss, the gap is usually small. Small gaps are easy to make from the small numbers: 12 is 3 × 4, or 10 + 2, or 7 + 5. Keep your small numbers in reserve for this step instead of spending them early.
If you need 75 × 6 but there's no 6, build one: 2 × 3, 10 − 4, or 8 − 2. Spending two small numbers to create the exact multiplier you need is often the whole solution.
Division only works when it divides exactly, which makes it easy to forget. But 100 ÷ 4 = 25 or 75 ÷ 3 = 25 can turn an awkward big number into a useful one, and 50 ÷ 10 = 5 gives you a small number you didn't have.
Nothing is lost by trying a line and stepping back. If a path gets you within 20 but not closer, undo two steps and try a different multiplier.
If the target is even, or its digits add up to a multiple of 3, it might be "small number × something". Making that something is often easier than making the target directly.
Numbers 100, 6, 4, 3, 9, 2; target 532.
First idea: 100 × 5 = 500 leaves a gap of 32. We can make 5 with 9 − 4, but then 32 has to come from 6, 3 and 2, and the closest is 6 × 3 × 2 = 36. Close, but no.
Second idea (tip 6): 532 ÷ 4 = 133. So make 133 and multiply by 4. 133 = 100 + 33, and 33 = 3 × 11 = 3 × (9 + 2).
Solution: 9 + 2 = 11 → 11 × 3 = 33 → 100 + 33 = 133 → 133 × 4 = 532. The 6 was never needed, which is allowed.
The first idea rarely works. Expect to try two or three lines, and use Undo between them.