The card game Solitaire (or Patience) has been around for decades, but its popularity wouldn’t explode until it began appearing on Microsoft PCs in the 1990s. A deceptively simple game, Solitaire is played by thousands of people every year. days, be it on phones, desktops, tablets, and even with a traditional deck of cards. If you’re a fan of Solitaire and need a little help pulling off a win, check out these handy tips courtesy of the Solitaired website.
1. Evenly distribute the stacks in the frame…
A common mistake is always trying to complete individual stacks. If you have the option of keeping two separate stacks of four cards each or merging them to make a single stack of 8, leave them separate unless merging helps you reveal a face down card.
If you only have room for two long stacks, try building them in a color pattern opposite each other. For example, if the king of your first pile is red, make the king of the second pile black; this gives you more chances to move new cards that you reveal later in the game.
2. Clean stacks only if you have a king available…
Don’t be too quick to create an empty square slot if there isn’t a king to put it on.
If you don’t have one to put in there, that blank space won’t help you improve your game. Be smart and wait until you have a king to put there.
3. However, you should always play kings carefully…
Try to think a few turns ahead, when you decide which king to play. Always use the king that will help you uncover the most cards.
Check which of your kings has the most cards currently exposed that will work with it. For example, a red king means that he needs a black queen, a red jack, a black 10, a red nine, etc. If these cards are available to continue with your new stack, then play the king as soon as possible.
Playing the “wrong” king can cause chaos. If you have a red queen, a black jack, and a stack on top to four, you could lock yourself out if you play a red king on the empty space. With nowhere to move your stack of red queens, all the cards below them will be trapped!
Be strategic and wait for a black one instead, which you can then stack.
4. The magic of five, six, seven, eight…
Solitaire has four “ordinary cards”: five, six, seven, and eight, which hold the deck of your game. However, playing them with too much enthusiasm could lead to ruin…
If you need to use them, think carefully about whether they meet a specific set of criteria:
– The card inspires you to release a face down card or will initiate a play that will release a face down card in the next few moves.
– Your card organizes the suit (not the hue) of the next higher card into a comparable hue.
– This is useful because it prevents sticking. So if you are considering playing a seven of clubs on an eight of hearts, the next nine should be a nine of clubs.
5. Move the cards from the largest pile of cards face down…
Examine your columns: which one has the most hidden cards underneath? If you have two cards that can be moved to a new pile, you must move the one with the most cards face down on the bottom. This allows you to reveal as many hole cards as possible.
Remember, aces and deuces will not help you reveal more hole cards. There’s nothing you can stack on top of the aces, so move them sharp. The same goes for both. Get them into the base as soon as you can, or they’ll stop you.
