Solitaire Card Game

People who want to take a break from everyday activities find relaxation and rest on games. There are lots of fun games you can try out there. You can opt to have a physical game and exhaust your body or fill your brains with some tricks of that traditional card games. 

 

Card games are one of the casual and relaxing past times you can have when you want to get away with a tiring and routine day. It’s fun to do with your friends and relatives, but what will you do if you do not have someone to play cards with?

 

Fortunately, solitaire card games can be your refuge even when you want to kill time on your own! What’s even great about a solitaire is you can play it both virtually and with an actual deck. Regardless of whether you want to play solitaire on-screen or with deck, it can still give you the enjoyment you’re looking for. 

When and where did solitaire start?

Solitaire is one of the traditional card games you’ll encounter today. It is an excellent way to fill your time and play anytime you want. But when did it actually introduced?

 

Solitaire came to Germany around the 18th century. However, it was a late bloomer and made its debut in France in the early 19th century. From the moment that it became popular, many best solitaire games started to arise. 

 

In French, solitaire goes along with the words ‘patience’, and ‘tableau’. Way back, only English-speaking countries use to play solitaire, but eventually, it became an international phenomenon played popularly worldwide. 

 

Ever heard of Napoleon? They said even Napoleon spent many hours playing solitaire while he is in exile on St. Helena. What does that mean, though? If you know and play solitaire today, consider yourself as someone who gets to experience the gameplay the ancient generations once had.

 

How did solitaire end up on screens?

People have enjoyed playing solitaire through an actual deck for almost 200 years. It was innovated into a digital game when the technological era began. 

 

Microsoft Windows has included the distribution of games such as solitaire on their operating systems. Their main target is to give relief and ease the boredom of sales assistants and office staff around the world. Little did they know that the solitaire found on their operating systems had made the game the world’s most famous activity to do on a computer. 

 

When Windows 3.0 was released in 1990, Klondike Solitaire has been the standard on most computers. Klondike Solitaire existed and entertained billions of people for almost three decades. Today, you’ll find a various solitaire package from Microsoft such as Spider, Pyramid, FreeCell, and TriPeaks. 

 

Aside from Microsoft who introduced solitaire digitally, you can also play it on various websites online. There are sites where you can play free, without interruption of ads, and no registration is needed. Thanks to these innovations because people can play solitaire easily and quickly anytime and anywhere. 

 

How do solitaire works?

There are various solitaire games today, but most of them follow a similar pattern. 

 

In a nutshell, the game includes laying of cards on a layout or what we call tableau with the end goal of arranging them to foundations. This foundation should be built following a sequence from Ace to King. It is accomplished through the help of turning up cards laid on the stock, and by creating and transferring columns of cards within the layout that match in color, value, or suit. 

 

For a more detailed explanation, it goes like this.

 

First, you need to create an initial layout of cards. You can do it by dealing with them in the initial tableau as recommended by that particular game. However, expect that in some games, the cards are all face-up, which calls for an open game. For a closed game, it’s another way around, where the cards are faced-down, leaving you with incomplete information at the beginning of the game. 

 

Each card is only revealed when the cards blocking them have been removed. Note that the arrangement shows to be overlapping rows or overlapping columns,

 

So what’s your target?

 

Your main target is to place cards onto the foundations, starting with an Ace and ending with a King. Once you’ve put an Ace, you can now create your foundation by placing cards from the suit in order. Again, note that your ultimate goal is to successfully build all the cards and form foundations so you can win the game.

 

To get all the cards to the foundations, you need to manipulate the cards in the tableau or layout. In this way, you can access all the cards you need and reveal those cards facing down. Transfer those facing up cards and you’d be able to plan your next move.

 

If you aim to arrange cards in ascending order to the foundations, you need to build the cards in the tableau in descending order, and in alternating color. You can strategically create a space in the tableau and use it to manipulate the cards to your advantage and start a new pile of cards there. 

 

Typically, the entire deck won’t be dealt with at the beginning of the game. All the remaining cards are called stock, which you can use to play by placing them face-up in a separate pile or also called waste. Note that it is dealt with only one time, but there are games, like Klondike, that you can deal with three times. Moreover, some games even have unlimited redeals.

 

Are all solitaire games can be completed?

Not all solitaire games can be completed, and if this is the case, it isn’t the player’s fault. There are times that a random deal is really unsolvable, and one fun part of solitaire is whether you can win or not with the dealt you have in front. 

 

Even if the deal is unsolvable, it is still not the deal to blame. You just need to avoid poor choices and play strategically to reach your target. 

 

Where you can play solitaire?

You can find lots of places on the internet that have plenty of solitaire card games. If you want to start it the traditional way, you can head on to the Wikipedia, which contains a list of solitaire favorites. 

 

Moreover, there are numerous websites dedicated for solitaire enthusiasts like you. Some are softwares that you can download and play on your mobile phone or personal computer. These current versions available today are far from the three versions that Microsoft has introduced way back because it can give you one hundered more ways to enjoy solitaire.

 

If you’re dying to play solitaire, you can visit Solitaired, which has 250 solitaire variations. It is ads-free and features a smooth and straight-forward gameplay, which you will love. Other websites are World of Solitaite, Classic Solitaire, and Solitaire Network. Most of them offer free online play.

 

However, if you want to explore the wider world of solitaire other than the default menu given by Microsoft, there are alternatives ready for you. Solitaire enthusiasts recommend options like SolSuite 2020, Pretty Good Solitaire, and The Python Solitaire Game Collection. Expect that these programs doesn’t have that incredible graphics, but you can play it completely free of charge. 

 

There are also some resource like BVS Solitaire Collection, which are available for Windows, Mac, and iOS users. Moreover, if you want to learn more about solitaire, you can visit the Solitaite Game Rules page where it will teach you to play versions like Klondike and encounter some variations.

 

What to play

You should know that not all solitaire games you’ll encounter are played like the classic solitaire provided by Miscrosoft Windows like that of a Spider and Klondike. You need to exert an effort to explore the diverse solitaire games and see what version do you like the most.

 

To give you and idea on where to start, here is a list of some famous popular solitaire games organized in different categories and types.

 

• Adding and Pairing: Pyramid, Monte Carlo, TriPeaks, and Golf
• Builders: Yukon, Beleaguered Castle,  Klondike, Scorpion, Forty Thieves, Baker’s Dozen, La Belle Lucie, Canfield, FreeCell, and Spider.
• Non-builders: Clock Patience, Gaps, Aces Up, Accordion, Cribbage Solitaire, Calculation, and Grandfather’s Clock
• Others: Sir Tommy, Windmill, Miss Millogan, Sultan, and Osmosis

 

One most recommended solitaire game is Bowling Solitaire designed by Sid Sackson. It is entirely one-of-a-kind solitaire game that you will encounter. It is purely thematic, which is incredible and enjoyable. 

 

Wrap Up

Skip waiting and start playing solitaire! THis fun and casual card game has been a part of our history and you might never want to miss the chance to know what it feels like! Now that you can access solitaire in your digital devices anytime and anywhere, your won’t have any excuse not to play it.

 

Play solitaire card game everytime you are alone, stuck at home, and feel like killing your time. Start firing up that solitare website or software, whip that deck of cards, and challenge yourself this time around! No matter what gameplay you choose, solitaire will always be that fun-filled card game you shouldn’t miss!