7 Solitaire Casino Game
One of the most popular time-killing games of all time, Solitaire – or, more specifically, the variant known as “Klondike” – is known to just about everyone who grew up with a deck of cards in their home. It’s a game that can be played in a matter of minutes, requiring only a table with a little space, a deck of cards, and a modicum of thought to play through again and again.
What many people fail to realize is that there is actually a bit of skill involved when it comes to “winning” at this game, which is often played mindlessly. Yes, luck is important, but skilled players can win far more often than those who make random legal moves, which explains why people report wildly different winning percentages in their own casual play.
Spigo has created a version of this game that they call 7 Solitaire, which can be played at many online gambling sites. As usual, you’ll be playing against yourself, trying to sort the entire deck without getting stuck. However, unlike the times you’ve played at your kitchen table, there can be actual money on the line here, with a prize waiting for you at the end of the rainbow should you successfully solve the puzzles posed by the seven piles in front of you.
A Classic Setup
While Klondike is one of the most well-known single-player card games in the world, we’re sure there are still some readers who are unfamiliar with the rules or could use a refresher. This game is played with a single deck of playing cards: 52 cards, with no jokers included. At the start of the game, you’ll be asked to make a stake (you may also play for fun, with no money on the line), and choose some other settings.
Clicking on start game will get you into the main screen, where all the action takes place. 7 Solitaire gets its name from the seven piles of cards that are dealt out at the start of play. The first pile gets one card, the next gets two cards, and so on, until the final pile (all the way to the right) has seven cards in it. The top card of each pile is flipped face up, while all other cards below them are face down. This area is known as the tableau.
The remaining deck becomes the draw pile. From this pile, three cards are drawn and placed in a face up pile. The top card from this pile may always be drawn by a player for use anywhere on the game board if they like. Cards below this top card can be viewed, but only the top card can be drawn.
The object of the game is to move the entire deck to four piles that appear above the seven ones that were laid out at the start of play, one for each suit. Each of these piles will start with the ace of the appropriate suit, followed by the two, three, and so on, up until the king may be placed at the top. Cards must be placed in this order. This area of the layout is known as the foundation.
Any card that is at the top of a pile may be moved to this area if it is eligible. At the beginning of the game, this will only apply to aces; as play continues, other ranks may be stacked according to the rules mentioned above.
If at any time one of the seven original piles does not have any face up cards, the player may flip over the top face down card. If no more cards are available in that pile, it is now empty; however, that area may still be used by the player later on.
Most of the action in Klondike involves moving cards between piles following a simple rule. Any face up card may be placed on top of another card that is one rank higher and of the opposite color. For instance, a black five may be placed on top of a red six; it may not be placed on a black six or a red jack (or anything else).
Multiple cards may be moved in this fashion, as long as the resulting pile is legal. For instance, a group of red six, black five, and red four may be moved from one pile onto another that is showing a black seven. In addition, there is one special rule that applies only to kings. If there is an empty pile, a king may be moved there (along with any other face-up cards in its pile).
In addition, you have the option of using the top card on your face up pile, putting it anywhere it may legally be placed. If that card cannot be played, then you may draw three more cards from the draw deck, repeating the process. Should the entire deck be exhausted, you can reshuffle the face-up pile into a new draw deck.
The game can end in one of two ways. If the entire deck ends up in the four suit piles, congratulations: you’ve won! In 7 Solitaire, this means that you will be paid out at 1.4-1 odds. Alternatively, you may find that you no longer have any legal moves to play and that no more progress is possible. In that case, you have lost the current round, and you’ll need to start over to try again.
As with all Spigo games, there is also a random jackpot that will sometimes appear during place to keep you on your toes. The jackpot amount is always displayed above the chat area (where you can communicate with others playing Spigo games on the same site). Randomly, you might see an overlay appear on your screen, pausing gameplay and instead giving you the opportunity to win that jackpot. A flashing light will cycle through the jackpot, several smaller prizes, and a “no prize” position; wherever it stops, you’ll be instantly granted that reward before returning to your game.
A Test of Strategy
There’s no question that there is plenty of luck involved with each round of 7 Solitaire, and that some shuffles are entirely unwinnable. However, the vast majority of possible shuffles actually do have a solution. In fact, one study (which Spigo helpfully links to in its rules) found that at least 82% and perhaps as many as 91.44% of Klondike games have winning solutions – a truth that would suggest that optimal play should make this a very profitable venture.
However, things are not nearly that simple. While it is technically true that a very high percentage of layouts can be won, actually winning those games is another question entirely: optimal play, in this case, would mean knowing what all the face-down cards were and then making perfect decisions based on that information. Because there are so many hidden cards in this game – and no takebacks – actually approaching anywhere near that high a percentage is impossible. In fact, nobody knows what the theoretical win percentage of a Klondike player without complete information is; in fact, that this problem has yet to be definitively solved has been called “one of the embarrassments of applied probability.”
All of that said, there are lots of steps you can take to optimize your play as much as possible. Here are a few key tips that can get you closer to optimal play:
- Always move aces and twos to the foundation whenever possible. This helps simplify the rest of the game, and can never be a mistake, as no cards build on either of these ranks in the tableau.
- Always be looking to uncover cards whenever possible.
- Do not move cards to the foundation unless they help you uncover face down cards.
- There is no need to create an empty pile on the tableau unless you have a king to place there. In general, keeping cards in the tableau gives you more flexibility, which will help avoid situations in which you might get stuck.
- When you do have an empty pile, pause before placing a red or black king on it. There’s a good chance that one of these colors will be far more useful than the other, and taking a few moments to figure out which one is likely to come in more handy could be the difference between winning and losing.
A Fun Test of Skill
Like most skill games, Spigo’s 7 Solitaire can be very entertaining, as it will engage you throughout play. The decisions you make have a real impact on how each round plays out, and in turn, how well you will do that this game in the long run. That means there’s no way to play this on autopilot: you’ll have to be thinking and actively participating every step of the way.
Ultimately, what you think of this game will come down to whether that last paragraph excites you or terrifies you. Some players would rather leave their gambling fate up to chance, while others want to have a hand in their results. What we can say is that this game performs well, is solid visually, and does an excellent job of representing the rules of Klondike. If you’ve always enjoyed playing this game for fun, then you might get a kick out of betting a little money on the outcome of your next deal.
