Perhaps one of the most popular games in the world is solitaire. The simple, single-player card game has found itself to the homes of people worldwide. For good reason too, the game is simple, easy, fun, and quite accessible.
Solitaire’s popularity has led to many different variants on the game being developed. In this article, we’d like to focus on the most popular versions of solitaire, and discuss whether it is possible to bet on them. Starting with the one that you can easily gamble on…
VEGAS SOLITAIRE
As the name suggests, Vegas Solitaire was developed specifically for the casino. Named after Sin City, where it was created, Vegas Solitaire begins when a dealer shuffles the cards and distributes them to a player, in seven, single row piles. The card piles are set up as you’d expect in solitaire, with the first one being the smallest, and the seventh one being the largest.
The goal, certainly, you are familiar with. To win the game, the player must reveal all the cards face up, and sort them into four piles over the game. So far, the game seems like pretty standard solitaire. So, how can you bet on it?
Well, it is simple; the wager begins when you start playing. The player can bet on whether they will win the game, or can be comprised of “prop bets,” such as: “Will I reveal all the aces?,” “Will I make it up to at least two Kings?,” etc. While it certainly seems fun to bet on solitaire, some may wonder if Vegas is the only place they can access this game.
Luckily, online casinos have made it possible to play any casino game in your own home. They’ve also made gambling a lot simple, by incorporating bonuses. While some of these websites require you to make a deposit before you can get anything, there are plenty that feature bonuses without wagering requirements, making them perfect for any new gamblers that wants to test their luck.
KLONDIKE
Without a doubt, Klondike is the most popular version of solitaire. Not only that, but it is also one of the most played games online, in the entire world. Once upon a time, each PC would come in with a pre-built game of Klondike, or as it is known in some places, Canfield. The game remains a staple of many people’s gaming library today.
In the United States of America, as well as Canada, the game is so popular that it is simply called “solitaire,” whereas in the United Kingdom most know it as Patience. Some Americans refer to it as Canfield, which leads us to the second question; can you gamble on Klondike?
A pretty fun fact is the origin of the name “Canfield.” Many believe that it comes from the name of a casino located in New York. The Canfield Casino would offer Klondike as a gambling game, and the card game would soon become a staple of this establishment. What that tells us is, that even before online casinos were around, people were wagering on solitaire.
SPIDER
Spider is a pretty interesting game, in that it requires multiple decks to function. Depending on the level of difficulty, you may even be using only one suit, which means a player might need at least four decks to play the game. However, most casinos feature the difficult option, opting for two decks with different suits.
The name comes from the fact that there are eight foundations that you need to build in order to win the game. Unlike Klondike, in Spider solitaire, the player must match cards of the same suit, which makes the game just a bit harder. In fact, the very concept of using multiple decks makes winning Spider a lot harder than Klondike. It is said that the odds to win are 1 in 3 games.
So, no wonder casinos love it. The game’s house edge is much larger than Klondike, making this the perfect game for a casino. However, the players might prefer a game with a lower house advantage. That is why, Klondike remains the more popular game among players. Still, Spider solitaire is certainly a version of the popular card game that you can find at most casinos online.
TRIPEAKS
The Tripeaks version of solitaire is something completely different. Yet, regardless of how different it is, it remains incredibly popular. The name comes from the three, pyramid-like card structures that you have to form in order to set up the game. These card structures have also led to the game being calledThree Towers, Triple Peak, or Three Pyramids.
Tripeaks is a relatively new variant on the old game, created in 1989 by Robert Hogue. Hogue used computer analytics to determine the game’s difficulty, and found that there is about a 9 in 10 chance to win a game of Tripeaks. But, how do you play this simple game?
The game starts by placing three cards, face-down, at a fair distance. Then, two cards covering each of the three, again face down. Then, another three cards, covering each of the two, making for a total of eighteen cards, face down. You’ve already created a small, pyramid-like structure.
The setup is done once you place 10 cards, this time face-up, covering the nine face-down cards. You then leave the remaining cards in a pile, and turn them, either one-by-one or three-by-three, depending on how difficult you want the game to be.
While it may seem tough, Tripeaks is one of the easier solitaire games to play, which is why you won’t find it at most casinos, online or land-based. But if you are looking for a fun game to pass the time at home, it is the perfect choice.