Come & Play These 5 Popular Variants of Solitaire

Solitaire is one of the popular games and is also one of the oldest. It is a classic card game that traces its history way back to the 1800s. This game, also known as patience or cable games, has definitely come a long way. I am sure most of you remember this game from your childhood. Well, that is because it was first introduced by Microsoft in the 1990s with its Windows 3.0. So, you know very well that since then, its popularity has only seen an upward curve.

This is a strategy-based game that develops your power of cognition, thinking abilities and improves memory. This legendary game is popular for its patience value and people love playing a good card game after unwinding for the day. Besides, there are 5 common or popular variants of solitaire that people usually tend to enjoy and play. In this article, we are going to look at the 5 common solitaire variants and see what they are like.

1.     Klondike Solitaire: Klondike is the most popular version of Solitaire. In fact, it is so common that people sometimes use Solitaire and Klondike interchangeably. It actually goes all the way back to the 19th century. Klondike originated in the Klondike region of Canada.

Here, you will have a tableau of 7 columns of cards where the top card is facing-up while the remaining cards from the draw pile. The prime objective of this game is to move all the 52 cards into 4 foundation piles on the tableau based on their suits. Moreover, you can move the exposed cards in the tableau columns or draw pile to the foundations in ascending order.

2.     Spider Solitaire: This is the next popular variant of solitaire. Spider solitaire uses two decks of 52 cards each. Now, depending on the level of difficulty, each deck may contain one, two or four suits. The game essentially features a tableau, stockpile and a discard pile.

Your main goal is to form stacks of 13 cards of similar suit in an ascending order, from Ace to King. After that, you can put it in one of the foundation piles.

3.   FreeCell Solitaire: Now FreeCell is pretty close to the classic solitaire game. However, it involves a more strategy as it requires a more careful approach while playing. You use a single deck of cards that you eventually deal into 7 piles. But remember, there is no stockpile in this version of the game. Besides, your goal is to move all the cards to the foundations in a suit-specific manner. Now, it is called FreeCell because of the 4 empty spaces on the tableau.

4. Pyramid Solitaire: Pyramid solitaire has two common names. People popularly call it Solitaire 13 and Pile of 28. It is a fast-paced version which has simple rules as compared to other variants. Now, for the game-play, you have to arrange 28 cards face-up in a 7-level pyramid-shaped tableau. You can place the remaining cards in the draw pile.

Having that said, your primary aim is to form pairs with a combined value of 13 points to remove them from the pyramid. You can form the pairs from the two face-up cards in the pyramid or by pairing a card from the pyramid with another card from the draw stack.

5.     Tripeaks Solitaire: The name tripeaks actually gets its name from the 3-pyramid peaks that are formed by the cards on the tableau. Now, Tripeaks involves dealing with 52 cards where you place the cards in three 4-row pyramids. Once you are done with that, you place the four cards face-up at the base of each pyramid, while other cards are face down. The cards that remain form the stockpile.

Your task is to clear the tableau of all cards. Moreover, you must build sequences of cards 1 point higher or lower than the preceding one to deconstruct the pyramids. However, it should be independent of the suit.

There are many solitaire apps that you will come into contact with these days. These online versions of solitaire vary from one another in game-play and rules. For instance, Camel Motion’s Solitaire^ is different with a distinct feature than Shark Solitaire. But you have many options to choose from, so you can always switch from one game to another.

Conclusion:

These are some of the more common and popular versions of the legendary card game. These days, you will find many online variants of solitaire with slightly different rules. People love playing solitaire because it relaxes the mind and calms them. Moreover, it is also a good recreational activity. So, waste no more time and start playing this wonderful game whose popularity is only going to shine brighter.

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