Vegas Solitaire

Contents

Glossary
Getting started
How to play
Ending the game
Game rules
Other features

Glossary

The Solitaire play area consists of the following areas:

• Stockpile - This is the face-down deck in the top left of the screen that cards are drawn from. Displayed above this is a count of how many cards remain in the pile, eg, "3 Cards left".
• Play deck - This is the face-up deck that is created from drawing from the Stockpile. Only the top card will be displayed if the player has selected the '1 Draw' option, or a small fan of the last three top-cards dealt in the case of a '3 Draw' game.
• Four foundation stacks - These are the top four areas (one for each suit) being the goal destination for all the cards to end up. There is no order as to which suit is placed on which foundation area or which area is used first. The foundation stack will only show the top card.
• Seven column stacks - These are the main game play areas. They are dealt out when the player clicks Deal at the start of the game.

Back to Top

Getting started

On entering the game you will need to set up how you wish to play the game in order to begin:

• Cash in
• Select which version you would like to play - either the 1 Draw or the 3 Draw version. (1 Draw is the version where you draw one card at a time from the stockpile and may pass through the deck once; 3 Draw is the version where you may draw three cards at a time and pass through the deck three times).
• Choose your stake. The default stake is set to £5.20. Press the + and - buttons on either side of the stake amount in order to increase or decrease your stake. (The minimum stake is £1.04 and the maximum is £10,400).
• The maximum win amount you could win at the stake currently selected and win rate (ie, the amount you will win for each card placed in order on the four foundation stacks when you end the game and collect) will be displayed to help you decide which version and stake to play.
• Press the DEAL button to start the game. The DEAL button is not enabled until either the 1 Draw or the 3 Draw version has been chosen.
• When you press DEAL the selected stake will be deducted from your balance.

Back to Top

How to play

• After you press Deal to start the game, the seven column stacks will be dealt.
• If a valid move is available, you may move face-up cards from the bottom of one column stack to the bottom of another. You may only move a card on to one that is one number higher in value and of the opposite colour (ie, you may only move a black 6 on to a red 7).
• You may move the lowest card in the column stack or a number of cards but you must move at least the lowest one, maintaining the black/red numerical order of the stack.
• The highest card you move must be one number lower in value than the card onto which you move it, eg, if you have four cards turned face up on a column stack, from a black 6 down to a red 3, you may move all four cards onto the red 7 but you cannot move just the black 6.
• To move cards, click and hold the card you wish to move, drag it and release it in the desired place.
• If one of the column stacks is empty, you may move a king to that stack, along with any face-up cards already attached to that king.
• Should a card be moved leaving a column stack with all cards face down you can click the last card to turn it face up.
• At any time, you may draw from the stockpile to the play deck (one or three cards, depending on how you set up the game) until you have passed through the stockpile the maximum allowed number of times. The top card shown on the play deck may be moved on to a suitable card in any column stack as described above.
• If an ace is revealed, either in a column stack or in the play deck, this may be moved to an empty foundation stack at the top of the play area. Once the ace for any given suit is placed on the foundation stack, cards of that suit can then be moved to that foundation stack in numerical order.
• For each card you move to the foundation stacks, an amount equal to the win rate will be added to your winnings.
• Your stake, win rate and any winnings you have been awarded in the game so far will be displayed on the right hand side of the play area. Your winnings are only added to your account balance at the end of the game (when you press the End Game And Collect button.
• You may also move cards back from the foundation stacks to the column stacks but not to the play deck. If you do move a card down, an amount equal to the win rate will be deducted from your winnings for each card you remove from the foundation stacks.
• An arrow is displayed above the top card in the play deck if that card can be played onto one of the column or foundation stacks.
• The number of cards left in the stockpile is displayed and the number of allowed passes through the stockpile you have remaining are displayed at all times above the play deck and stockpile.

Ending the game

• After drawing through the stockpile the maximum allowed number of times you cannot receive further cards to play. This is most likely time you would choose to end the game.
• You can decide to end the game at any point by clicking on the 'End Game And Collect Winnings' button. This adds the winnings you have to your balance but should only be done when you think you can win no more as it finishes the game.
• The play area will then be cleared and the start screen will be displayed ready to set up a new game.
• If all cards have been turned face up and there are no cards left in the stockpile/play deck then the cards will automatically be put up to the foundation stacks at this point and the game completed with the maximum winnings. You can then end the game and collect as normal.

Back to Top

Game rules

• A single standard deck of 52 cards is used. This is shuffled before being dealt.
• The foundation stacks are initially empty.
• The column row stacks are dealt out initially as described above.
• The remaining cards are left face down in the stockpile in upper left corner.
• The objective of the game is to clear all the column stacks to the foundation stacks.
• The four foundations stacks are for the four suits (spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds).
• Only an ace can be placed on an empty foundation stack.
• To place a card on top of a foundation stack, it has to be the same suit, and continue the sequence by being the value one higher than the top card of the stack.
• Only a king can be placed on an empty column stack.
• To place a card on a column stack, it has to be a different colour (red can be placed on black, and vice versa. Suit is not important). It also has to be the value one higher than the top card of the stack.
• Any card that is face up on any Stack is available to be moved.
• You may move cards from the Play Deck either to one of the Foundation Stacks or a Column Stack. You may also move cards from the Foundation Stacks to the Column Stacks or vice versa, and between Column Stacks.
• You may split columns, ie, move a partial stack between Column Stacks. To do this, click the highest card that you want to move and drag this and release as you would with a single card.
• When you decide you do not want to or cannot move any more cards, click on the Stockpile to draw further cards to the Play Deck. When playing the 1 Draw game one card is drawn, when playing the 3 Draw game, three are drawn (or less if there are not 3 cards remaining).
• Should all three of the most recently drawn cards in the Play Deck be moved on to the column or Foundation Stacks, then the last card that was beneath them in the Play Deck that was drawn previously will be revealed again. If that card is then used then the card before that is shown until you get back to the start of the pile then no card is shown.
• You may pass through the Stockpile once when playing the 1 Draw game or three times when playing the 3 Draw game.
• In the case of the 3 draw game, having gone through the Stockpile once, the Stockpile will be empty, and the Play Deck will have all remaining cards. You may click on the empty Stockpile to flip over the Play Deck (keeping the cards in the same order) and place them face down there ready to use again. Click again to draw cards.
• Once you have gone through the Stockpile the maximum allowed times, an X will appear on the empty Stockpile area. You will not be allowed to draw any more cards and may only play cards from the Play Deck.

Back to Top

Other features

Betting History: Select this from the Options menu to display a log of the previous games in the current session showing your bets placed and the outcomes.

Sound on/off: Select this from the Options menu to switch off all audio within the game.

Colour: Use this to change the main background colour of the play area to green, red or blue.

Deck: Use this to change the design on the back of the cards to your preferred choice - choose from a selection of 12 designs.

Undo: Undo can only be used to undo the last action, and can only be used on the following actions:

• moving cards from the Play Deck to the Foundation Stacks or Column Stacks.
• moving cards between the Foundation Stacks and Column Stacks.
• drawing card(s) from the Stockpile to the Play Deck.

Undo cannot be used for anything else (such as undo turning over a column card that was face down).

End Game & Collect: Select this to finish the current game of online Solitaire. Any winnings will be collected into your account balance and the play area is cleared.

Back to Top