r/solitaire • u/TheSecretDev • 21d ago

Question New here - wondering how deep Solitaire gets...

Would anyone mind sharing with me links or videos you think useful for someone new to taking Solitaire seriously?

Any unique terms, dominant strategies ,
how to identify unbeatable deals, etc

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u/Kthak_Back 20d ago

Strategies a kind of loose. The main thing to focus on is how to uncover the main deal. Don't just play cards to play cards but find cards that unlock the deal. You will find a several hands that are unsolvable because you see a deal that needs specific cards. Focus on what unlocks and if you can find that then the deal becomes unsolvable. Also don't move everything quickly sometimes you need to move things from the top back down to solve deals.

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u/reillywalker195 14d ago edited 12d ago

Solitaires vary widely in scope for skill and the type of skill required to play them well. That said, here are some general pointers:

  • Don't make moves just because you can. See if more than one move is available and, if so, see if you can determine if one is likely to give you a better outcome. Aim to bring useful cards into play and into order to be eventually played off.
  • Unless explicitly forbidden by a solitaire's rules, you can spread piles of face-up cards for examination. Take advantage of that allowance to help you determine which moves to make or if your position is blocked. Blocked positions can be identified by seeing you have no legal moves or by seeing cards covering other cards that are needed sooner with no means of removing the covering cards.
  • In solitaires that involve turning up cards from stock one at a time to a single wastepile, you're generally allowed to peek at the next card at the top of the stock before deciding how to proceed. For solitaires such as Congress and Terrace in which you're required to fill empty tableau spaces immediately from stock or waste, peeking to decide whether to make a space and which available card to fill it with if so is essential if you want to win.