Top 5 Solitaire Strategy Tips for Advanced Players

Playing most card games requires strategic thinking, planning, and analysis. While regular entertainment lets you relax when you merely want to chill, cases like Solitaire tournaments will only go well if you have a solid plan to follow.

So, we will look into which moves and considerations can win you a challenging game of Patience. But before we leap to that…

Know What Game You Are Getting Into! 

Learning some moves and considering new ones is only effective when you know how to play Solitaire on a basic level. The game of Patience is primarily logical since players must complete a sequence of playing cards, usually organizing them by suits. Many people consider it a game of chance because you draw cards unthinkingly. Still, Solitaire round results mostly rely on your skills, reaction time, and a bit of math knowledge. 

Before diving into the game, each player must know…

The rules

Of course, this. 

Moreover, some games are time-limited, and 99% of them have limits on how many moves you can make. Knowing the rules enables you to make appropriate moves in a game. Learn the logic of Solitaire to analyze the challenge and know what is permitted. 

Three aims in Solitaire exist. Knowing the objective of a particular game is crucial, especially when you play games online.

• Creating Sequences: Solitaire requires a systemic approach to creating sequences with black and red cards to organize them by suit later. 
• Pairing: Several games, such as Monte Carlo or Nestor, let you clear the tableau by discarding matching cards of the same rank. 
• Totaling: That is when you discard cards that create a total value of a predetermined number. For instance, the total must be thirteen, meaning you can discard a 7 and a 6.

The type

Regarding game types (besides those by aim), Solitaire games can be…

• Closed: You cannot look at all the cards in closed Solitaire. That means you reveal cards bit by bit, and those you do not use go to a wastepile and become inaccessible until you redeal cards. As a rule, you can redeal cards only a couple of times, and you will lose a round if you are out of moves. The objective might vary, but the fact that you cannot see all cards remains. 
• Open: Such games let you see all cards instantly. Like closed games, you might have ANY objective, grid, etc. But here, you often must be as accurate as with a chess match because logical moves are more important here since you have more information but less space for mistakes. 
• Half-Open: That is when you start a round with closed cards, but they become visible in the process. 

Depending on your game, you will get tableaus with different grids, objectives, numbers of moves, etc. So, preparing for a round theoretically is as important as practicing. 

As mentioned, you need a plan for any of those games. Want to learn the top strategies from the best Solitaire players? Find your best-working Solitaire strategy here!

The PvP mode peculiarities 

Patience is considered a single-player game, but recent technologies in the gaming industry have altered how people can enjoy it. Most card games are optimized for online PvP modes, and the rules might alter. 

Most often, PvP online Solitaire brings new conditions: 

• Time Limits: First and foremost, such games often have tighter time limits, and players must get the best scores as soon as possible to win better rewards. 
• Competitiveness: PvP or multiplayer Solitaire has one winner, and the other player(s) lose(s). That means all Solitaire enjoyers should use a strategy to reduce thinking time. A strategy must be polished because your opponent can be lightning-fast with cards! 
• Special Boosts, Tools, etc.: Most online Solitaire games have additional features to help you slow an opponent down or unblock some cards to move them more effectively. Some advanced games like Solitaire Social have numerous additional “spells” that let you win even in the direst scenario. 

The 5 Moves in Solitaire Strategies the Top Player Make

It is time to focus on what a professional card player usually does and includes in their Solitaire strategies. Here are some options you can use and combine to get ahead and beat the most challenging games! 

1 — Focus on larger stacks 

Prioritize larger stacks to reduce the number of moves. By dragging a bigger piece of a column, you guarantee that you do not have to get back to separate cards. So, move those cards to longer stacks as your first move. Saving time second by second, you can win yourself a minute. 

2 — In closed games, deal with those cards that face the table first 

Getting new cards from the deck is alright, but prioritize making your table have no blocked cards turned down. Using card counting mathematics, you can later predict what is in store in the deck since you can see everything right before you on the tableau. You will also have to redeal cards fewer times, saving moves and seconds. 

3 — Always have a red and a black king on the table 

You can only create a sequence on the table by contrasting red and black cards. Hence, a Queen of Hearts can only go to a King of Spades or Clubs, while Diamonds will “reject” her. Given that players get a randomized deck, creating two columns with a red and a black King is best to ensure you can organize the following cards. 

Look at your Queens, Jacks, tens, and other cards to nail this Solitaire strategy. 

4 — Only clear a table stack when you have a King 

Even though clearing all the stacks seems like a shorter way to win, it is only sometimes a wise option. When no Kings are available, or there is no free column for a King, a player might get stuck and have nothing to do but to spend moves or give up, reducing their chances to win almost to zero. The perfect scenario is when all Kings are out, and there is always a spot for another King in case he shows up. 

5 — Make Ace Stacks Even 

Finishing the decks bit by bit is wise because you automatically make moving new cards from the stockpile much easier. When your Hearts deck already has an eight, but you desperately need a red four to place a black three somewhere finally, your game might only get better if you restart it. According to this Solitaire strategy, having all decks built evenly lets you manipulate cards gradually, ensuring that there will always be a black card for a red one and vice versa. 

What Are Some Additional Tips for PvP Solitaire? 

• Move Cards with a Reason Only: When playing against another person, you want your moves to be 100% accurate to bring you the win. Misplacing and fiddling with cards will result in losing time, worsening your score. 
• Do Not Play with Other People When Stressed/Angry: Anger, irritation, and other negative emotions blur your rationality and make you act without consideration. When you have a time limit that presses on you and see another person get ahead, that might irritate you even more. Hence, avoid getting into an online game when your emotions worsen. Games should be fun, but you are unlikely to enjoy competitive games when angry.
• Strive to Minimize Your Usage of the Undo Button: The undo button is a useful tool for solo Solitaire games, but it steals those precious seconds when you rush against another player. Hence, strive to ensure all your moves are optimal and you only sometimes need a step back. 
• Test Several Strategies and Pick Two: It is best to have a strategy that lets you win with minimum moves (even if it takes time) and another strategy that lets you get through a game faster. Depending on what a PvP game values more (time or decision effectiveness), you can use any of those Solitaire strategies to succeed. 

Final Words 

Those tested Solitaire strategies can become your new moves for the upcoming games you will WIN. Nevertheless, no one says that you cannot create your unique Solitaire strategy that will be an enigma to all others. Enjoy your rounds, stay calm, and earn yourself a great victory in the cards! Happy gaming!