How To Keep Score in Solitaire

To play a game of Solitaire, a player begins with a deck of 52 cards, a pencil, and a piece of paper.  The player follows the traditional guidelines of Solitaire, placing seven piles in front of them and assuming there are four invisible “Ace” piles above the playing area. The player can go through the remaining cards three at a time, moving the visible cards in accordance with the Solitaire playing format. Typically, the object of the game of Solitaire is to move as many cards as possible to the “Ace” piles. More competitive players may choose to score their games in an attempt to better their abilities.

In a traditional scoring of Solitaire, the player receives five points for each card placed in the general playing area. Five points are also received for cards that are flipped over in the general playing area (with exception of the seven cards displayed at the beginning of game play.) As the object of the game is to shift these cards to the “Ace” piles, the Solitaire player will receive ten points for those placed in this area. Points can be tallied on the paper as the player proceeds through the game. Once there are no additional moves to be made, the player can add up the score and compare to previous games.

As an alternative, a Solitaire player may choose to score their game “Vegas Style.” The game set up does not change; however, it is assumed that the player is paying out $1 for each card in the deck. Therefore, the Vegas Solitaire player will start off with a $52 deficit and will work towards getting out of “debt.”  For each card played in the general playing area, the player receives nothing. The stakes go up when they place cards (including the Aces) in the “Ace” piles. Each card moved to these piles will garner the player $5.

One other difference in Vegas Solitaire is the number of times the player is allowed to cycle through the cards. In Vegas Solitaire, the player may choose to view one card at a time. Unfortunately, this choice limits the player to a single turn through the deck. On the other hand, the player may cycle through the three times. With this option, three cards are displayed at a time.

Once the cards have been viewed and moved, the Vegas Solitaire player is able to determine if their initial “bet” was lucrative. They may carry over the gain or loss and consider playing another game (with an additional $52 “bet”).

Regardless of the type of scoring a player chooses, it is important to maintain the same scoring style for each game. This will allow the player to monitor their progress in playing the game.