is there a strategy to windows solitare?

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TuxDave

Lifer
Oct 8, 2002
10,571
3
71
Originally posted by: ergeorge
Not all games of freecell are winnable.
Link

"FreeCell is the enormously popular solitaire game included with Windows 95. Because all cards are visible at the start of the game, it is almost entirely a game of skill. Almost all FreeCell positions can be won. The most notable exception is the game #11982 in Microsoft FreeCell and Pretty Good Solitaire."

I used to be something of a freecell junky, but lost interest when I found this out (although I had suspected it).

I came across a list of unwinnable freecell games at some point.

Ditto, I tried to see if I could win these "unwinnable" games and eventually just gave up.
 

Beau

Lifer
Jun 25, 2001
17,730
0
76
www.beauscott.com
Originally posted by: FeathersMcGraw
Originally posted by: Beau
Originally posted by: robotcholi
Is it possible to win every game just like Freecell and Minesweeper or all luck?
No, not possible to win all. It's a game of chance more than anything.

My understanding is that all Freecell games are solvable. Minesweeper, however, depends to an extent on luck.

All freecell games are solvable. The only luck in minesweeper is your first click, the rest is left to logic and reason.
 

Maverick

Diamond Member
Jun 14, 2000
5,900
0
76
I once played solitaire in a friend's dorm room when we were all drinking for 3 hours straight without winning once. She warned me that no one had ever been able to win solitaire on that computer and I took up the challenge. I was relentless in trying to beat but I failed :(
 

eber

Senior member
Dec 5, 2002
205
0
0
Originally posted by: ReelC00L
Try the cheat code!!! I don't remember what it was but it allowed you to draw 1 in draw 3 style. I think Minesweeper had a cheat code too where a certain pixel on the screen turned a color if there was a mine there or not.

i think the "cheat-code" is holding down something like ctrl-alt while you click a card...and yes, it should allow you to draw one instead of three.

anyone else play it "hardcore"--like for fastestest times? my best time for draw 3 is 73 seconds. i looked all around the web and IIRC, the fastest time for draw 1 is 31 seconds and draw 3 is 35 seconds--unbelievable! i never believed it to be possible to have it done so quickly. on that website i found, they make you submit a screenshot of the end screen--and if it's under 50 seconds you have to submit a screen-video capture. i downloaded a couple of those vids and the person playing is insanely fast.

btw--my sister got 35 seconds with draw 3 around 8 years ago--and she didn't even use the right-click "trick" it didn't exist back then. a fast game all depends on the cards they give you...apparently her draw was "perfect".
 

robotcholi

Golden Member
Dec 31, 1999
1,033
0
0
Originally posted by: Beau
Originally posted by: FeathersMcGraw
Originally posted by: Beau
Originally posted by: robotcholi
Is it possible to win every game just like Freecell and Minesweeper or all luck?
No, not possible to win all. It's a game of chance more than anything.

My understanding is that all Freecell games are solvable. Minesweeper, however, depends to an extent on luck.

All freecell games are solvable. The only luck in minesweeper is your first click, the rest is left to logic and reason.

Are you sure Beau? I thought so at first too but look at TuxDave's post. Try game #11982 :)
 

RossGr

Diamond Member
Jan 11, 2000
3,383
1
0
Drawing 3 in Solitare IS cheating, select the draw 1 option, you only get 1 time through the deck. That is the Las Vegas rules, as I understand it. I have learned that this is not a game to play for money.
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Again, NOT all freecell games are winnable.


Try game -1 if you don't believe it (yes, that's negative 1).
 

silverpig

Lifer
Jul 29, 2001
27,703
12
81
Originally posted by: Beau
Originally posted by: FeathersMcGraw
Originally posted by: Beau
Originally posted by: robotcholi
Is it possible to win every game just like Freecell and Minesweeper or all luck?
No, not possible to win all. It's a game of chance more than anything.

My understanding is that all Freecell games are solvable. Minesweeper, however, depends to an extent on luck.

All freecell games are solvable. The only luck in minesweeper is your first click, the rest is left to logic and reason.

That's not true. There are some instances where your last mine is a guess between 2 possible spots.
 

Slacker

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
8,623
33
91
Speeed Solitaire!!! Draw one standard style, my best time...... 40 seconds and 17,800 points


Late last year I had nothing to do at work for a few months so a coworker and I constantly tried to top each other in speed/score playing standard "Draw One" windows solitaire, I set the mark with 72 seconds at 10,700 points which he couldnt beat for a while, then he got 64 seconds at 12,000 points and kept getting better while I couldnt beat him for a long time, he got to 54 seconds at 13,800 points and the best I could do was 57 seconds at 11,600, finally I totally focused on the game and clicked like mad and got 41 seconds at 17,500 he didnt see it and thought I faked the screenshot so I did it one more time and got my alltime best at 40 seconds at 17,800 points ! I have not played since.