An overview of all articles, and other resources used to compile the Solitaire Bibliography and the history of solitaire from a Gambling perspective.
“Das Patiencespiel,” documented in 1788 in Berlin, Germany, is the oldest known description we have found in the History of Solitaire games. Although there are seemingly older references in novels (Russian, I read somewhere) where someone is referred to as playing “Patience,” until 1788 we had no clue what was meant by a game having … Read more
Richard A. Canfield (1855 -1914) was an American gambling magnate, art collector, and stockbroker who ran a gambling empire in New York in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He became America’s most famous gambler, for many reasons, not the least of which was his casino resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. Determined to mimic … Read more
Richard Canfield, the “Prince of Gamblers,” was a famous gambler (gambling house proprietor) who ran several successful casinos in New York City and Saratoga Springs. These days, most people have only heard the stories about Canfield as the inventor of Canfield Solitaire. In my research of the history of Solitaire from a gambling perspective, I … Read more
Whether people played Solitaire in Las Vegas Casinos is one of the most frequently asked questions about Vegas Solitaire. This article will try to answer that question based on facts and “first-hand” references. Gambling was Everywhere “Every town had a game going on somewhere…casinos were as common as the corner store in most communities.” – … Read more
Most people know Vegas Solitaire as the Solitaire to gamble on in online casinos. Many people don’t know that long before Las Vegas became the world’s gambling capital, there was already gambling with Solitaire in casinos. Better said in Gambling Houses because that’s what casinos were called in the past. Although Solitaire has never really … Read more
Some Casinos offer a Solitaire version that uses Vegas Rules by Mark Pilarski, Detroit Free Press, 27 January 2011 Questions and Answers A newspaper article that appeared in the Detroit Free Press on 27 January 2011. Mark Pilarski is answering a question from a reader: Question:“Microsoft Solitaire game has an optional setting called “Vegas rules” … Read more
Pascal Solitaire – Alan D. Floeter and Vallerie A. Floeter, Micro – NO. 62 (Micro Ink,US) 1983 Las Vegas Solitaire became quite popular among computer programmers throughout the 1970s. Many computer publications wrote about Las Vegas Solitaire, most of which times in lectures to teach how to code the game with the Vegas scoring always … Read more
Videogames aren’t in the cards, Dick Reynolds, 1982Dick Reynolds on Solitaire in an article in the Palladium-Item published in Richmond, Indiana. Dick Reynolds played 100 games of Klondike Solitaire and is sharing the results with his readers. He plays Klondike and claims it’s played in Las Vegas. “Klondike” Solitaire relieves video game frustrations… The card … Read more
The Creative Cheater’s Guide to Solitaire (Wherein Virtue is Not Its Own Reward) by Bernie De Koven, Games Magazine #14, Playboy Enterprises, November 1979 Complete game description of Las Vegas Solitaire with illustrations. Also, Bernie points out the difference between Klondike and Las Vegas Solitaire. “Now my self says to me, Look here buddy. This … Read more
Brighton Youth teaches a computer to gamble- 23 January 1975by Jack Nolan Democrat and Chronicle – Rochester, New York This article is about a young English student named R. Lesser. This young student was among the last 300 finalists of the Westinghouse Science Talent Search – the Oldest and Most Prestigious Science and Mathematics Competition, … Read more