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
The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins (Fourth edition)Robert Hendrickson In “The Facts on File Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins” Robert Hendrickson presents definitions and origins of more than 15,000 words and expressions. About Canfield: “Lonely people playing Solitaire can at least have the company of Richard C Canfield (1855-1941) for … Read more
Gold Rush Fever: A Story of the Klondike 1898 by Barbara Greenwood, Scholastic Inc, New York, USA 2002 “To relieve the monotony of winter life and prevent cabin fever, stampeders played endless games of a type of solitaire called Klondike, Here’s how to play it…” In her book Gold Rush Fever: A Story of the … Read more
Bicycle – Official Rules of Card Games – over 250 Card Games – 90th edition 2001 The 90th edition of the Official Rules of Card Games by The United States Playing Card Company makes a clear difference between Klondike and Las Vegas Solitaire. Although Canfield is also mentioned with the sub-names Fascination and Demon, it … Read more
The Art of Gambling by Arthur Flowers and Anthony Curtis, Huntington Press, Las Vegas 2000 The book The Art of Gambling is full of beautiful pictures of paintings with gambling in it. Every painting comes with information about the painter and the work. On page 174 there is a painting titled “Patience” which is painted … Read more
The new games Treasury: more than 500 indoor and outdoor favorites with strategies, rules, and traditions by Merilyn Simonds, Mohr Merilyn was able to give clear descriptions of the game rules of various versions of Solitaire. About Klondike and Fascination she writes the following:: About Klondike: “Canada’s contribution to Solitaire, Klondike became popular during the … Read more