Vegas Solitaire Draw One is the official or standard version of Vegas Solitaire, where a player pays $52 for a deck of cards and receives $5 back from every card played to the Foundation. “Draw one” refers to the fact that you can only Draw One card at a time from the Stockpile, and you are allowed to go through the deck only once.
What is Vegas Solitaire Draw One?
As the name suggests, Vegas Solitaire Draw One is a version of Solitaire whereby turning a new card only happens one at a time. While playing Solitaire, there is a ‘Stockpile’ of cards: these are all cards remaining after the initial deal. It is up to the player to turn over a new card from this pile. Usually, you do that when there are no other moves possible.
The ‘Stockpile’ is upside down, so the player does not know which cards are involved. If you want to see a new card and add it to the game, you can do so by turning the top one over. With Vegas Solitaire, this only works with one card at a time. In addition, you may also run the entire stack through once. It is therefore essential to check which moves are possible before turning over a new card.
Why is Vegas Solitaire Draw One the Original Gambling Solitaire?
The first time we came across a Solitaire set up similar to the Las Vegas version was in the late seventeenth century. The game is called (mini) Triangle and is played as a regular Solitaire game. However, there was no mention of a betting element. In the first decade of the 1900s, authors refer to a game called (Seven-Card) Klondike in several books. The game was derived from Mini Triangle, adding the betting and payout structure. Seven-Card Klondike never really took off as a gambling game. As years passed, people forgot about the gambling element but kept using the name Klondike Solitaire. In all old references to Klondike as a gambling game, the One Card Draw version is the only version mentioned. Although it existed, gamblers never used the 3-card Klondike version in gambling houses or casinos.
Vegas Solitaire Draw One Odds / RTP
The odds of Vegas Solitaire (One Draw) are hard to calculate because it depends on the player’s skill.
When you play according to the best optimal strategy of Vegas Solitaire, you can expect an average return to player (RTP) of 96.92%.
So, when you bet $52 per game of Solitaire, in the long run, you should expect an average loss of $1.60 per game. It’s true if you play it according to the best possible strategy and don’t make mistakes.
The chance that you complete a game of Solitaire is 4.6% which comes down to one in 22 games.
Vegas Solitaire Draw One Rules
The object of Draw One Vegas Solitaire is to clear all 52 playing cards to the four end piles called the ‘Foundation.’ Each end pile has its card symbol (spades, hearts, clovers, diamonds). Each starts with an Ace and ends with the King of each suit. After the cards have been dealt, several options exist to achieve this end goal. This way, you can move playing cards to and from the playing field, known as the ‘Tableau,’ or between columns that are on the ‘Tableau.’ If no moves are possible, you can always turn up a card from the ‘Stockpile’ which moves directly to the ‘Waste Pile’ location. You play cards from the Waste Pile, one at a time.
Deal the Cards
- You play Vegas Solitaire Draw One with 52 playing cards
- The cards are shuffled randomly before dealing
- The cards are dealt into seven columns from left to right, with an increasing number of cards in each column: One, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
- The last card of each column is placed face-up on the Tableau
- 28 cards have been dealt, with 24 remaining
- Of the remaining cards, 23 are in the ‘Stockpile.’ The pile shows the number of cards left to deal in each game.
- The remaining card, the top one from the Stockpile, is placed face-up on the Waste Pile to the right of the pile.
- The ‘Foundation’ (end piles) at the top right is still empty after the deal.
Solitaire (Draw One) Gameplay
- To build the piles on the ‘Foundation,’ you may start with the Ace, placing cards of the same suit in ascending order.
- You can move cards on the ‘Tableau’ between columns as long as they are in consecutive descending order and follow an alternating color pattern of red and black.
- To move a card, you can select and drag it. Select the highest card you want to move all or part of the column.
- If you double-click on a map, it will automatically take the optimal available space.
- Turn over a card from the ‘Stockpile’ and see if you can move the revealed card to the ‘Tableau’ or the ‘Foundation.’
- You can see how many cards are left in the deck by the number on the top card.
- With Vegas Solitaire draw One, you go through the Stockpile only once!
Vegas Solitaire Draw One Payout Table
The total payout structure of Vegas Solitaire you find below. As you can see, the stakes are derived from the original $52 buy-in and a $5 payout per card played to the Foundation.
