Vegas Solitaire Draw 3 is well-known thanks to Microsoft Windows Solitaire, where you can play Klondike, with Vegas Score, using either the Draw One or the Draw Three option. Many people are wondering why it’s only the 1 card version you can play for real money in online casinos. Here we will explain what Vegas Solitaire Draw 3 exactly is, how you play it, and why you can’t play it online for real money. Also, we look at the origin of the game as well as the differences in odds between the Vegas Solitaire 1 and 3-card-version.
What is Vegas Solitaire Draw 3?
Vegas Solitaire Draw Three is the version of Solitaire (Klondike) where three cards are turned over from the Stockpile to the Waste Pile at a time and where you can go through the deck 3 times. From the turned cards you are only able to play the face-up card on top of the Waste Pile. Other rules regarding the Vegas Solitaire Draw Three gameplay are exactly the same as Classic Klondike Solitaire.
Difference between Drawing Three and Drawing One
Besides the fact that the Draw 3 version requires you to turn over 3 cards, and you are allowed to go three times through the deck, the strategy is different, so the payout will most likely differ from the Vegas Solitaire one-card draw version. When you play it for fun, for example when you play Microsoft Solitaire, the payout and betting lines will be the same. However, there will be no real casino that will offer you the game for real money with the standard payout structure.
The name Canfield or Canfield Solitaire is sometimes used incorrectly for Klondike Solitaire, which is a three turn over card game as private play, and a one card turnover as a casino gambling game.
Carl Sifakis explained the origins of the difference between one card and three cards drawn in The Encyclopedia of gambling, publication date 1990
Standard Vegas Solitaire 3 for Real Money
Although many players prefer to play Vegas Solitaire Draw 3 instead of the Draw 1 version, there are no casinos that offer the 3 card variant for real money. Especially not with the standard $52 buy-in for a deck, and $5 per card to the Foundation payout. The reason is simply that the casino’s edge is very small; the game is too risky to offer. When a player would buy in for $52 he would win, on average, $51.39 back. (lose $0.61)
Odds of Winning Vegas Solitaire Draw Three
The odds of completing a game of Vegas Solitaire, whereby in the end all cards are played to the Foundation, is expected to be 8.7% or 1 in 11.5 games. These odds are only expected if you manage to play by the optimal strategy.