History TabletopGame / Solitaire

* DoWellButNotPerfect: In at least the XP version of the Spider Solitaire, it's entirely possible to be able to clear out a lot of cards early into the game if you're lucky. However, if you take it too far, you might end up having an almost completely clear table and not to be able to progress, since the game requires at least one card to be present in each slot in order to deal out more.

TheOtherWiki has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_solitaire_card_games a list]] of many of the variants.

** The Robot,Dark Tower,Beach, and Dealer decks all have animations on the backs if you play a timed game.

Solitaire is a type of card game that is designed to be played by a single player. By far the most recognizable variants of these are "klondike" solitaire (which most players simply call "solitaire") and "TabletopGame/{{Freecell}}", due to their bundling with MicrosoftWindows operating systems.

* ShoutOut: In Windows 8's Solitaire Collection, an animation for completing a game in Klondike references the bouncing animation from earlier editions.

** JustOneMoreLevel: And it's widely considered a productivity killer, as the quote atop shows.
*** TutorialLevel: to pointing, clicking, and dragging in Microsoft Windows.

* MarketBasedTitle: Outside the United States and Canada, these sorts of games are often known as "patience" games. A game bundled with the UsefulNotes/AcornArchimedes, also based on the Klondike variation used in the Windows Solitaire, was called !Patience, reflecting the British origin.

* LuckBasedMission: Many deals in klondike solitaire (between 8.5 and 18%) can't be solved to completion. There's no way to tell in advance whether the RandomNumberGod has spit one of these out at you.
* MarketBasedTitle: Outside of the US and Canada, these sorts of games are often known as "patience" games. A game bundled with the UsefulNotes/AcornArchimedes, also based on the Klondike variation used in the Windows Solitaire, was called !Patience, reflecting the British origin.

* UnwinnableByMistake: If you make a mistake early on in the game without any way of knowing that it was the wrong thing to do, you can keep yourself from winning. The only reason why this is not "by design" is due to the randomness of the draw.

->"For over twenty years, a video game has tormented mums, dads and office workers the world over. And it has nothing to do with [[VideoGame/{{Warcraft}} orcs]], [[VideoGame/NeedForSpeed racecars]] or [[VideoGame/CallOfDuty terrorists]]. It’s about cards. That game is Windows Solitaire, which from Windows 3.0 through to the Windows 10 of today has been [[OddballInTheSeries (excluding a short break with Windows 8)]] included free with every copy of Microsoft’s operating system."
->[[http://kotaku.com/the-story-of-solitaire-one-of-the-worlds-biggest-video-5672324 The Story Of Solitaire, One Of The World's Biggest Video Games]]

Solitaire is a type of card game that is designed to be played by a single player. By far the most recognizable variants of these are "klondike" solitaire (which most players simply call "solitaire") and "TabletopGame/Freecell", due to their bundling with MicrosoftWindows operating systems.

* [[AndYourRewardIsClothes And Your Reward Is Medals]]: In Window 8's solitaire collection, the daily challenges.

* TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything: In the Windows 8 collection, with Awards. Awards don't count for Xbox Live, but if you want a bit of achievement points, you can get Xbox Achievements. Best part? This game has a free version.

->"For over twenty years, a video game has tormented mums, dads and office workers the world over. And it has nothing to do with [[Franchise/{{Warcraft}} orcs]], [[Franchise/NeedForSpeed racecars]] or [[Franchise/CallOfDuty terrorists]]. It’s about cards. That game is Windows Solitaire, which from Windows 3.0 through to the Windows 10 of today has been [[OddballInTheSeries (excluding a short break with Windows 8)]] included free with every copy of Microsoft’s operating system."

Solitaire is a type of card game that is designed to be played by a single player. By far the most recognizable variants of these are "klondike" solitaire (which most players simply call "solitaire") and "freecell", due to their bundling with MicrosoftWindows operating systems.

** In some versions in Freecell, game #11,982 is impossible.

** Averted with the windows version of Freecell, for the most part: the original release had only one hand (#11,982) out of 32,000 that is impossible to win.

** Averted with the windows version of Freecell, for the most part: the original release had only one hand (#11,982) out of 32,000 that is impossible to win.[[note]]Considering that there's approximately 8.066 times ten to the '''''67th power''''' different combinations, it's most likely that the 32,000 in the original version were the result of an algorithm designed to avoid unwinnable deals.[[/note]]

* NintendoHard

** In the "Vegas" Klondike variation, you bet $52, and reclaim $5 per card. In that ruleset, the odds are designed in favor of the house, as they should in gambling houses. The good news for the computer version is that the dollars are actually the game's version of [[ScoringPoints points]], so it's not like you'd have to turn over your credit card every time you turn on your computer.

* FakeDifficulty: According to TheOtherWiki, only 82-91.5% of games are winnable... So from 8.5-18% of the games you've started, you were doomed from the very beginning. Don't feel so bad about your 30% win rate!
* LuckBasedMission
* UnwinnableByMistake: If you make a mistake early on in the game without any way of knowing that it was the wrong thing to do, you can keep yourself from winning.
* UnwinnableByDesign: Many deals in klondike solitaire, due to the randomness of drawing, can't be solved to completion. By contrast, [=FreeCell=] has only one hand (#11,982 out of #32,000) that is impossible to win.
** In fact, There are a few unplayable games in which no cards can be moved to the foundations even at the start of the game. Fortunately, these games only make up .25% of hands dealt.
** In the "Vegas" Klondike variation, you bet $52, and reclaim $5 per card. In that ruleset, the odds are designed in favor of the house.

* FakeDifficulty: According to TheOtherWiki, only 82-91.5% of games are winnable... So from 8.5-18% of the games you've started, you were doomed from the very beginning. Don't feel so bad about your 30% win rate

* {{Unplayable}}: There are a few unplayable games in which no cards can be moved to the foundations even at the start of the game. Fortunately, these games only make up .25% of hands dealt.