# I rule at solitaire!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [September 2, 2006, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186 "2006-09-02T09:17:08Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2006, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/1 "2006-09-02T09:17:08Z")
Does anyone here know if there’s an official world record? I’ll beat it in no time, if I haven’t already. I rule so!
One card draw, of course. Three card draw is more difficult in exactly the same way it’s harder to roll a 6 than a 5 or a 6.
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2006, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/2 "2006-09-02T09:32:13Z")
I used to go for finishing the game in under 60 seconds.
Had about a 75% win rate on one-card draw.
Tips:
1. Don’t bring down a card unless there is another card on a column that is two lower or less. I.e. If you have a black seven and there is a red six on the pile, you would only bring down the six if there is either a red five or a black four, but not for a three.
2. You want to shorten the columns furthest to the right. The odds are that the card you want will be under those.
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### Author:  [@PetW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PetW)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2006, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/3 "2006-09-02T13:44:01Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#):
>
> I used to go for finishing the game in under 60 seconds.
>
> Had about a 75% win rate on one-card draw.
>
> Tips:
>
> 1. Don’t bring down a card unless there is another card on a column that is two lower or less. I.e. If you have a black seven and there is a red six on the pile, you would only bring down the six if there is either a red five or a black four, but not for a three.
>
> 2. You want to shorten the columns furthest to the right. The odds are that the card you want will be under those.
Yeah but don’t you want to sometimes shorten one or two of the ones on the left so you can get a King down if you need it?
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/4 "2006-09-02T14:07:06Z")
> [@PetW](#):
>
> Yeah but don’t you want to sometimes shorten one or two of the ones on the left so you can get a King down if you need it?
You don’t really need to work for that, no. On occasion you might need to, but usually room will clear out on the left on its own.
Ah yes, and tip #3:
When you take cards home, make sure that all/each two opposite color stacks are within one of each other at all times. I.e. hearts and clubs would be within one of each other, and diamonds and spades within one. This should only be broken in an emergency.
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2006, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/5 "2006-09-02T14:11:44Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#):
>
> You don’t really need to work for that, no. On occasion you might need to, but usually room will clear out on the left on its own.
- I think. I admittedly haven’t played for about four years since I pretty much burned myself out on it, so I might be remembering wrong.
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### Author:  [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/6 "2006-09-02T15:30:00Z")
Alright, but what’s your fastest? Mine’s 39 seconds. And of course, I arrange the colours. Clubs - Diamonds - Spades - Hearts. If I slip, I correct it.
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### Author:  [@Baffle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baffle)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2006, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/7 "2006-09-02T19:29:29Z")
D H C S is the proper order, you know. I can’t tolerate this blasphemy.
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/8 "2006-09-02T22:15:46Z")
> [@yelimS](#):
>
> Alright, but what’s your fastest? Mine’s 39 seconds.
39? 😕
Nope, you certainly have me beat then. Not sure that’s possible though unless you have some sort of keyboard shortcuts. :dubious:
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### Author:  [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2006, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/9 "2006-09-03T12:43:22Z")
Well, gee, I ain’t gonna play with you, then.
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### Author:  [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)
#### Post date: [September 3, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/10 "2006-09-03T20:11:38Z")
> [@Napier](#):
>
> Well, gee, I ain’t gonna play with you, then.
It’s solitaire. Of course you won’t.
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### Author:  [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2006, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/11 "2006-09-04T09:09:32Z")
> [@Baffle](#):
>
> D H C S is the proper order, you know. I can’t tolerate this blasphemy.
Yeah, for a girl.
**Sage Rat** : There’s space bar for drawing another card, but that messes up my flow, as it moves the cursor accordingly. I use only right click, for moving cards to the pile.
So what do I do now, write Guinness a letter? I probably should! Do I get beer for holding records?
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### Author:  [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)
#### Post date: [September 4, 2006, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/12 "2006-09-04T23:22:47Z")
> [@yelimS](#):
>
> So what do I do now, write Guinness a letter? I probably should! Do I get beer for holding records?
A friend of mine just sent me a photo of his best game.
34 seconds.
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### Author:  [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2006, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/13 "2006-09-05T04:33:27Z")
> [@yelimS](#):
>
> I use only right click, for moving cards to the pile.
Ah, yeah I always used the double-click to put things away. (See tip #4) I wasn’t going for brute min time, but rather min time while still keeping my 3/4 win rate. Though of course you might be doing better than I in this field as well.
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### Author:  [@yelimS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yelimS)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2006, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rule-at-solitaire/371186/14 "2006-09-05T08:25:06Z")
> [@Enter the Flagon](#):
>
> A friend of mine just sent me a photo of his best game.
>
> 34 seconds.
FUCK!!! KILL HIM!!!
I’ve always dreamt of playing solitaire on a touch screen, though. I bet that would be a killer, if I could get some substitute for the right-click function.
Another tip, by the way: Minimize all other windows. You don’t want to be alt-tabbing back in the middle of your record game. And get someone to crack the game so that damn help file stops popping up!