Tuesday, August 30, 2005
What I learned Playing Solitaire
You know the game I mean, don’t you? Just plain old regular Solitaire, with a solid deck of 52 cards or the computer game, which I much prefer so I don’t have to shuffle the deck after each hand. Lay out 7 stacks of cards from left to right placing the top card of each successively higher stack face up. Play descending cards, opposite colors on the 7 stacks. Play each suit Ace to King on the top and turn over 3 cards at a time from the draw pile, allowing only 3 passes through the pile. I prefer the Las Vegas style of keeping score; $52 to play a game and $5 for each card played on the top, Ace to King. These cards I call counters. I like to play 10 sets of hands and see what my total dollars won or lost is at that point. I don’t keep the first game unless I score at least $55 and start game two a minimum of $3 ahead. That’s just to make the game a little more competitive. Solitaire is a hard game to win so starting in the plus column for the first game is a way to even it up some.
Just some silly rules I came up with to keep it interesting. If I can average 11 counters per game, I can win the set. I think my highest ever score for 10 games was $1115, incredibly high! The highest possible would be $2180 if I won all ten games. My worst score was something like minus $400 which is also incredible because the worst possible would be minus $465, since I don’t start game 2 with less than $3, so I got only about 13 counters in the last 9 games! There would be a total of 520 counters possible in 10 games. I usually win more than I lose, finishing in positive territory more often than not.
The scores and silliness and statistics are an outgrowth of playing the game and some examples of how my mind works. I love statistics which is probably why sports are so much fun for me to watch and follow. Sports of all kinds are filled with all sorts of interesting statistics. I love that! But I digress. My point was that by playing Solitaire I have learned some simple and important life rules. There is a logical method to playing Solitaire effectively. It is a game filled with choices. Certain choices make more logical and mathematical sense than others. And by mathematical, I mean from a statistical probability standpoint, odds. One single wrong move can cost you plenty of counters. Sometimes you can recover from a missed play but you have to learn from that mistake so you are less apt to repeat it.
There is a definite order in which to play each card. You must survey the cards from right to left and top to bottom on each possible play or you will miss something. You must focus on the plays and choose the one that is more likely to cause good results. That’s really all we’re trying to do in daily life. Make the right choices. It takes practice and it takes some reflective thought and studying each and every situation not ignoring any relevant bit of information. In this way Solitaire is exactly like almost every other game or sport we play. There is a definite order to the choices we make in certain situations. Statistically speaking, there is always a better choice to make among the several we usually have before us. Play a game or a sport long enough and you begin to notice the subtleties of each move, how it affects all the moves that come after it.
In Solitaire I have found that you must always play Aces and Deuces on top whenever possible before anything else. You must then play from the stacks going from the right, the tallest stack, to the left, the smallest stack to uncover the cards. You must play from the stacks before you play a card from the draw pile. Missing one play at the time it first becomes available can cause you to miss many plays that the one play might have made possible. It’s the same cascading effect of events and choices that happen in every day life that we sometimes call a chain of events.
The objective is to reduce all stacks to no turned-over cards which will increase the chances of playing all cards on top and scoring big. You are always looking to win, get all 52 cards on top, and if you can’t do that, to get as many counters as you possibly can. If you can move a card or two from one stack to another then play the exposed card on top and turn over a card from the stack, you must do that. If you can move a card from the top, a counter, and play it on a stack to allow you to uncover another card, you must do that, unless it’s near the end of the 10 game set and you are close to losing. Then you are only trying to get as many counters as you can before the cards run out. And you must never stop scanning each and every card for a play until the game is finished. I’ve won many games after the final card has been over on the draw pile and a loss seemed inevitable. You don’t have to give it your undivided attention but you have to give it all your attention while you are making a move, if you want to win. Anyone can play the game, but only if you apply the right rules at the right times, can you win at the game or at least be somewhat successful.
Solitaire is a simple game and I used to think it was pretty mindless. It can easily be a mindless game, of course. It depends on how you approach it. It started out as a mindless endeavor for me about 1992 after I quit drinking. Playing it gave me something to do. But it really isn’t a mindless game if your point is to score as high as you can. Then it becomes a game of intense concentration because you have to be constantly aware of the changing dynamics of all of the card piles. After a while I wanted to be successful at Solitaire. So I studied each and every move and began to create a mental list of which moves to make when. I ranked the possibilities of each move by its statistical probability. As far as I know there are no books written on how to win at Solitaire. It wouldn’t be a very long book if there were. Being successful at Solitaire doesn’t require communication of any kind. There is no teamwork, there is only me and the cards. There are no dire consequences of losing or playing badly. It is a game of no importance except what I happen to ascribe to it. Much like most everything in my life.
I have read the book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert M. Pirsig several times. The book is loosely centered around motorcycle maintenance but mostly it puts forth a philosophy of dealing with life on a case by case basis, thinking outside the box for solutions to problems and approaching everything you do in a thoughtful manner. Giving your undivided attention to a task, studying all the possibilities, deciding which moves to make or what choices to make and under which circumstances is not an endeavor for the weak minded. Approaching the game of Solitaire as I do is an example of applying my strengths, study and analysis, in the same manner as Robert Pirsig approached motorcycle maintenance.
So it’s no doubt I can find such pleasure playing this simple game. I like to win. I like to be successful. I don’t particularly like to do my best at every single thing I do but I do feel that way about anything that’s competitive. My competition in Solitaire is myself. I don’t mind that. I can take joy at beating myself, too. Or rather, improving myself. That’s what it comes down to, I think. Always trying to improve myself. I never had a chance to win whenever I ran in long distance races in Hawaii and Orlando but I didn’t care. I was happy at my continuing improvement. After about 3 years of that I leveled off and wasn’t improving anymore. In fact I was losing time. I haven’t run long distance since 1986. But since about 1997 I go to a gym and work out 2 to 4 days a week and I enjoy seeing my improvements in strength, stamina and endurance. I’ve also practiced Yoga, deep breathing and meditation practically all of my adult life. I played guitar steadily while I was in the Navy but I reached a point where I didn’t get any better at it. I still play my guitar from time to time but my skills are far less than they used to be. Any improvement now is measured by learning different songs to play and sing. Goals will constantly change but I feel the need to strive for something.
Solitaire is an outlet. It is cheap, easily achieved enjoyment and when analyzed, a means to cope with the trials of every day life. Life is a daily thing. We make choices each and every day that affect us in various ways, some forever. In learning to make the right choices in Solitaire, I can learn to make the right choices in life. Solitaire has no lasting affect on my life but it gives me an opportunity to let my brain function in ways it only can do when I give it the free reign to explore each choice and make the right one. And being a one-person game, I can do that whenever the urge strikes me.
Just some silly rules I came up with to keep it interesting. If I can average 11 counters per game, I can win the set. I think my highest ever score for 10 games was $1115, incredibly high! The highest possible would be $2180 if I won all ten games. My worst score was something like minus $400 which is also incredible because the worst possible would be minus $465, since I don’t start game 2 with less than $3, so I got only about 13 counters in the last 9 games! There would be a total of 520 counters possible in 10 games. I usually win more than I lose, finishing in positive territory more often than not.
The scores and silliness and statistics are an outgrowth of playing the game and some examples of how my mind works. I love statistics which is probably why sports are so much fun for me to watch and follow. Sports of all kinds are filled with all sorts of interesting statistics. I love that! But I digress. My point was that by playing Solitaire I have learned some simple and important life rules. There is a logical method to playing Solitaire effectively. It is a game filled with choices. Certain choices make more logical and mathematical sense than others. And by mathematical, I mean from a statistical probability standpoint, odds. One single wrong move can cost you plenty of counters. Sometimes you can recover from a missed play but you have to learn from that mistake so you are less apt to repeat it.
There is a definite order in which to play each card. You must survey the cards from right to left and top to bottom on each possible play or you will miss something. You must focus on the plays and choose the one that is more likely to cause good results. That’s really all we’re trying to do in daily life. Make the right choices. It takes practice and it takes some reflective thought and studying each and every situation not ignoring any relevant bit of information. In this way Solitaire is exactly like almost every other game or sport we play. There is a definite order to the choices we make in certain situations. Statistically speaking, there is always a better choice to make among the several we usually have before us. Play a game or a sport long enough and you begin to notice the subtleties of each move, how it affects all the moves that come after it.
In Solitaire I have found that you must always play Aces and Deuces on top whenever possible before anything else. You must then play from the stacks going from the right, the tallest stack, to the left, the smallest stack to uncover the cards. You must play from the stacks before you play a card from the draw pile. Missing one play at the time it first becomes available can cause you to miss many plays that the one play might have made possible. It’s the same cascading effect of events and choices that happen in every day life that we sometimes call a chain of events.
The objective is to reduce all stacks to no turned-over cards which will increase the chances of playing all cards on top and scoring big. You are always looking to win, get all 52 cards on top, and if you can’t do that, to get as many counters as you possibly can. If you can move a card or two from one stack to another then play the exposed card on top and turn over a card from the stack, you must do that. If you can move a card from the top, a counter, and play it on a stack to allow you to uncover another card, you must do that, unless it’s near the end of the 10 game set and you are close to losing. Then you are only trying to get as many counters as you can before the cards run out. And you must never stop scanning each and every card for a play until the game is finished. I’ve won many games after the final card has been over on the draw pile and a loss seemed inevitable. You don’t have to give it your undivided attention but you have to give it all your attention while you are making a move, if you want to win. Anyone can play the game, but only if you apply the right rules at the right times, can you win at the game or at least be somewhat successful.
Solitaire is a simple game and I used to think it was pretty mindless. It can easily be a mindless game, of course. It depends on how you approach it. It started out as a mindless endeavor for me about 1992 after I quit drinking. Playing it gave me something to do. But it really isn’t a mindless game if your point is to score as high as you can. Then it becomes a game of intense concentration because you have to be constantly aware of the changing dynamics of all of the card piles. After a while I wanted to be successful at Solitaire. So I studied each and every move and began to create a mental list of which moves to make when. I ranked the possibilities of each move by its statistical probability. As far as I know there are no books written on how to win at Solitaire. It wouldn’t be a very long book if there were. Being successful at Solitaire doesn’t require communication of any kind. There is no teamwork, there is only me and the cards. There are no dire consequences of losing or playing badly. It is a game of no importance except what I happen to ascribe to it. Much like most everything in my life.
I have read the book “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” by Robert M. Pirsig several times. The book is loosely centered around motorcycle maintenance but mostly it puts forth a philosophy of dealing with life on a case by case basis, thinking outside the box for solutions to problems and approaching everything you do in a thoughtful manner. Giving your undivided attention to a task, studying all the possibilities, deciding which moves to make or what choices to make and under which circumstances is not an endeavor for the weak minded. Approaching the game of Solitaire as I do is an example of applying my strengths, study and analysis, in the same manner as Robert Pirsig approached motorcycle maintenance.
So it’s no doubt I can find such pleasure playing this simple game. I like to win. I like to be successful. I don’t particularly like to do my best at every single thing I do but I do feel that way about anything that’s competitive. My competition in Solitaire is myself. I don’t mind that. I can take joy at beating myself, too. Or rather, improving myself. That’s what it comes down to, I think. Always trying to improve myself. I never had a chance to win whenever I ran in long distance races in Hawaii and Orlando but I didn’t care. I was happy at my continuing improvement. After about 3 years of that I leveled off and wasn’t improving anymore. In fact I was losing time. I haven’t run long distance since 1986. But since about 1997 I go to a gym and work out 2 to 4 days a week and I enjoy seeing my improvements in strength, stamina and endurance. I’ve also practiced Yoga, deep breathing and meditation practically all of my adult life. I played guitar steadily while I was in the Navy but I reached a point where I didn’t get any better at it. I still play my guitar from time to time but my skills are far less than they used to be. Any improvement now is measured by learning different songs to play and sing. Goals will constantly change but I feel the need to strive for something.
Solitaire is an outlet. It is cheap, easily achieved enjoyment and when analyzed, a means to cope with the trials of every day life. Life is a daily thing. We make choices each and every day that affect us in various ways, some forever. In learning to make the right choices in Solitaire, I can learn to make the right choices in life. Solitaire has no lasting affect on my life but it gives me an opportunity to let my brain function in ways it only can do when I give it the free reign to explore each choice and make the right one. And being a one-person game, I can do that whenever the urge strikes me.
# posted by OH @ 5:22 AM 
