Solitaire Blitz Tips, Hints and Scoring Strategies

PopCap’s Solitaire Blitz (SB) is an easy, addictive version of the original Solitaire. The latest social game is aimed at the casual gaming crowd. It does away with suits and colors and focuses more on ranks. This means you don’t have to match the reds and blacks, or the diamonds, hearts and spades. All you have to do is play those that are higher or lower in rank than the card on the build pile.

SB is quite new and in Beta phase on Facebook. While the gameplay looks familiar, it is the social element that will attract thousands of players in days to come. Players can compete against their friends’ score in their bid to top the online leaderboard. Also, the 20,000-thousand-leagues-under-the-sea-look-and-feel makes the game even more attractive. The treasure-hunting twist and the awesome nautical artwork add more fun to the game.

It’s not always chance that helps your score points; there’s also some strategy that will help you have an edge over your friends. Here are some tips, hints and tricks to make the most of Solitaire Blitz. You will also find some key scoring strategies as well as a quick play guide to make things easier while playing this social game.

1. Solitaire Blitz plays just like the ancient Windows playing card pastime, but is amazingly simpler than the original. The objective is to clear the stacks by moving cards onto the build piles and score points.

2. You have some stacks, a deck to draw cards and a build pile where all higher and lower ranked cards get moved onto the build pile(s). You don’t have to play the ranked cards in ascending or descending order. Any card from the stacks can be played in any order, only condition is that the card’s rank has to be one higher or one lower than the rank on the build pile(s). Also, there is no color or suit-matching hassles. Easy peasy!

3. In SB, a total of 67 cards are dealt out to make 7 stacks. The rest 41 cards form the pile where players can draw card (s) in case they don’t find a high or low ranked card within those stacks. While drawing cards, they should remember that the 41-card pile can be used only once.

4. The game has a 60-second time limit. When the game starts, the top card from the draw pile is revealed and placed on the build pile. This triggers the timer. Players will have to empty cards from the 7 stacks within the one minute time limit. The more cards get moved onto the pile, the more they score.

Example: If the top card of the build pile is 7 spades, and suppose the stack has 8 hearts or 6 clubs, the player can click on any of these cards to move it onto the build deck. This also applies for all cards, including Kings, Queens, Jacks and Aces. Players have a double advantage with Aces, which can be moved onto pile(s) containing Twos or Kings. The game will end once you the timer runs down, or when the player does not have any more moves.

Before we delve deeper into some key Solitaire Blitz scoring tips, we will first try to understand the various prerequisites that help a player’s score. But first the key scoring factors:

• A player scores points for every correct move. Points are earned for every card moved onto the build pile.
• Points are also scored for every playing card left in the draw pile. You also score points for the time left - this happens after you win the game by clearing all 7 stacks before the timer ends.
• Another factor that earns you points is stack-clearing. Get rid of all playing cards from a stack to earn more points. The more stacks you get rid of, the more points you earn.
• Players earn more points for every run. A “run” happens when a player moves multiple cards from the stacks onto the build pile. This should occur in a row, which means a player should play multiple cards without trying any wrong moves or moving a card from the draw pile.
• You earn an extra 1000 points per card when you move four cards onto the pile in rapid succession. When you play the fourth card on a row, without clicking on any wrong card or drawing cards from the draw pile, you earn bonus points.
• A card played or any cards left in the draw pile (in case you win) are eligible for “card multipliers”. Simply speaking, a card multiplier works like a score multiplier and multiplies points by 1, 2, 4, 5 and more. A multiplier is earned if you find a fish, which randomly appears while playing. Alternatively, you get fish when you perform a run. Every fish you get earns you a multiplier that multiples your card points by 2, 3 up to 9.

How to Score More Points?

Dexterity and some strategy are important elements to score more in Solitaire Blitz. You will need to play quick before the timer runs out. You will also have to keep a track on cards to make a long run. Here are some more tips:

1. Before clicking on a card to move it onto the build pile, take a look around other 6 stacks and check whether there are cards that can be played on the run.

Example: Suppose the build pile has a 10 spades and the top cards of the stacks are 9 hearts, 8 clubs, 9 clubs and 10 diamonds. You can clearly see a chance to make a run, or at least speed bursts. What you will do is move 9 clubs (or 9 hearts) onto the build pile, and then click on 10 diamonds, 9 hearts and 8 clubs on a row to increase your score. (This is only an example, there might be other ranked cards, but I hope you’ve understood the logic).

2. When you stop clicking on cards for a moment, the game gives you a small hint – a small glow is seen around a card indicating that this card will go in to the build pile.This hint can be extremely useful in circumstances where you are clueless as to which card to click. Sometimes when there’s no card to play, there will be a small glow around the draw tile, giving you a hint to draw a new card.

3. As discussed earlier, playing quickly is the key to score more points. Never miss on a long run, because it will give to plenty of points. Also, chances of small bursts that allow players to play 4 cards quickly give around 1000 points per card once the fourth card is clicked.

4. Keep your stacks balanced. This will definitely give you a better chance to clear all of them at the last moment. A part of this strategy is to play cards from stacks that have more playing cards than the ones that have few. While playing, don’t end up with one very long stack, it dampens the chances of clearing all stacks at the end.

5. Take advantage of “Time Lines”. A time line is a thick yellow line that appears behind those seven stacks. You will have to click on all the face-up cards that stand above this time line to gain an additional 20-second bonus time. This increases your time limit and gives you more chance to score.

6. Always try to make long runs. Remember that you get a multiplier for clicking 10 cards in a row. This has to be done without clicking on the wrong cards or any card from the draw pile. Every 10 clicks on a row earns you a score multiplier, which multiplies your card points by 2, 3 4 up to 9. (To learn more about bonus points, check out the blue tip box in this section)

• Clear stacks to uncover hidden treasures, which can be anything from rare antiques to crabs to conch shells and sparkling gems. These treasures are kept hidden behind stacks and if you clear any stack, you “unlock” a treasure, which is quickly turned into Silver. You can buy boosters using the Silver earned.
• Before the cards are dealt to form 7 stacks, you will have a few seconds to catch a glimpse of those hidden treasures. The ones that have a small glow around them are rare stuff, and this means you will have to empty those stacks that conceal them. These rare treasures convert into more silver than the normal ones.
• As you progress, you will find two additional build piles. This means you will have three piles to move your higher or lower ranked cards. But the additional two piles will be locked. To unlock them, you will have to look for a card with a key attached to it. You will quickly identify such “key cards” because they have a small ribbon tied at the end. Once you click on a key card, a new build pile gets unbolted. You will now have more than one pile to deal cards and this will give you more chances to move cards quickly.
• Make the best use of the Joker. Use it quickly if you find a potential “run” i.e. a moment where there’s a chance to move multiple cards. Remember there are only two Jokers in the stacks or the draw pile.
• Don’t panic if you didn’t click on the treasures. They automatically get converted into silver and added to your kitty. However, I would advise you to hover your mouse over these treasures to ascertain their value.
• Earn more silver. This will give you a chance to buy "boosts" that help players score quickly. Some bestow extra time, while others give extra cards, and even extra jokers. You can also buy in packs by paying cash.
• In SB, fishes play a key part in leveling up and getting multiplier. You get fish for a successful 10-card run. There are also random fish encounters that might get triggered with a playing card clicked. Every fish discovered gets added to the fish meter. The game will task players to collect an X number of fish to level up, which earns you Energy and a brand new playing card deck. The latter is just for novelty purpose and does not serve any importance.
• Like other Facebook games, this game lets players send free gifts. You will have to hit the “Free Gifts” link at the top of the game screen to access plenty of aquatic gifts. But remember that you can send one gift to one friend in an hour.
• There’s a pause icon just below the timer. Click on it if you think you’ll play the game after some time.

The gorgeous island of Solitaire Blitz allows plenty of ways to earn points. This addictive weekend pastime is still in the works and is soon going to be a huge social blockbuster joining the ranks of Hidden Chronicles and Bubble Witch Saga. And since the game’s developed by PopCap, expect some more fireworks, enhancements and improvements in the coming days. I will update this guide with more Solitaire Blitz tips and tricks. So stay tuned. Do post your opinions and questions.

All screenshots taken by the writer (Screenshots, courtesy PopCap Games)