Solitaire Poker

British puzzle maker Henry Ernest Dudeney first described Solitaire Poker in his 1915 book The Canterbury Puzzles. He called it the exact game that would test a player's patience and card sense. You deal 25 cards one at a time onto a 5x5 grid. Every completed row, column, and diagonal forms a standard poker hand. You score all 12 hands and aim for the highest total. Research on casual puzzle engagement shows that spatial placement tasks strengthen working memory. Start dealing cards and test your placement strategy now.

1. Click 'Deal Cards' to shuffle a standard 52-card deck and reveal your first card.
2. The current card appears below the grid. Click any empty cell to place it there.
3. Once placed, a card stays fixed. You cannot move or swap it later.
4. A preview of the next card appears beside the current card so you can plan ahead.
5. Continue filling all 25 cells. The game ends when the grid is complete.
6. Your total score is the sum of all 12 poker hands: 5 rows, 5 columns, and 2 diagonals.

• Use a standard 52-card deck with four suits and 13 ranks per suit.
• Place exactly 25 cards on the 5x5 grid, one at a time.
• Each row of 5 cards is scored as a poker hand.
• Each column of 5 cards is scored as a poker hand.
• Both diagonals (top-left to bottom-right and top-right to bottom-left) are scored as poker hands.
• Hand values: Royal Flush 250, Straight Flush 50, Four of a Kind 25, Full House 15, Flush 10, Straight 8, Three of a Kind 6, Two Pair 4, One Pair 2, High Card 0.

• Save the center cell for late in the game. The center card participates in four scoring lines (one row, one column, and both diagonals), so it has the most impact on your final score.
• Track suits as you place cards. A single suit concentrated in one row or column sets up a flush, which scores 10 points. Two suited cards in a line give you a head start.
• Place pairs and triples in the same row or column early. Three of a Kind scores 6 points and Four of a Kind scores 25, so grouping matching ranks pays off.
• Watch the diagonals. Players often forget them. Since each diagonal crosses the entire grid, plan your corner and center placements to support straight or flush opportunities on both lines.
• Use the next card preview. Knowing what comes next lets you set up a stronger placement for the following turn instead of reacting blindly.

• Poker Squares: The classic version described by Dudeney. Uses the same 5x5 grid and standard poker hand scoring.
• Spider Solitaire: A different single-player card game where you build descending same-suit sequences to clear the board.
• Blackjack: A single-player card game where you try to beat the dealer by reaching 21 without busting.

• Every game presents a fresh spatial puzzle. No two deals play the same way.
• The scoring system rewards long-term planning. A single card can affect four different hands.
• Games finish in under 10 minutes, making it a perfect break-time activity.
• You compete against your own high score, so the challenge never stops.

Play Solitaire Poker for free directly in your browser. No downloads. No sign-ups. Our version tracks your best score locally, shows real-time hand evaluations for every row and column, and previews the next card so you can strategize. Start a new game and beat your personal best.

Solitaire Poker combines card placement strategy with poker hand scoring in a way no other game does. Every card matters. Every cell counts. Deal the cards, plan your grid, and see how high you can score. Play now and challenge your personal best.

• The Canterbury Puzzles by Henry Ernest Dudeney (1915)
• Poker Squares Research - University of Alberta