Vegas Solitaire - Play Free with Casino Scoring

How to play Vegas Solitaire

Buy the deck for $52, then earn $5 for every card you move to a foundation. Beat the buy-in and you leave the table in profit.

The layout is classic Klondike: seven tableau columns of one to seven cards, four foundations, and the rest of the deck in the stock. Your score starts at -$52.

Every card you land on a foundation pays $5. Taking one back off a foundation refunds it.
On the tableau, build downward in alternating colors, moving face-up runs together.
Passes are limited, casino style: one pass on draw 1, three passes on draw 3. No recycling after that.
Only a king can fill an empty column, and aces start the foundations.

Vegas solitaire tips

You need 11 foundation cards ($55) to beat the $52 buy-in, so bank steadily instead of hoarding.
With limited passes, a wasted stock card may never come back. Plan before you draw.
On draw 1, treat the single pass like a countdown: uncover tableau cards early while the stock lasts.

Vegas solitaire is Klondike the way casinos once dealt it: you pay $52 for the deck, one imaginary dollar per card, and win $5 back for every card you bank on the foundations. The cards play exactly like classic Klondike. The money and the strict pass limit are what change how it feels.

If the base rules are fuzzy, skim the how to play guide first. Everything there applies here, minus the free recycling.

How the money works

The math is short and unforgiving. Buy-in: $52. Each foundation card: $5. Bank all 52 cards and you collect $260, for a net win of $208. Break even at 11 banked cards ($55). Ten or fewer and you leave money on the table.

The score in the top bar shows your running total for the current deal, in red while you are below zero. Moving a card off a foundation hands its $5 back, so late-game rearranging costs real money here.

One pass or three

The draw setting wires the traditional casino convention: draw 1 gives you exactly one trip through the stock, draw 3 gives you three. This page defaults to draw 1, the purest form: 24 stock cards, one look at each. If you have only played unlimited-pass Klondike, start with turn 3 to practice reading the stock, then come back. Our strategy guide covers how limited passes change which risks are worth taking.

The cumulative bankroll

Real Vegas players did not judge one deal; they tracked a session. Switch on cumulative bankroll in Settings and every finished deal's result is added to a running total, kept separately for draw 1 and draw 3 since they are different money games. The total lives in your browser and follows you between visits. Climbing out of a deep hole is the real Vegas experience.

Vegas solitaire FAQ

Why does the score start at -$52?

That is the buy-in: you pay for the deck at a dollar a card before play begins. Every card you move to a foundation earns $5 back, so the score climbs as you bank cards. Pass $52 in winnings, which takes 11 banked cards, and the deal turns a profit.

Can the score go negative for good?

Yes. Standard solitaire scoring never drops below zero, but Vegas scoring keeps honest books. If the deal locks up with few cards banked, the loss stands. With cumulative bankroll on, that loss also carries into your running total, exactly like a real session at the table.

How many passes through the stock do I get?

It follows the casino convention and depends on the draw setting: draw 1 allows a single pass with no recycling, and draw 3 allows three passes. When the passes are spent, the stock stays empty. That limit is what separates Vegas from regular Klondike, where you can cycle forever.

What does the cumulative bankroll option do?

It keeps a running dollar total across every deal you finish, stored in your browser. Each completed game's final score, win or lose, is added to the pot. Draw 1 and draw 3 keep separate totals since their odds differ. Turn it on in Settings under Money.