It was back in 2007 that we last addressed this popular question, so we figured it was time to share again. We originally posed it to David G. Schwartz, Director of the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and author of Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling, among other titles. Here’s what he had to say.
Solitaire has a long history. Sometimes called patience, the game dates back to at least 1875 (though it may be much older), when Lady Adelaide Cadogan published the first English-language book on the subject. This illustrated guide described 22 variations of solitaire, many with more than one deck. Eight years later, a competing guide offered 44 versions, and by 1910 more than 60 had been cataloged.
The most common form of solitaire today, Klondike, is also known as Canfield, and was once called Demon. It’s been alleged that legendary gambler Richard Canfield played the game under what are now called "Las Vegas rules," though Canfield’s heyday came before the city of Las Vegas was founded, let alone became a gambling mecca. Under these rules, the player pays $52 for the deck, then receives $5 for each card that’s played out. Though this game would return a steady profit to anyone banking it, it would require a dealer/player ratio of 1 to 1, making it too cumbersome for big-time play. Considering that during the time it takes to deal one "hand" of solitaire to one player, a casino could deal multiple hands to six blackjack players, it’s easy to see why the game didn’t catch on in American casinos.
While it’s impossible to prove a negative (that no casino ever offered solitaire as a bank game), a quick troll through about 150 years of gambling guides turns up a negative for any mention of solitaire or patience as a casino game. It’s likely that the dollar scoring system was tagged "Las Vegas rules" just because Las Vegas is known for casino gaming, and not because the game could actually be found there.
However, when we originally ran this answer, we received the following interesting feedback from a QoD reader, informing us that he had indeed played solitaire in a Las Vegas casino, namely the former Maxim (now Westin Casuarina). It was about 18 years ago (from the present) and here's how he recalled the game being dealt:
"As I remember, you paid $50 (or $52) for the deck (new and unshuffled). You were allowed to make three shuffles (only) then you would deal out your typical solitaire, i.e., seven rows with one card up in the first, 2nd row would be one down, one up, 3rd row two down, one up etc.
"You would then move any aces up to the 'out' position and follow the suits accordingly, as in a regular game of solitaire. Taking the remaining undealt cards, you were allowed to flip them up one at a time and ONLY ONCE through the deck, making all the normal moves you could make. You were paid $5 per card for each card you got up into the out position. Obviously if you went out completely, you would be paid $260.
"Of course, it's VERY difficult to get many cards out when you can only shuffle them three times: you don't get a very good 'mix' generally.
"Anyway, that's what I remember and played it at Maxim's' about 15 years ago."
