KPLAYERA-KPLAYERB-<KPLAYERCi sKPLAYERDÜ ÌKPLAYERE¨QKPLAYERFù˜KPLAYERG‘ÑKPLAYERHb%²KPLAYERI)§KSTRATS0»,kKSTRATS1&2¤KSTRATS2Ê5šKSTRATS3d;‰KSTRATS4í?QKSTRATS5>AõKSTRATS63CÇKSTRATS7úDSKSTRATS8MH'KSTRATS9tKKLONHLP1“Q¸KLONHLP2KYKLONHLP3cosKLONHLP4ÖwûKLONHLP5Ñ|EKLONHLP6}ÁKLONHLP7׌£ KLONHLP8z—FKLONHLP9À—FWELCOME ˜vSOLIHIST|žîKLONHISTj¤© TECHTALK°~PUZZLE ‘µCEEMAC  ¹œWHATSNEW<½iWHATSOLD¥ÂtCREDITS Å_KPERSONAxÆ@KPROMOS1¸Æ"KPROMOS2ÚÈèKPROMOS3ÂÊÈKPROMOS4ŠÌ-KPROMOS5·Î„KPROMOS6;Ñ&KPROMOS7aÓ­KPROMOS8ÕKPROMOS9#×JKPROMOSAmØIKPROMOSB¶Ú÷KPROMOSC­ÝêKPROMOSD—ß—KPROMOSE.âYKPROMOSF‡ãŽKLONCLOKèsLASTFILEˆë One Pass Penny (whose real name is still a mystery), would frequent the Aurora Saloon in the wee hours of the morning. It was rumored that she was Alex McDonald's "kept woman" since her losses were both sizable and steady. While more than one Alaskan had become addicted to the sport, none was more consistant in manner of play that Penny. Hand after hand would end prematurely with a shake of her head and a muffled curse. When she died in late 1915 in a Skagway poor house, the press reported that she had made her last pass. .- In Fortymile, a few miners were hanging out in McPhee's saloon when in burst George Carmack, gulped two straight whiskies, turned from the bar and announced his strike on Bonanza Creek. That happened August 16, 1896, probably the most memorable date in the history of the Yukon. But "Lying George"s reputation was so bad that no one at first believed his story. When he emptied a cartridge of nuggets on the bar, the mood began to change. These savvy prospectors knew that THIS gold was different. By morning the entire town of Fortymile was emptied as the rush began. Bill Farrell was among the drinkers that nite and joined the exodus. But his luck at finding a rich strike was incredibly fickle. He would stake a claim only to see it pan out at far less value than a neighboring claim. This pattern continued over the next two years and by the time Dawson was a fullblown boom town, his bad luck had become legendary. And left him frustrated and barely in control of his senses. "Wild Willie", as he became known, was a frequent visitor at Canfield's saloon and card hall where his play seemed to reflect his irratic luck. For no apparent reason, he'd skip a move on a hunch. Usually he'd lose but occasionally, it would pay off bigtime. Wild was his nickname and wild was his game. .- Altho Robert Service immortalized this klondiker in his famous poem, few will remember the game that Dan was playing that fateful nite when he and the stranger shot their way into American folklore. "A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon; The kid that handles the music box was hitting a ragtime tune; Back of the bar, in a solo game, sat Dangerous Dan McGrew, And watching his luck was his light-o-love, the lady that's known as Lou." Little else seems known of this (perhaps fictional) character but we can safely conclude that he was no slouch at our favorite game. .- Belinda Mulroney was "The Queen of Grand Forks". A coal miner's daughter, she fled the soot of Scranton, PA for the Columbian Exposition in Chicago at the age of eighteen. Her flare for business soon had her opening an eatery clearing eight thousand dollars only to lose it all in a risky California venture the following year. She next shipped aboard the "City of Topeka" as stewardess and soon was in charge of buying all supplies. By the spring of 1897, Belinda has amassed five thousand dollars by charging the captain ten percent for her services. She invested it all in supplies to be sold in the booming Klondike. Clearly, this lady was nobody's fool. After selling her wares in Dawson at a six hundred percent profit, she opened a roadhouse closer to the mines. A roaring success from day one, it was frequented by all the Eldorado kings. She picked thru all the news and rumers that filled her saloon and soon owned half a dozen valuable mining properties. A few months later, she returned to Dawson to build the opulent Fairview! What a woman! As to her interest in solitaire, she had little time and when she did indulge, was only a so-so player. Cant win 'em all. .- Against a backdrop of dozens of saloons, hotels and brothels, throngs paraded nitely up and down the mud streets of Dawson City as if at a summer carnival. By early autumn 1898, upwards of 60,000 persons had reached the goldfields of the Yukon, most of them crammed into Dawson making it the largest city north of San Francisco and east of Toronto. Among the spring arrivals that year was Sweet Lottie Oakley and her sister Polly. Just off Main street, behind Sam Bonnifield's Bank Saloon, the girls danced and entertained on a rough platform to the wheezing sound of a portable organ. The throngs crowding this area kept the revelry high making for a gala atmosphere. After twenty or so lively but brief dances, Lottie and Polly would still the crowd with their two-part harmony of "A Bird in a Gilded Cage", "Break the News to Mother" and the like. Instant fame and adoration was their true reward. Of course, the dollar-a-dance they collected was not unwelcome, either. Among Lottie's admirers was Jim Daugherty who built two dance halls for the singing sisters with $360,000 he had dug out of his claim on the Upper Bonanza. Jim (whose nickname will not be mentioned here in the interest of political correctness), would later marry Sweet Lottie only to lose her in 1900 after going broke. After a long nite of dancing and singing, Lottie would stop at one of the main street saloons for a nitecap or two with an admiring throng. Avoiding the roulette wheel and dice, she would display her talents at solitaire where her shrewd play was widely admired. .- "Swiftwater Bill" Gates arrived in Dawson from Circle City where he had been a dishwasher, determined to find his fortune and live a life of outlandish extravagence. He did both. He got his nickname from bragging about his exploits on the Coeur d'Alene River in Idaho. Like many others, the name stuck long after his first gold strike launched a lavish lifestyle. Dispite a diminutive stature and rather comic appearance, he never failed to attract attention to his exploits. His eye for the ladies led to numerous escapades including pursuit by irate mothers and several marriages. One famous fried egg episode with Gussie Lamore earned him the title of Knight of the Golden Omelet, but that's another story. In 1899, gold dust was discovered on the sand beaches of Nome, just across the Bering Sea from Siberia. The strike emptied the town of Dawson as every one headed for the new strike. By then, Swiftwater Bill had blown most of his Klondike gold and joined the exodus that summer. Another Gates came to Alaska about the same time. Today's Microsoft's Bill Gates' great-grandfather, Wm Henry Gates, Sr, arrived in Seattle in the 1880's. When gold was discovered in Alaska, he moved his family to Nome where they lived for the next 9 years. In 1908, they returned to the navy shipyard town of Bremerton in the Puget Sound area where they operated a furniture business for many years. Although both these late nineteenth century Bill Gates had their roots in the northwest, there is no solid evidence of common heritage between the flamboyant "Swiftwater Bill" and a century's later "Microsoft Bill"s parentage. .- "Soapy Smith" was considered by most to be the baddest man in Skagway. Born Jefferson Randolph Smith in rural Georgia, he first became a cowboy on the Texas range, later hooked up with a passing circus where he learned the con man's art and soon appeared in the mining town of Leadville, Colorado where he proceeded to separate the miners from their gold. Soapy acquired his nickname from an act where he seemed to wrap a twenty dollar bill around a bar of soap and sell it to the nearest sucker for the bargain price of one dollar. He moved on to Denver where he became something of a dandy heading a band of tricksters. By the autumn of 1897 he was on his way to Alaska to turn the Gold Rush into his own private Bonanza. Settling in Skagway, he opened a saloon and gambling parlor (what else?). There, his gang routinely relieved customers of their gold before or after a fling at dice, cards or roulette. Still, Soapy had a generous nature and was known to give shelter and food to the penniless. It seemed that he sought the notoriety more than the money and his often swashbuckling manner made him an easy target for the reformers in a town with no law and little order. In July of 1898, he died in a shootout with Frank Reid while trying to single-handedly break up a vigilante meeting bent on shutting down his shady businesses. In a time and place of colorful characters, none outshown Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith. .- Sam Bonnifield ran the Bank Saloon and Gambling House, the most celebrated establishment of its kind in the Klondike. Every inch the professional gambler, he had worked his way west from Virginia thru Kansas, Montana and California before heading north to Juneau, Circle City and finally, Dawson. Mostly, when Sam was gambling for himself, his game was poker, although he would often spend a few minutes and "a bit of dust" at the faro table. Less well known was his habit of taking on the solitaire gambit at Canfield's hall across the 60 foot wide mud stream that served as Dawson"s Front Street. He believed that aces held the key to winning the game and would quit whenever he didn't have at least one ace at the end of the first pass. Two or more aces at the end of pass two were required to "keep him in" and so on. Soon, the dealers started calling him Aces Up, a nickname that never left the premises. .- Joe LaDue had come prospecting along the Yukon River in 1882 but found no gold. He turned to farming but the frosts ruined his barley and cabbages. Next, he opened a trading post on the Yukon River one hundred miles upstream from the frontier town of Fortymile. When gold was discovered along Bonanza Creek, he staked out a townsite on the swamp where the Klondike River and the Bonanza joined the Yukon and named it Dawson City. His sawmill provided lumber for both the miner's sluice boxes and the rickety houses of the town. His store and saloon supplied grub stakes and solice for the ever hopeful prospectors who poured into the area after the news broke in Seattle and San Francisco. As a shrewd business man, Joe was known to stake many a prospector down on his luck. His honesty and sensitivity won him friends and admirers in the harsh and unforgiving climate of the last great gold rush. .- MatchPlay in Klondike Pro provides nine computer opponents who play each hand right after you finish. These "house players" use various tactics to provide a challenge comparable to playing against a variety of "real" players. Like chess playing programs, your MatchPlay opponents have only the same basic information that you have, namely the faceup cards and a knowledge of the rules of play. They DO NOT know the value or suit of facedown cards. They DO NOT remember cards in the deck from pass to pass (although you might). But they do know how many cards are in the last flop when they get there just as you know by looking at the "deckline" (see "Final Flop" tactic). As most players soon discover, the game is not so simple as which card can play on which stack. Certainly it is true that one should (almost) always play an ace to the ace row, but every other play can be questioned including the option to not make the play at all! The tactics listed do not include all possibilities but they do cover all those that your MatchPlay opponents might use. As your game improves, you will discover new tactics to gain an edge here and there. Before reading the other files on the subject of tactics, you should become familiar with the terms used by Klondike Pro such as "pass", "flop", "deckline", etc. Read the "Help" files. .- Novice players are happy just to locate ANY card that can be played onto an exposed card. This is especially true when the play is to the ace row or flips a card from an "understack". Beyond this, the game gets more interesting. One soon learns that it is usually better to make plays from the King row (the lower set of 7 card stacks) before playing from the discard stack. Some of your MatchPlay opponents know this and will make King row plays before playing from the flop. Others prefer to always play from the discards first. Playing to the Ace row when the opportunity arrises is generally sound but there are occasions when it may pay to hold off. Some opponents will play a card from the discards to the King row even when the card will play to the Ace row. This apparently risky move sometimes works well, sometimes not so well. These preferences are called the "Order of Play." .- When examining exposed cards in the King row, there are often two or more plays and it CAN make a difference which is played first. Your opponents resolve this by simply scanning from left to right or from right to left and making the first play encountered. Each opponent has his own "scan direction" preference which he ALWAYS obeys. You, obviously, can play in any order you choose. Sometimes, the king row will contain two faceup cards with the same value (say, two Queens) and the same suit color (that is, both black or both red). If one can play onto another king row stack, then its "mate" can as well. When these cards are at the base of the faceup strip, this is called "The Devil's Choice" (unless neither have any undercards). A simple tactic for this situation might be to always chose the card from the leftmost (or rightmost) stack. Or from the stack with the least (or most) number of downcards. The number and distribution of facedown cards in the king row can be an important factor in play strategy. It is often THE decisive factor when faced with the Devil's Choice. Playing from the low count stack will improve chances of opening a "king slot" while playing from the high count stack will increase the chances for a "run" of downcards. You may also wish to consider other factors such as state of the ace stacks, known cards in the deck and pass number. .- A hand is lost when no play can be made during an entire pass of the deck. Of course, it may be wise to quit the hand earlier and save some flop costs. Most of your opponents will play out a hand through the "no play pass". Some may quit early depending on how many ace rows are started and/or how may passes have taken place. A minus nugget score is another reason they might give up before the very end. Other reasons for quitting early might include: - An ace "buried" under the first flop. - Too many cards seem 'stuck' in the understacks. - One or more 'mated' card pairs (same value + same suit color). Traditionally, the object has been to "win" the hand by playing all cards to the four ace stacks. Klondike Pro reinforces this by awarding 10 nuggets for each such play while charging only minimal nuggets for each "flop" (altho this charge increases with each pass). Considering this, quitting early risks the loss of a high score should the hand turn out to be a "winner". Still, in a close match, or where the player is certain that the hand cannot be won, the early quit can be a valuable tactic. .- Whenever the discard stack becomes empty, it is prudent to make a "flop" from the deck (assuming the deck itself is not empty). Although one should generally make other plays before playing from the discards, there are times when that rule is best ignored. Obviously, when the discards are empty, one losses that option. .- Normally, any play that CAN be made, SHOULD be made, right? Not so fast there, pardner. Some of your MatchPlay opponents will randomly miss a play here or there, occasionally with astonishing results! For you, however, the decision to skip a play is usually more complicated. The times when it MAY pay to skip a play are not so rare as one might think. But they ARE rather hard to detect. Only experience will gain the insight needed to utilize this tactic effectively. .- When two or more exposed cards can play to the Ace row, it is just "good practice" to play the lower value card first. However, some opponents ignore this rule and simply take the first card encountered. This can result in a block when one or more of their other tactics interfere. This may lose a hand that was all but won. For real players, this generally won't be a problem since an "Ace Off" can usually correct a play up. .- This late '40s hit tune warns us that "The Dipsy Doodle is a thing to beware. It gets you when you're in your underwear." Well, underwear or not, it is NOT a thing to beware in Klondike Pro where it refers to a very effective maneuver. When a card that can be played to an ace row appears in one strip of faceup cards AND its "mate" is at the bottom of another strip, the cards below the desired card should be lifted and played across and onto the mate card. This unblocking move then allows the ace play to be made. Silly name. GREAT idea! Some of your MatchPlay opponents have learned this play. You should, as well. p.s. Near the end of what might be a winning hand, a series of "Doodles" may be needed to get at the remaining undercards. These actions, taken together, are called a "Shilly-Shally." .- At the end of any pass, if you have not been able to make a play from the deck, it is logical to "Done" the hand right there. Obvious, right? So on the NEXT pass, you know that the last card in the deck was not playable on the PRIOR pass, otherwise you would have played it. If you now have just one flop left* in this pass AND haven't made a play, there is no need to take the final flop since you KNOW it wont provide a playable card. You thereby save the cost of the last flop. * The 'decklines' (above the deck and discards) indicate the number of cards in each of those stacks. The line over the deck is "sawtoothed" in 3 card sections while the line over the discards is unbroken. When you have just one short section over the deck, then there is only 1 flop left. .- Most basic tactics for playing Klondike can be mimicked by a computer and are utilized by one or another of your "opponents" during MatchPlay. Some tactics, however, are rather complex to program while others might let your computer opponent CHEAT and we can hardly allow that! Following, we examine a few of the more interesting techniques. "Ace-Offs": If you learned this game long ago, you might be surprised that Klondike Pro allows you to "play down" a card from the Ace row to the King row, assuming value & suit color permit. This is called an "Ace Off" and is not only legal but, on the right occasion, very effective. The good news about this play is that none of your MatchPlay opponents are smart enuf to see the potential advantage in it. The bad news is that if your plan doesn't work out, you have just lost yourself a 10-nugget ace row card. "Deck-Recall": Remembering cards as they are exposed when played to the discard stack (flops) can be useful. If you know that an Ace was in the deck, you might not be inclined to quit a hand early. Similarly, a King that will come up in the next pass could affect how you shift cards in the King row. Using your memory is a powerful tool in any solitaire game. Klondike Pro displays a "deckline" that can be especially helpful. Note the jagged appearance which indicates the 3-card flops still left in the deck. Lucky for us that our MatchPlay opponents aren't allowed to remember cards or positions. This IS an interesting game, no? .- The card layout you see when the hand starts I call the "playground." The top row of cards consists of the "deck" (24 cards facedown in upperleft) and four places for aces to the right (called the "Ace row"). The card piles below ("stacks") are called the "King row" having from 0 to 6 facedown cards beneath a single faceup card in each stack. The objective is to finish with ALL cards piled 13 to each suit from Ace up thru King in the Ace row. You move any aces that appear to any of the four blank spots in the Ace row. You can then play (or 'toss') any dueces of matching suit onto the aces, threes onto the dueces, etc. When you uncover all faceup cards in a King row stack click on the facedown card and it will flip to faceup. Note: if the 'AutoFlip' option is set, the uncover will just happen. You can move any card or strip of cards on the playground onto a King row IF it is one value lower AND of opposite color, that is, red on black or black on red. For example, play a seven of hearts on an eight of clubs. Now click on the deck (upper left) and it will "flop" 3 cards onto the "discard stack" just to the right. If you can play the top card either to the Ace row or the King row according to the rules above, do so. If not, click again on the deck and get another 3-card flop. If you play a card off the discards, you may be able to play the card beneath, etc. Also, you can always make moves according to the rules anywhere on the playground. When you exhaust the deck, a special "deck space" symbol will appear and (after checking the last flop), you can click on it to recycle the discards back into the deck. Continue until you either give up or win the hand by filling all Ace row stacks. At hand end (either given up or won), you can click on the "deal" (or "done") button to start a fresh hand. Other buttons provide for Options, Help, Stats, Game variations, etc. .- There are 4 sections to this help file- - Definitions (stacks, deck, flops,..) - Rules & Scoring (gotta know this) - Practice (relaxed play) - Pro Matches (improve your "Rank") --- Definitions --- Table layout definitions: A "stack" is any of the places on the table where 1 or more cards may be played atop one other. The "deck" of unplayed cards is in the upper left corner. The "discard pile" is just to the right of the deck. The "decklines" appear just above the deck and discard pile. The "ace row" (4 stacks) is to the right of the discard pile. The "king row" (7 stacks) is just below the deck, discards and ace row. Dealing and playing definitions: A "hand" is started by clicking on the "Deal" button. A hand is over when it is won or the "Done" button is pressed or when you "Quit" the game. The "spread" establishes the king row whenever a hand is dealt. When you click on the deck, a 3-card "flop" is placed on the discard pile. An "ace play" is any card played onto one of the stacks in the ace row. A "king row play" (or "table play") is any card placed onto one of the stacks in the king row. A "strip" consists of 1 or more face-up cards on a king row stack. A "strip move" is the shift of any strip to another king row stack. A "pass" is complete when the deck is exhausted. A "playup" is when a card is moved from the king row onto the ace row. An "Ace Off" is when a card is moved from the ace row onto the king row. A "RunUp" is the automatic series of moves that plays up all possible king row cards to the ace row when it is clear that you have WON a hand. It also becomes available on demand near the end of a winning hand after you have achieved a certain "rank". --- Rules and Scoring --- Playing rules are: 3-card Klondike is the standard game. Pay-as-you-Go (PayGo) is the scoring system (see below) Partial strip moves and Ace Offs ARE allowed. A play may be "undone" only when the UnDo button is lit. Unlimited passes allowed on any hand. In general, all plays that are not rejected are legal. PayGo Hand scoring: The initial spread costs 20 points. You receive 10 points for each card played to the Ace row. Flops are free in Pass`1, cost 1 in pass`2, 2 in pass`3, etc. A winning hand score will usually fall between 400 and 500. Losing scores generally range from -100 to +100. --- Practice --- You must play the first hand as Practice. This will give you the feel of the table, the layout and card movement. To start a hand, click on the Deal button. The deck will get a (hidden) minimum shuffle and continue shuffling until you click to stop it. Play the hand as best you can and when you've "played out", click on the "Done" button. As each opponent plays the hand, his score is displayed and sorted on the scoreboard. You can then call up a card-by-card "instant replay" of ANY player at this time, including yourself. All missed or skipped plays are revealed during this mode, a great way to learn from mistakes, both yours and theirs. Also, during replay, you can check out any opponent's tactics. From the Options menu you can choose "kibitz"ing at any time while in Practice mode. When kibitzing is active, you will hear a double beep when you attempt a flop and there is a play on the board. To ignore the play, leave the cursor on the deck and click again. While only one Practice hand *must* be played before starting Pro Matches, you can always return to Practice between matches. -- Pro Matches -- As with most card games, the luck of the deal plays a role in how well you score on any given hand. Most hands simply can't be won no matter how good you get at the game. Having opponents who play the SAME hands, however, removes most of the luck from the game. And, over many matches, luck plays almost no role at all. After playing your first practice hand, you can elect to play a Pro Match (click on the "Games" button). As you finish a hand, the "scoreboard" shows the hand results AND the match so far. As you continue playing, the bottom stripe and the "MatchBox" (to the right of the main playground) show where you stand at all times. Once you've played all 6 hands of the match, you will gain or lose nuggets depending on where you finished overall. You start as a Green Rookie with a "gold stash" of 90 nuggets (100 are required to earn a promotion). More detail about the ranking system can be found in the MatchPlay help file. Bonus points are awarded for special achievments such as winning a hand while none of your opponents do (a "lone Winner'), winning a match with One Pass Penny coming in second (a 'Penny Whopper'), etc. Finally, some playing tips: The more information you have before making a decision, the better. Procrastinate whenever faced with a real choice. That is, make other available plays before making your choice. Hesitate a second or two before dropping a card to check for alternative plays. Re-evaluate the overall status of the hand at the start of each pass. Juggle your layout occasionally. It may reveal a play you would otherwise miss. Take a little EXTRA time after a long "run of play." The more order you create, the less room for disorder. Observed: A shuffled deck is never quite Humpty Dumpty. Allow yourself to develop a playing flair. Another is deciding when *not* to make a play. .- -------- MatchPlay in General`------- Klondike Pro matches consist of 6 hands to be played in sequence. They needn't all be played out at one setting but you'll want to finish each hand once started. Kibitizing is not allowed and UnDo's are limited to special situations. Also, you won't be able to practice until the match is over A hand begins when you click on the "Deal" button and ends when you click on the "Done" button. Having finished the hand (Done'd), the 9 "House" players will have their turn. As each opponent plays the hand, the score is displayed and sorted on the scoreboard. When all have played, you can do a card-by-card "instant replay" of ANY player at this time. During replay, you can also check out any opponent's tactics. -------------- Ranks `------------- At the start of each match, your rank plus nugget count appear in the "MatchBox" (on the lower right side of the screen). New Players start as Green Rookies. When your nuggets hit 100, you will ascend to the rank of Bronze Rookie. There are fourteen higher ranks, each requiring the accumulation of 100 nuggets. Placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd (win, place or show) in a match will gain nuggets, while 4th thru 10th will lose nuggets. Lower ranks receive more for "placing" than higher ranks (its tough at the top) but losing always costs 8 nuggets. The number of W-P-S nuggets for placing is always displayed between hands. While nuggets can go up or down, your Rank itself, once achieved, is NEVER reduced. Bonus nuggets, once earned, are never lost within the rank. Loss of nuggets can be disheartening (we never said it would be easy, just fair). To reach any of the top ranks (Master or Wizard), one must become a VERY accomplished player. Gold Wizards are very rare in Klondike Pro. -------- Matches to Rank`---------- The number of matches you take to achieve a rank is recorded at each step of your climb to fame. The Top`10 players of each rank are displayed in this "Matches-to-rank" (MTR) order, so the less matches you need to reach a rank, the higher you'll appear on these lists. .- Your computer opponents are modeled on nine of the most colorful characters of the Klondike goldrush. The harshness of the arctic climate allowed only the toughest to survive the rigors of the miners' diggings. Equally rough were the ramshackle towns that dotted the area. Perhaps the most famous of these were Skagway and Dawson City. Here fortunes were found, lost or thrown away and found again over a span of barely a decade. Here, too, the contrasts of incredible wealth, stark poverty and opportunism led to some of the most outlandish behavior ever witnessed. Each of these 'house' players occupy a special place in the history of this bygone era. After you finish a hand, they will each play that same hand in turn. Since each has his or her own unqiue style and tactics, the results are often surprising and sometimes downright unbelieveable. As stated, these are rough characters from a tough era and will provide a formidable challenge. A brief biographical sketch of each player is available from this Help menu (exit here by clicking on "OK", then click on "Player Bios" and select which player). Each sketch is based on the literature of the period combined with a likely card playing style. Go get 'em! .- This is just a "place holder" for the Strategies help line .- As you will discover, Klondike Pro maintains gobs of statistics on your MatchPlay. Stats on any practice play are not kept. Following the play of each hand, a "scoreboard" shows how well you've done against your opponents. During MatchPlay, hand results are available for reveiw during the match (click on "Stats") and until you begin another match. Clicking on "Stats" from the MenuBar will display your latest MatchPlay statistics. Your Rank and current nugget count appear at the top followed by the number of matches you have played at this Rank (MIR = Matches In Rank). Your "gold stash" appears atop your MatchPlay Stats, a Gold Bag for each Rank you've earned and a pile of loose nuggets for the current match. Beneath is a display of Gold Leaves acquired by Gold Wizards. Currently, there are three "pages" of stats in the bottom area. "General Match Stats" shows hand stats and match stats. "Hands Played" and "Hands Won" are self-explanatory. "Win Average" is much like a batting average in that the number of hits (hands won) is divided by the "times at bat" (hands played). Finally on left side is the number of "Red Massacres", a count of the number of hands you won while none of your opponents achieved a plus score. On the right is a count of matches played so far, followed by your Gold, Silver and Bronze finishes. In general: Gold = 1st place = Win Silver = 2nd place = Place Bronze = 3rd place = Show Below this is your WPS Rating which is calculated as follows: (Golds*4) + (Silvers*2) + (Bronzes*1) `------------------------ Number of matches played * 4 At the bottom of Page 1 is a graph of your Win-Place-Show history. This shows the latest 64 matches you've played (oldest on the left). A Gold bar indicaters a win, silver a "place" (2nd) and red a "show" (3rd). Any gaps indicate where you failed to place. A "notch" on the base line indicates where you started with your current rank. Two buttons (marked "<" and ">") appear in the top corners of the stats box. Clicking on either of these will display the next stats page. The top line of the "Match Winner Stats" screen shows the number of "Big Blowouts" and your Best blowout score. A blowout is simply how badly you beat the 2nd place opponent. A "Big" blowout is 1000 points or more and your best is shown on the right. Below this are the number of your "Big Comebacks" and your Best comeback score. This is the most ground you have made up "coming from behind" to take 1st place in a match. A "Big" comeback is 500 points or more and your best is shown here. Next is your "Super" matches, which is a match where you've managed to win ALL 6 hands! Only a few will EVER accomplish this (I've *never* seen one). Following is "Red Match Winners". If you are the winner in a match where all scores are minus (red), then you're a "Red Winner". This takes VERY careful play. "Penny Whompers" are where you have won the match and Penny came in 2nd. "Tight Wins" are where you won but the range between your final score and the furtherest behind was 25 or less points. A "Last Hand Miracles" is where, going into the final hand, you were down by over 400 points and came back to win the match. A third page is unused at this time. Back to the main page and looking at the bottom buttons. "Match" lets you examine the current (or latest) match including data on each hand played. Click on "Ranks" to reveal your current position on the way to the top and the number of matches you have taken to gain each rank. "Matches to rank" (MTR) figure determines the order of players within a rank. The "Ranks" screen is automatically displayed whenever you earn a New Rank. The "Tell Me More" shows where you stand and what fresh tactics your opponents have adopted. (its a "must read"). Now all you have to do is knock 'em dead! .- Frequently Asked Questions Q. During the shuffle, how much difference does it make how long I leave it running? Also, does moving the cursor have any effect on the shuffle? A. Think of shuffling like shaking the dice at a game of craps. How long you shake 'em and how you shake 'em does make a difference, so you certainly *affect* the outcome. However, you dont *control* the result. Same thing with the shuffling in this game. Q. You say that if Penny wins the match, its 'forgiven'. Yet when I come in second or third, a 'Penny Winner' wasn't cancelled! What gives? A. Technically I should have stated the 'Penny Wins' case in a bit more detail but screen space is always a problem. There really isn't any practical way for the game code to know for certain whether a player would prefer to take the 2nd or 3rd place nuggets or lose them and get the chance to play the match over. So, you must actually LOSE the match for a Penny Winner to be cancelled. Q. On the 'Stats' screen, what's the purpose of those 17 squares just below the 'Gold Stash' display? A. Once a player reaches the rank of Gold Wizard, he can contine playing for Gold Leaves which are displayed on those now empty boxes. Q. What is that jagged, saw-tooth like line just above the deck in the upper lefthand corner of the playfield? A. Its called the 'deckline' and indicates both the number of cards left in the deck (starts with 24) with each notch representing a 3-card flop. It can be quite useful in your play especially noting the length of the final flop. Q. On the 'Stats' screen, what's the purpose of those buttons in the upper corners with the arrow marks? A. Those are to bring up other screens (rotating left or right). However, only one other screen is currently active but it has several interesting stats about your performance that would not fit on the main Stats screen. Q. What determines when the "UnDo" botton is on or off? A. It depends on whether you are Practicing or in MatchPlay. While practicing, it is essentially 'on' at all times with the exception of just after an undercard has been flipped to show its value, an obviously needed exception. In MatchPlay, it is mostly off, except following an 'Ace Toss', since such plays might result from an unintended drop. Q. How do I read the "WPS History" line at the bottom of the playfield? A. Each 'stick' represent a match played, with the latest on the right side of the history line. A Gold stick is highest and represents a win while a Bronze stick is lowest and indicates a third place result. Loses are like missing teeth. Also, the base (black) line can have a notch in it indicating where a new Rank was awarded. This is just a "place holder" for the Player Bios help line .- This is just a "place holder" for the Player Bios help line .- Klondike Pro is classic Klondike solitaire with a unique twist. In addition to casual play (practice mode), you can compete with the computer AND other REAL players thru the magic of "duplicate MatchPlay"). Occasionally, "Signposts" will appear between hands as a guide to the game. These are designed to provide timely information as you progress thru the game. Only your left mouse button is active and double clicking is never required. You'll find it easy to pick up cards (just click down), move them (move the mouse) and drop them (release the button). You can't make an illegal move so don't worry about accidents. There are two "modes" of play in Klondike Pro. "Practice" mode goes far beyond other solitaire games where your play is tracked and some kind of score maintained. Here, your hand score is matched against 9 computer opponents, each using a unique mix of playing tactics. This comparative scoring is the essence of duplicate solitaire. "MatchPlay" mode is where you can rise from a Green Rookie to a Gold Wizard. A match consists of 6 hands played against your 9 computer foes and summed for a final match score. Place 1st, 2nd or 3rd and you gain gold nuggets. Earn 100 nuggets and you win a promotion in rank. Kibitzing is permitted in practice but not in MatchPlay. "UnDo"s are freely available in practice but restricted in MatchPlay. Klondike Pro is shareware. You can play for free until you reach a certain rank, after which your must register and pay a modest fee. I KNOW you'll enjoy Klondike Pro. Brooke W. Boering Aptos CA - 95003 .- A Brief History of Solitaire... The first playing cards are thought to have arrived in northern Europe from Italy sometime in the mid 1300s. Whether multiple player games preceeded single player (solitaire) games is not clear. Solitaire card playing became known as 'patience', a name still in vogue in the British Isles. Variations on card layouts, game objectives and playing rules soon appeared. However, no one seems to have summarized and recorded the numerous forms until the nineteenth century. According to Morehead's "Complete Book of Solitaire and Patience Games", Lady Adelaide Cadogan wrote the first syllabus on the subject around 1870. This was a period when much of our planet's surface was being explored and exploited, often by individuals with little more than the clothes on their back and a sack of determination. Finding themselves isolated and in need of diversion, many turned to the simple distraction offered by solitaire. Because of its singular nature, solitaire became known as a game for shutins, recluses and invalids. This isolation has tended to obscure its development over the years and it never acheived the social status accorded to multi-player games such as gin, pinochle, bridge and poker. By its very nature, it has never been socially competative or rewarding. Dispite this mundane reputation, solitaire, in all it varieties, is widely recognized as being the most universally known and played card game on earth. .- A Brief History of Klondike.... Robert Brown Gibson, in his incisive book, "How to Win at Solitaire", points out that many people think that Klondike is the ONLY solitaire game, it's that pervasive. Seems that the game became popular during the Klondike gold rush circa 1898 or so. Alaskan winters, being both long and bitter cold, made panning and digging for gold impractical. Trips to town and visitors were rare indeed so there was little to do til spring. Passing time with solitaire, many miners became quite good at the game and were eager to bet on their expertise during a trip to town. The boomlets that sprang up amid this gold rush typically sported a hotel or two, a general store, a few ladies of leisure and several saloons. In the gambling halls, a betting version of solitaire became quite popular with rules much like the current "Vegas" rules (as available with the Windows version). Canfield's place at Saratoga offered a close variation on the game which soon became known as Canfield, causing confusion ever since. Gibson says "Canfield is the name with Klondike as an alternative title". Turns out, Klondike IS the name and no one these days hears much about Canfield. David Parlett, the English authority, in his book entitled simply "Solitaire", sites Canfield, Chinaman, Demon, Fascination and Small Triangle among the many alternate names for Klondike. He flatly states that it is "the most popular of all ....." and wonders why considering that it "offers one of the lowest success rates..." with a win ratio of only one in thirty hands, a figure that assumes the harshest rules. Finally, he opines that "if patience means suffering, Klondike is akin to masochism." Strong words for a seemingly simple game. In today's computer world, there exist MANY shareware (and a few non shareware) solitaire games, some of which are quite good and some, well, ah, lets just say, not so good. The version included with Windows is VERY good, and the author, Wes Cherry, is to be congratulated as it has awakened renewed interest in this "solice for the solitary" pastime. Almost everyone understands and plays Klondike a bit differently. Some will tell you that partial "strip moves" and "Ace offs" are outright CHEATING! Others insist that playing multiple passes or 3-card flops will land you in Hell. Much depends upon how and from whom the game was learned. Playing rules for Klondike Pro are a combination of traditional variations and the need for a balanced scoring system. Instead of paying for the deck in advance, "pay as you go" (PayGo) scoring is introduced. PayGo forces the player to decide at each flop whether to continue or end the hand. When PayGo scoring is combinded with duplicate MatchPlay, you have challenge solitaire under Klondike Pro. This may not be the final chapter in the history of Klondike solitaire but it is certainly the latest. .- Windows, DOS, etc.... While Klondike Pro is a DOS application, you can install it to run under Windows; it just doesn't have that "Windows look". Windows today is a *very* complex system and it is getting increasing hard for older DOS games to avoid encountering trouble. There's simply nothing that can be done about it (yesterday's gone, or almost so). Klondike Pro is written in an obscure language designed in ancient times (1978-81) for computer art programs running on the Apple II computer. Named Ceemac, it has been called "the Watts Tower of computer languages" because it was one man's rather special view of how things might be done and makes little pretense beyond that. It is not marketed but I continued to use it until late 2002 because I wrote it and could easily modify it as the need arose. The graphics dont use the higher screen resolutions available on your computer because there is little need for fine resolution in computer card games and because Ceemac has never 'grown up' in that respect. Klondike Pro requires disk space of less than 600k for the game plus about 4K for your player file. Klondike Pro will run on PCs with as little as 1 meg of memory (ho boy, those were the days, eh?). Finally, A DOS mouse driver MUST be installed and there are NO keyboard equivalents for mouse functions; you MUST have a mouse. .- The Jigsaw Analogy To "play" a jigsaw puzzle, one begins by hand mixing all the upside down pieces on a large flat surface. In other words, we deliberately create chaos and are challenged to find order. Clues to the solution are unearthed by the process of visual trial and error. Such clues must be remembered to be useful in solving the puzzle. Solitaire card games are similar in that they start with chaos (shuffling the deck) and require an ordered result. And revealed clues are lost if forgotten. A jigsaw puzzle can always be "won" (unless a piece is lost) whereas a solitaire game is most often NOT winnable. The Crossword Analogy Crossword puzzles (and the like) provide clues and a "fill in the blanks" type of challenge. Like the jigsaw puzzle, they carry a finite solution. Clues in solitaire games are NOT provided at the start but appear as cards are revealed and relationships perceived. And, as stated, must be remembered to be useful. .- Klondike Pro is written in an obscure language designed in ancient times (1978-81) for computer art programs running on the Apple II computer. Named Ceemac, it has been called "the Watts Tower of computer languages" because it was one man's rather special view of how things might be done and makes little pretense beyond that. It is not marketed but I continued to use it until late 2002 because I wrote it and could easily modify it as the need arose. The graphics dont use the higher screen resolutions available on your computer because there is little need for fine resolution in computer card games and because Ceemac has never 'grown up' in that respect. Version 2.1 of Klondike Pro will probably be the last project ever written in Ceemac (rest its soul). Long Live Ceemac!! Brooke W. Boering Vagabondo Enterprises eMail: vagabond@cruzio.com voice: 1-831-662-0422 .- This version of Klondike Pro (2.1) has added features, most notably the addition of Bonus nuggets (see below). Additional releases within this version (2.1.3, 2.1.4, etc) are likely and should easily install without any change to stats and rank. Check back frequently at... www.baymoon.com/~solitare/KlonPro2.html. = NEW FEATURES of V 2.1 = Penny winner matches are cancelled. 'Dead Joe' hands are cancelled. Bonus nuggets (cant be lost within rank) are awarded as follows: - Bonus of 1: Lone Winner, Penny Whomper, Tight Win, Red Massacre - Bonus of 2: Last Hand Miracle, Big Blowout, Big Comeback - Bonus of 3: Red Winner - Bonus of 4: Triple Crown: any 3 of the following: Penny Whomper, Tight Win, Big Blowout, Big Comeback, Red Winner, Super Match - Bonus of 5: Super Match (won all 6 hands) = NEW OPTIONS = Pass 1 Auto Flop: When Discard stack empty, a 3-card flop will be executed. Auto Flip: Undercards flipped except for Ace row 'tosses'(can be UnDone). Menu Clock: Replaces Nuggets count on main menu (click to 'flip-see' clock). Clicking: Allows you to define which button to use (lefties, broken mice, etc.) Dragging: Drag cards with button up or down ('up' better for trackballs). Quitting: Mid-hand quits will resume at quit point (crashes/aborts will not). .- Klondike Gold was released in 1996. Within 2 or 3 years it was replaced by Klondike Pro under the AmFADS label and made available as freeware. It included a 'dueling' (one-on-one) playing mode and allowed for multiple players (both obsoleted with this Version 2.1). Also, a server-based stats gathering, rating and disemination service called 'Klondike Central' was provided. Dispite my attempts to detect and prevent cheaters, some players managed to find ways to 'beat the system' so it became clear that no truly fair National Stats service could be guaranteed. Klondike Central closed down in 2000. .- design Brooke W. Boering Steve A. Baker `card graphics, sound effects `and Old West font Steve A. Baker code Brooke W. Boering Produced by Vagabondo Enterprises .- Not certain what I really want to say here, so........ Good start! You're out of the early green foliage and poised to ascend to who-know's-what level! No doubt you have learned quite a bit about the game by now. Your play and understanding of hand scoring will continue to improve. That's the good news. The bad news is that your MatchPlay opponents also discover some of their mistakes and make adjustments to their play. Both Wild Willie and Swiftwater Bill think that when the discard stack is empty, it is best to play a flop before deciding on the next play. .- Welcome to another level! Silver-anything is nothing to sneeze at and you're just a step away from the top of your class, GOLD! You're smarter now or you wouldn't be here. Picked up another point or two in the process of besting your opponents, right? One Pass Penny and Joe LaDue now think that uncovering cards in the King row should be done before playing from the discards. Penny, however, still believes in piling up those 10-nugget Ace row plays first. .- Ah, the scent of GOLD. No stopping you now. Fellow status is the reward for continued progress so keep giving it your best. Soapy Smith has realized that he just HAS to stop missing so many plays. From here on he'll miss just half as many as before. Aces Up seems to have noticed that Swiftwater Bill always keeps that discard stack occupied and decides he'll do the same. So now these early quitters are more evenly matched. .- Now that you're out of the Rookie class, things are going get a bit tougher. No more Mr. Nice guys. Wild Willie continues his wild ways but now thinks that making King row plays first is, in fact, a preferred technique. That dynamic duo Sweet Lottie and Jack LaDue are also changing tactics in honor of your new status. Sweet Lottie decides that its smart to move the lowest cards to the Ace row first to avoid getting blocked during the end game. Our man Joe, joins the others in keeping that discard stack occupied. .- Up and Up! As you move thru the ranks of the Fellow class, you will encounter some stronger competition. And since the nugget awards continue to drop, progress may be somewhat slower. But you can overcome all that with superior play, right? One Pass Penny has dusted off her spectacles and wont be missing any plays from now on. Of course, she will stick to her primary tactic of dropping out at the end of the first pass. Will she EVER win a match? Belinda Mulroney just noticed that Sweet Lottie's switch to "lowest card to the Ace row" tactic seems to be paying off. That'll be her game, too, from now on. .- Silver Fellow. Has a nice ring to it, dont you think? A well deserved promotion for a player on the way to the TOP! Your opponents continue to refine their play. Dan McGrew, having noticed Belinda's improved game (playing low cards to the Ace row first), decides to do likewise, thank you. Determined not to be left in the dust, Swiftwater BIll will slow his play enuf to absolutely not miss ANY plays. And Joe LaDue will start scanning for King row plays from right to left, a new tactic for your opposition. .- Another top-of-class honor for a player with the Midas touch. However, this is no place to rest on your laurels. Past this point lies the promised land of the Master class! Soapy Smith wakes up to the wisdom of uncovering cards in the King row before making other plays. That unpredicable lout, Wild Willie, has concluded that right-to-left King row scans are the way to go. Let's see if he's right. .- Have you noticed that the trail is getting steeper? Less nuggets and smarter opponents insure that only the best can keep up. Were you ever promised a Rose Garden? Aces Up finally awakens to the idea of playing lowest value cards to the Ace row before higher cards. About time! Now One Pass Penny, seeing Soapy's improved game, shifts to making King row shifts (and uncovering down cards) before other plays. And so it goes. As a member of the Master class, you've got your work cut out for you. .- Nice going. Another rung on the ladder to the top. Wonder how many "live" players have acheived this level? Joe LaDue's game is improving by leaps and bounds. Henseforth he will miss NO moves! And Aces Up becomes the first opponent to discover the Dispsy Doodle. Better watch out for him from now on. .- Good going! No doubt about it; not very many players are going to make it this far so you can be justly proud to be here. Swiftwater Bill finally tumbles to the obvious, namely, play lowest cards to the Ace row first. About time. A passing observer, known only as "Baker", comments that when a play can be made from the discards to EITHER the Ace row or the King row, the odds just MIGHT favor playing to the King row first. Seems nuts but Wild Willie decides to give it a try. Meanwhile, Soapy will sharpen the competition by NEVER missing a play. .- GOLD, I tell you!!! Could there be anything beyond a Gold Master??? As a matter of fact, there is; the exhaulted space where only Wizards reside. A sparsely populated zone with the rarefied atmosphere of lofty purpose. A goal that few mortals dare seek, along a path littered with the dashed hopes of most who tread there. Well, perhaps that's a bit dramatic but the game is far from won. For example; Dan McGrew has noticed Aces Up executing the Dipsy Doodle and adds that to his list of tactics. About time. Joe LaDue, after considerable thought, concludes that (after pass 1) there is little point in taking the last flop after a non-play pass. A subtle point but one that can save some nuggets in a tight match. .- As you step into Wizard territory, you are greeted with a brief nod by those who will be your rivals henseforth. In this world, challenges are issued with grim determination and the battles are bloodly, indeed. Sweet Lottie tightens her game by (finally) applying the rule of "uncover first, Dummy." She can be quite tough from now on. Meanwhile, Wild Willie has picked up the Dipsy Doodle. This is going to make him VERY dangerous. Your quest continues. .- Okay, okay, so you've kicked butt again. So you think that makes you some kind of superior player? Think you're better than the vast majority of those who tinker at the game? Or have a special aptitude for creating order from disorder? Well, yes, you HAVE earned your way to this level. NOBODY gets here without dogged effort and exceptional insight. You have EVERY RIGHT to be proud of yourself. Ready for the next round? Better be; your opponents are.... Aces Up decides to play a bit slower and not miss any plays. AND both Swiftwater Bill and Joe LaDue learn the Dipsy Doodle! Better tighten your seat belt. .- Can you sense that the air is getting thinner? Will you be able to best the opposition to reach the pinnacle of success? Can't you just smell the sweet oder of Gold Wizard? Belinda Mulroney learns the Dipsy. Sweet Lottie finally decides that scanning Right-to-Left is best. And you had BETTER be at your best.... .- ...........GOLD WIZARD!!!!........... You have achieved the highest rank available in Klondike Pro. This is a rare moment and should be savored fully. Rest assured, you are in the company of the finest solitaire players in the world. Having achieved top rank, you might think there are no more worlds to conquer. Not true. The Gold Leaf Awards provide an extended challenge and are available ONLY to Gold Wizards. Your opponents now make final adjustments to their tactics in preparation for what lies ahead..... Joe LaDue will only play cards to the Ace row after all other moves have been made. Soapy Smith, at long last, learns the Dipsy. All opponents have now reached their optimal playing limit. Have you? At the rank of Gold Wizard, 6 nuggets are awarded for coming in 1st, a 2nd will only earn 3, while a 3rd nets a measly 1! And just to keep things nice and tight, you continue to lose 8 nuggets should you fail to place. Clearly, acquiring one or more Gold Leaves is the ultimate test of Klondike Pro. No one is EXPECTED to earn a Gold Leaf; it just isn't humanly possible! Is it? .- The arrow keys are used to reset the (small) Clock, the Alarm and the Timer. Hold down a key to accelerate the change. The small clock can be set in seconds and can not be forced pass midnight in either direction. The Alarm can be set to hour and minute only. The Timer counts in tenths of a second and has a ten hour limit. When started from a 0:00:00:0 setting, it will count up until the start/stop button is hit. For downcounting, enter the value with the arrow keys and hit the start/stop button. Clear the timer by hitting the "c" key. "Options" will let you switch between AM/PM mode and a 24-hour clock, set a daily alarm and choose an hourly chime. You can "kill" the Klondike Clock before and/or after playing the game. Klondike Pro is the one and only duplicate solitaire game. If you like solitaire, you'll LOVE Klondike Pro. .- DUMMY FILE