Colorado is a

solitaire Solitaire is any tabletop game which one can play by oneself, usually with cards, but also with dominoes. The term "solitaire" is also used for single-player games of concentration and skill using a set layout tiles, pegs or stones. These game ...

card game A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card ...

which is played using two decks of

playing card A playing card is a piece of specially prepared card stock, heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic that is marked with distinguishing motifs. Often the front (face) and back of each card has a fi ...

s. It is a game of card building which belongs to the same family as games like

Sir Tommy Sir Tommy, also called Old Patience, is a patience or solitaire card game using a single pack of 52 playing cards. It is said to be the ancestor of all patiences, hence its alternative title. It is a half-open, planner type of patience game in the ...

Strategy Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία ''stratēgia'', "art of troop leader; office of general, command, generalship") is a general plan to achieve one or more long-term or overall goals under conditions of uncertainty. In the sense of the "art ...

, and

Calculation A calculation is a deliberate mathematical process that transforms one or more inputs into one or more outputs or ''results''. The term is used in a variety of senses, from the very definite arithmetical calculation of using an algorithm, to th ...

. It is considered an easy game with 80% odds of being completed successfully.

Rules

First, twenty cards are dealt in any arrangement the player desires; it is suggested that cards should be two rows of ten cards each. Then the player searches for an Ace and a King of each suit. These cards should go to the foundations whenever they become available for play. The foundations that start with the Aces are built up by suit, while those that start with Kings are built down by suit. The spaces that they left behind are immediately filled with cards from the stock. The stock is then dealt one card at a time, and any card that cannot be built yet to the foundations is placed on one of the 20 cards which are in fact bases for waste piles. When placing cards onto a wastepile, they do not have to follow suit or rank. However, there is no building; when a card is placed on a waste pile, the only place it would go is to a foundation. After each deal, the player will determine if any of the cards on the waste piles can be built onto the foundations. Again, whenever a waste pile becomes empty, no matter how many cards it previously had, it is filled with a card from the wastepile. This is the only way an empty pile is refilled because when the stock runs out, spaces are no longer filled. The game ends soon after the stock has run out. The game is won when all cards are built into the foundations; but when there are still cards that are stuck and cannot be possibly released, the game is lost. Arranging reserves in up and down orders is key to good play.

Variations

Closely related to Colorado are other two-deck games like Sly Fox, Twenty, Grandfather's Patience, and Grandmother's Patience. All of these have a tableau of 20 cards and are in the Sir Tommy family.

References

* Arnold, Peter. ''Card Games For One'' * Barry, Sheila Anne, ''World's Best Card Games for One'' * Coops, Helen L. ''100 Games of Solitaire'' *

Morehead, Albert H. Albert Hodges Morehead, Jr. (August 7, 1909 – October 5, 1966) was a writer for ''The New York Times'', a bridge player, a lexicographer, and an author and editor of reference works. Early years Morehead was born in Flintstone, Taylor County, ...

Mott-Smith, Geoffrey The Mott-Smith Trophy, named for writer and cryptographer Geoffrey Mott-Smith, is awarded to the player with the best overall individual performance in the Spring Nationals, the spring event of the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) North Amer ...

. ''The Complete Book of Solitaire & Patience Games'' * Moyse Jr, Alphonse. ''150 Ways to play Solitaire'' *

Parlett, David David Parlett (born 18 May 1939 in London) is a games scholar, historian, and translator from South London, who has studied both card games and board games. He is the president of the British Skat Association. His published works include many pop ...

. ''The Penguin Book of Patience'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Colorado (Game) Double-deck patience card games Planners (games)

Rules

Variations

See also

References