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Poker Solitaire
version 2.1
Copyright 1992 by Eduardo Martins
_______
____|__ | (r)
--| | |-------------------
| ____|__ | Association of
| | |_| Shareware
|__| o | Professionals
-----| | |---------------------
|___|___| MEMBER
INTRODUCTION
============
Poker Solitaire, sometimes called Poker Squares, is a solitaire
card game that rewards both lucky guessing and accurate
calculation of odds. Card games, by their very nature, are very
well suited for computer adaptations, since the computer can
take care of tedious tasks such as dealing the cards, keeping
track of legal moves, and score-keeping, leaving the player
free to concentrate on the game itself. After writing a set of
routines to draw high-resolution cards for use in my Klondike
program, I decided to explore other solitaire card games, and
as a result Poker Solitaire 1.1 was released on November 1988.
This is a major revision of the original Poker Solitaire
program. The graphics routines are better and faster, the user
interface is much more polished, and new variations and scoring
options have been included. While there are some IBM-PC
implementations of Poker Solitaire available both as public
domain or shareware programs, I feel that this is by far the
best one around. I hope you will enjoy Poker Solitaire 2.1, and
encourage the development of high-quality shareware programs by
sending the enclosed registration form and the $15 registration
fee. A little plug: if you enjoy solitaire games, chances are
you will like my other games, Klondike (current version as of
March 1992 is 3.1) and Pyramid (current version is 1.1). They can
be found on CompuServe, GEnie, or several Bulletin Board Systems.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
===================
Poker Solitaire 2.1 runs on an IBM-PC or compatible running
under MS-DOS 2.1 or greater, with at least 384 KBytes of memory
available and an EGA or VGA display adapter and monitor. A
Microsoft-compatible mouse is strongly recommended but not
required. If you want to use the mouse, the mouse driver
(usually called MOUSE.SYS or MOUSE.COM) must be installed
before you run Poker Solitaire; please refer to your mouse
documentation for instructions. Make sure that the files
POKER.EXE, POKER.GX and POKER.HLP are all on the current
directory. If you are running Poker Solitaire from a floppy
disk, make sure that the disk is not write-protected, since the
program writes configuration information and the high scores to
disk.
Poker Solitaire 2
POKER SOLITAIRE RULES
=====================
One regular pack is used. Shuffle the pack and deal the first
twenty-five cards one by one, placing them in a 5 x 5 square.
Each card may be placed anywhere within the square. Once
placed, a card cannot be moved. The object of the game is to
make as high a score as possible, counting each row and column
as a Poker hand. Two scoring systems, the American and the
English, are prevalent. The American system follows the ranking
of hands in the game of Poker, while the English system is
based on the relative difficulty of forming the hands in Poker
Solitaire.
Hand American English
Royal Flush 100 30
Straight Flush 75 30
Four of a Kind 50 16
Full House 25 10
Flush 20 5
Straight 15 12
Three of a Kind 10 6
Two Pairs 5 3
One Pair 2 1
A straight is hard to make, for if you play for it you risk
making nothing at all or merely a pair. A full house is easier
(and thus worth less points in the English scoring system), for
you can afford to play for it and make Three of a Kind or Two
Pairs if you fail. Flushes are very easy to make (note that
they are worth less than Three of a Kind in the English
system). The usual strategy is to try for flushes in the
columns and full houses or fours on the rows. You may consider
that you have won the game if you total 200 (American) or 70
(English) points.
Variations
----------
There are two popular variations, both of them included in
Poker Solitaire 2.1. On Variation No. 1, each card must be
placed vertically, laterally or diagonally adjacent to a card
previously placed. On Variation No. 2, all 25 cards are spread
face up and then placed on the grid. Each variation can be
played using either the American or English scoring system,
thus making for six different games! Variation No. 1 is
obviously the hardest of the three possible modes, since it
places a restriction on where you can put the cards, while
Variation No. 2 is the easiest, since you know beforehand all
25 cards you will be using.
Poker Solitaire 3
GAME PLAY - MOUSE
=================
The standard game and Variation No. 1 are played much in the
same way, except that on the standard game you can place a card
on any empty square on the grid, while on Variation No. 1 a
card must be placed on a square adjacent to a previously placed
card. Variation No. 2 plays a bit differently, and will be
dealt with separately.
Standard Game and Variation No. 1
---------------------------------
To turn a card face up, either place the mouse cursor over it
and press the left mouse button, or simply press the right
mouse button. Using the right mouse button has the advantage
that you do not have to place the cursor over the card, thus
avoiding moving back and forth between the 5 x 5 grid and the
Pack area.
Once a card has been turned up, place it on the grid by placing
the mouse cursor where you want to put it, and then pressing
the left mouse button. Note that when you place the mouse
cursor anywhere within the grid it changes from the standard
arrow shape either to a pointing hand (if the top card of the
Pack is face up) or to an hour glass (to indicate that the top
card of the Pack is face down and you must first turn it face up).
The following commands are available during play, and can be
issued by placing the mouse cursor over the corresponding
'command button' (on the lower right hand corner of the screen)
and pressing the left mouse button:
HELP: displays a help file. Use the cursor keys (Up and
Down arrows, Page Up, Page Down, Home, and End) to move
around the file, and press the [Escape] key when you are
done viewing it.
INFO: displays Copyright and Version information, and
your registration number if you have a registered copy.
Press any mouse button to return to the game after you
are done viewing the information.
UNDO: moves the last card placed on the grid back to the
Pack. Undo can only be used immediately after you place
the card on the grid; if you turn the top card of the
Pack face up Undo cannot be used anymore.
BACK: allows you to choose from five different card
backs. Choose the design you want by placing the mouse
cursor over it and pressing the left mouse button, and
press the right mouse button when done. The currently
selected card number is highlighted in light blue.
Poker Solitaire 4
VARIAT: allows you to select which variation you want to
play. Choose the variation by placing the mouse cursor
over the number you want and pressing the left mouse
button. Press the right mouse button when done. The
currently selected variation is highlighted.
TOP 10: displays the Top Ten scores. Note that there are
six different Top Ten lists, one for each variation/
scoring system combination. Press any mouse button to get
back to the game after you are done viewing the Top Ten
scores.
SCORING: allows you to select the desired scoring system,
American or English. Select by placing the mouse cursor
over the system you want and pressing the left mouse
button. Press the right mouse button when done. The
currently selected scoring system is highlighted.
CONFIG: brings up the Configuration menu. This allows you
to customize your copy of Poker Solitaire. The first
option, 'Mouse', can be set to 'Yes' (always use the
mouse; this option is ignored if a mouse driver is not
found when you start Poker Solitaire), 'No' (always use
the keyboard, even if a mouse driver is present), or
'Ask' (if a mouse driver is found, asks at the beginning
of each game whether or not you want to use the mouse).
The second option, 'Sound', can be set to 'Full' (songs
and beeps are enabled), 'Partial' (songs disabled, but
error beeps enabled), or 'Off' (both songs and beeps
disabled). Finally, the third option, 'Error Messages',
can be set to 'Yes' (displays a context-sensitive error
message each time an error occurs), or 'No' (does not
display the error messages, errors are indicated by beeps
if Sound is either Full or Partial). To select an option,
place the mouse cursor over it and press the left mouse
button. Currently selected options are highlighted. Press
the right mouse button when done. If you are playing from
a floppy-disk, do NOT write-protect the disk, otherwise
Config will not be able to write the configuration
information.
NEW: interrupts the current game and starts a new one.
You are asked to confirm by selecting either 'Yes' or
'No' from a dialog box. Use the left mouse button to
enter your selection.
QUIT: quits Poker Solitaire. You are asked to confirm by
selecting either 'Yes' or 'No' from a dialog box. Use the
left mouse button to enter your selection.
Poker Solitaire 5
Variation No. 2
---------------
Under Variation No. 2, the first 25 cards from the Pack are
placed randomly on the 5 x 5 grid. Your objective is to
re-arrange the cards in order to score the highest possible
number of points. Use the Pack area as a temporary holding
place. For example, to move the card that is currently at
location (1,1) on the grid to location (3,5), first select the
card at (3,5), move it to the Pack, and then select the card at
(1,1) and move it to (3,5). To select a card to be moved, place
the mouse cursor over it and press the left mouse button. The
selected card will be highlighted. To move the selected card,
place the mouse cursor over the location where you want to move
the card to and press the left mouse button again. If you
select a card and decide not to move it, place the mouse cursor
over it and press the left mouse button, and the card will be
de-selected. Note that the right mouse button automatically
selects the card that is temporarily on the Pack area. So, if
you want to select that card, simply press the right mouse
button, without having to place the mouse cursor over the card.
If you want to move a card to the Pack area, select that card
and then press the right mouse button. This allows you to stay
within the grid area all the time, instead of moving back and
forth between the grid and Pack areas.
All commands work as described before, except for UNDO. Since
you can select any card and place it anywhere on the grid,
there is no need for an UNDO command. In its place is the DONE
command. Select DONE when you are satisfied with the way the
cards are arranged on the grid, and the computer will calculate
your score.
Poker Solitaire 6
GAME PLAY - KEYBOARD
====================
The standard game and Variation No. 1 are played much in the
same way, except that on the standard game you can place a card
on any empty square on the grid, while on Variation No. 1 a
card must be placed on a square adjacent to a previously placed
card. Variation No. 2 plays a bit differently, and will be
dealt with separately.
Note that the NumLock option is automatically turned on when
you play using the keyboard. You can then use the numeric
keypad to play. Use 1 - 5 to indicate the row and column
numbers, and 0 to indicate the pack.
Standard Game and Variation No. 1
---------------------------------
To turn the top card of the Pack face up, type 'P' (for Pack).
Once a card has been turned up, place it on the grid by first
typing the row number (1 to 5) and then the column number
(again 1 to 5). The card will then be placed on the desired
location. If you type the wrong row number, press the [Escape]
key to cancel it and start over again.
The following commands are available during play, and can be
issued by typing the highlighted letter from the corresponding
'command button' (on the lower right hand corner of the screen):
HELP: displays a help file. Use the cursor keys (Up and
Down arrows, Page Up, Page Down, Home, and End) to move
around the file, and press the [Escape] key when you are
done viewing it.
INFO: displays Copyright and Version information, and
your registration number if you have a registered copy.
Press any key to return to the game after you are done
viewing the information.
UNDO: moves the last card placed on the grid back to the
Pack. Undo can only be used immediately after you place
the card on the grid; if you turn the top card of the
Pack face up Undo cannot be used anymore.
BACK: allows you to choose from five different card
backs. Choose the design you want by pressing the
corresponding number, and press the [Enter] key when
done. The currently selected card number is highlighted
in light blue.
Poker Solitaire 7
VARIAT: allows you to select which variation you want to
play. Choose the variation by typing the corresponding
number, and press the [Enter] key when done. The
currently selected variation is highlighted.
TOP 10: displays the Top Ten scores. Note that there are
six different Top Ten lists, one for each variation/
scoring system combination. Press any key to get back
to the game after you are done viewing the Top Ten
scores.
SCORING: allows you to select the desired scoring system,
American or English. Select by pressing 'A' for American
or 'E' for English, and press the [Enter] key when done.
The currently selected scoring system is highlighted,
CONFIG: brings up the Configuration menu. This allows you
to customize your copy of Poker Solitaire. The first
option, 'Mouse', can be set to 'Yes' (always use the
mouse; this option is ignored if a mouse driver is not
found when you start Poker Solitaire), 'No' (always use
the keyboard, even if a mouse driver is present), or
'Ask' (if a mouse driver is found, asks at the beginning
of each game whether or not you want to use the mouse).
The second option, 'Sound', can be set to 'Full' (songs
and beeps are enabled), 'Partial' (songs disabled, but
error beeps enabled), or 'Off' (both songs and beeps
disabled). Finally, the third option, 'Error Messages',
can be set to 'Yes' (displays a context-sensitive error
message each time an error occurs), or 'No' (does not
display the error messages, errors are indicated by beeps
if Sound is either Full or Partial). You will be prompted
to enter the desired option for Mouse, Sound and Error
Messages, in that order. Press either 'Y', 'N' or 'A' for
Mouse; 'F', 'P' or 'O' for Sound; and 'Y' or 'N' for
Error Messages. Press the [Enter] key after selecting
each one. Currently selected options are highlighted.
If you are playing from a floppy-disk, do NOT write-protect
the disk, otherwise Config will not be able to write the
configuration information.
NEW: interrupts the current game and starts a new one.
You are asked to confirm by selecting either 'Yes' or
'No' from a dialog box. Type either 'Y' or 'N' to enter
your selection.
QUIT: quits Poker Solitaire. You are asked to confirm by
selecting either 'Yes' or 'No' from a dialog box. Type
either 'Y' or 'N' to enter your selection.
Poker Solitaire 8
Variation No. 2
---------------
Under Variation No. 2, the first 25 cards from the Pack are
placed randomly on the 5 x 5 grid. Your objective is to
re-arrange the cards in order to score the highest possible
number of points. Use the Pack area as a temporary holding
place. For example, to move the card that is currently at
location (1,1) on the grid to location (3,5), first select the
card at (3,5), move it to the Pack, and then select the card at
(1,1) and move it to (3,5). To select a card to be moved, first
type the row and then the column number of the card you want to
select. The selected card will be highlighted. To move the
selected card, first press the row and then the column number
of the location where you want to move the card to. If you
select a card and decide not to move it, select it again and
the card will be de-selected.
All commands work as described before, except for UNDO. Since
you can select any card and place it anywhere on the grid,
there is no need for an UNDO command. In its place is the DONE
command. Select DONE when you are satisfied with the way the
cards are arranged on the grid, and the computer will calculate
your score.
REGISTRATION
============
You are granted a license to try this program for a period of
21 days. If you continue to use this program after the trial
period is over, you must register by sending the registration
form and $15 + $5 shipping and handling to
EM Software
Station A, P.O. Box 2052
Champaign, IL 61825-2052
When you register Poker Solitaire, you receive a diskette with
the latest version, a printed manual, and a registration
number and instructions on how to store it into your copy. This
number will then be displayed instead of the 'Unregistered
Evaluation Copy' message on the opening screen and on the Info
window, and the Shareware screen that is displayed after you
quit the game will be supressed. Note that these are the ONLY
differences between registered and unregistered copies; your
evaluation copy is fully functional, not 'crippleware'.
Poker Solitaire 9
COMMAND-LINE OPTIONS
====================
The following command-line options can be specified when you
load Poker Solitaire:
-mouse selects the mouse as the input device. This
option is ignored if a mouse driver is not
found when you load Poker Solitaire.
-nomouse selects the keyboard as the input device.
-ask asks whether or not you want to use the mouse.
This option is ignored if a mouse driver is not
found when you load Poker Solitaire. [Default]
-fullsound turns full sound (both songs and error beeps)
on. [Default]
-partsound turns partial sound (error beeps, but no songs)
on.
-nosound turns both songs and error beeps off.
-english selects the English scoring system. [Default]
-american selects the American scoring system.
-var[n] selects Variation [n], where [n] is a number
from 0 to 2. [Default is -var0]
-back[n] selects card back [n], where [n] is a number
from 1 to 5. [Default is -back1]
-errormsgon turns error messages on. [Default]
-errormsgoff turns error messages off.
Note that the command-line switches have precedence over the
settings selected through the Config command. So, if you have
Poker Solitaire currently configured to use card back 2 and the
american scoring system, but you load it as
poker -back5 -english
card back 5 and the english scoring system will be used.
Poker Solitaire 10
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
================
Poker Solitaire was developed using Borland's Turbo Pascal 5.0,
Turbo Power Software's Turbo Professional 5.0, and Genus
Microcomputing's PCX Programmer's Toolkit and PCX Effects.
I wish to thank everybody at CompuServe's Borland Forum. Their
help and support has been invaluable. I also wish to thank the
following individuals:
- Neil Rubenking, author of PianoMan, used to add the songs,
- Scott Bussinger, author of the BackPlay unit, used to play
the PianoMan tunes in the background,
- Tim Godfrey, author of the GRAFTEXT unit, used for the
extremely fast graphics-mode screen writes,
- and, last but not least, Mael Martins, for the countless
hours of beta-testing and for putting up with me whenever I
get into the 'hack' mode.
POKER SOLITAIRE FILES
=====================
The following files should be present on the Poker Solitaire
2.1 diskette/archive:
POKER.EXE Executable file
POKER.GX High-resolution images
POKER.HLP On-line Help file
POKER.DOC This file
PKS_READ.ME! General information file
ORDER.FRM Registration form
If your copy does not contain all files listed above, you can
get a fresh copy on CompuServe (PSOL21.EXE on IBMNEW Lib 8),
GEnie (PKRSOL21.LZH on the IBM-PC RoundTable), or on Bulletin
Board Systems all over the U.S.
Poker Solitaire 11
ABOUT SHAREWARE
===============
(Definition supplied by the Association of Shareware
Professionals)
Shareware distribution gives users a chance to try software
before buying it. If you try a Shareware program and continue
using it, you are expected to register. Individual programs
differ on details -- some request registration while others
require it, some specify a maximum trial period. With
registration, you get anything from the simple right to
continue using the software to an updated program with a
printed manual.
Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software,
and the copyright holder retains all rights, with a few
specific exceptions as stated below. Shareware authors are
accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the
programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are
good programs and bad ones!) The main difference is in the
method of distribution. The author specifically grants the
right to copy and distribute the software, either to all and
sundry or to a specific group. For example, some authors
require written permission before a commercial disk vendor may
copy their Shareware.
So, Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software.
You should find software that suits your needs and pocketbook,
whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system
makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you
buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also.
Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee -- if you don't
use the product, you don't pay for it.
* * * * * *
This program is produced by a member of the Association of
Shareware Professionals (ASP). ASP wants to make sure that the
shareware principle works for you. If you are unable to resolve
a shareware-related problem with an ASP member by contacting
the member directly, ASP may be able to help. The ASP Ombudsman
can help you resolve a dispute or problem with an ASP member,
but does not provide technical support for members' products.
Please write to the ASP Ombudsman at 545 Grover Road, Muskegon,
MI 49442-9427 or send a Compuserve message via CMAIL to ASP
Ombudsman 70007,3536.