Poker Squares is an unusual solitaire. Unlike most solitaires, where you're working with a full deck, and have the task of re-arranging the cards into some preset order, in Poker Squares you're given half a deck, and the object is to put them in the best order, using standard poker hands such as three of a kind, full house, etc. The better the poker hands you can create, the better your score!
Poker Squares is a standard solitaire, described in numerous solitaire reference books. I originally wrote a version of this game way back in 1988, when I first started writing computer games. The original version ran in DOS text mode, and was a modest success. Version 1.28 is still available (as freeware) from this web site, with source. If you're interested, check it out.
I wrote the current version of Poker Squares because I've always considered it a fun little game, and I wanted to be able to play it as a native Windows application.
The current version is v2.05, released 10/12/1997.
Note: There is also a 32-bit Windows version of Poker Squares available in Poker Solitaire Pack.
Download
The following file contains the Poker Squares installation program. Simply click on the link to download it to your computer, then run it to begin installation of the game.
License
Poker Squares Solitaire was originally released as shareware, meaning that you could try it for free, and purchase it if you enjoyed the game. Now, I wish to make the game completely free, with no payment required.
However, I no longer have the development tools necessary to rebuild the application and remove the registration reminder notification. So, when you run the game for the first time, it will tell you that it's shareware, and will ask for a registration code.
Therefore, I am providing the registration code for free. Just enter "" when the program asks.
This free game is provided as-is, with no additional support available. Enjoy!
Rules
For complete rules to the game, as well as suggested strategy, and odds for winning, visit the Poker Squares Rules page.
Requirements
Poker Squares requires Windows 3.1 or later and VBRUN300.DLL. VGA (640x480) graphics is required; SVGA (800x600) is recommended. A sound card is optional but recommended.
Note: This game was designed for Windows 3.1. This program may or may not run under the version of Windows on your computer.
Poker Squares FAQ
- What's the difference between "American" and "English" scoring?
- The American system is based on the odds of forming the hands in regular poker, while the English system is based on the likelihood of forming the hands in Poker Squares. Refer to the "Poker Square Scoring Options" topic in the help file, or bring up the "Hand Values" window to display the scores as you play.
- Can I change the sound effects?
- You can turn them on or off, but that's it. I may add the ability to let you select custom sounds in a future version, if anyone is interested ...
- How can I change the background music?
- The background music is in MIDI format (file extension = ".MID"). You can find MIDI files on the web (Standard MIDI Files on the Net) or on the newsgroup alt.binaries.sounds.midi. Copy the file(s) into the Poker Squares directory, select "Sound ..." from the "Options" menu, and click on the drop-down list box next to "Background Music" and pick a new file.
- What language was Poker Squares written in?
- It was originally written for Microsoft Visual Basic Professional, version 2.0; it currently uses VB3. David Baldwin's RTFGEN was used to create the help file. The card designs are from Chris Howard's book "Programming Games for Beginners".
