Frog (also known as Toad) is an old French patience or solitaire card game which is played with two decks of playing cards. It belongs to the same family of solitaire games as Strategy, Sir Tommy, Calculation, and Puss in the Corner. Game-play is like Sir Tommy, but with two decks, a fifth waste pile, and a Canfield-like reserve (referred to as the 'Frog'). In its native France it is known as Le Crapaud ("The Toad").
It is one of the few solitaire games that relies almost entirely on skill. [1]
Thirteen cards are dealt face up to become the reserve, also known as the "Frog." Any aces that are about to be dealt are separated and placed in the foundations; they are not counted in the reserve count. Once the reserve is formed, it is then squared up (i. e. arranged to become one neat pile) and placed on the tableau face up. The aces that are separated in making the reserve are placed next to the reserve. In case there is no ace segregated in making the reserve, an ace is removed from the stock to become the first foundation.
The foundations are built up regardless of suit up to kings. The aces already in the foundations can be built immediately while any ace that becomes available in the game is placed in the foundations.
The cards are dealt one at a time onto one of five wastepiles. It is the player's discretion where each pile is placed as long as it is placed in one of only five wastepiles. The top cards of each wastepile is available for play to the foundations. The same goes for the top card of the reserve. However, once a card is in a wastepile, it stays there until it can be built on the foundations. Also, there is no redeal.
The game ends long after the stock runs out. The game is won when all cards are built in the foundations.
As in the other games mentioned above, it is a good idea to reserve a wastepile for both kings and queens and to build downwards whenever possible in order to win.
Fly is a solitaire card game which is played the same way as Frog. The difference is that the Aces are removed and placed in the foundations before the game begins. In this game, the reserve is called the "Fly."
Musical is a patience or card solitaire using a single deck of 52 playing cards. It is similar to another old game called Calculation except there is no tableau to play in and there is only one wastepile rather than four.
Royal Cotillion is a solitaire card game which uses two decks of 52 playing cards each. The name probably derives from the fact that since the two kings and two queens of the same suit, the king and queen of each suit dance the cotillion. It has been given the alternate name of Lords and Ladies because if the game is won, the final layout will show the king and queen of each suit together.
Congress is a patience or solitaire card game using two decks of 52 playing cards each. It is a simple but strategic game which requires skill and careful choosing for it to be completed successfully. It is closely related to Forty Thieves but with eight instead of ten columns. It is sometimes called President's Cabinet, and can typically be completed successfully less than once in 20 games.
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 same family of card-building games as Calculation and Strategy. It is also known as Try Again and Numerica.
Crazy Quilt is a solitaire card game using two decks of 52 playing cards each. The game is so-called because the reserve resembles the weaves of a carpet or an arrangement of a quilt, with cards alternating vertical and horizontal rotations. The arrangement of the cards on the reserve is also the reason it is rarely seen on computer solitaire packages, most of which have their cards placed vertically.
Eagle Wing is a Patience game which is played with a deck of 52 playing cards. The game takes its name from the tableau which depicts an eagle-like bird spreading its wings in flight. It is somewhat related to the Canfield variant Storehouse.
Red and Black is a patience or card solitaire which uses two decks of playing cards. The game is so called because all building is done in alternating colors of red and black. It is not related to another similarly named solitaire game of Rouge et Noir, although Red and Black can also be known under that name. It is part of the Napoleon at St Helena family of patiences and solitaires.
Duchess or Glenwood is a patience or solitaire card game which uses a deck of 52 playing cards. It has all four typical features of a traditional patience or solitaire game: a tableau, a reserve, a stock or talon and a wastepile. It is relatively easy to get out. It is a reserved packer, the same type of game as Canfield or Demon. Arnold describes it as "an interesting game with a fair chance of a favourable outcome."
Colorado is a solitaire card game which is played using two decks of playing cards. It is a game of card building which belongs to the same family as games like Sir Tommy, Strategy, and Calculation. It is considered an easy game with 80% odds of being completed successfully.
Alhambra is a solitaire card game which is played using two decks of playing cards. Its unusual feature is akin to that of Crazy Quilt: the cards in the reserve are built either on the foundations or on a waste pile.
Odd and Even is a solitaire card game which is played with two decks of playing cards. It is so called because the building is done in twos, resulting in odd and even numbers.
Grand Duchess is a solitaire card game which is played with two decks of playing cards. It is a two deck game in the Sir Tommy family. One unique feature of this game is the building of the reserve, which is not used until the entire stock runs out.
The Plot is a Patience game which is played with two decks of playing cards.
Four Seasons is a patience or card solitaire which is played with a single deck of playing cards. It is also known as Corner Card and Vanishing Cross, due to the arrangement of the foundations and the tableau respectively. Another alternate name is Cross Currents.
Patriarchs is a patience or card solitaire which is played with two packs of playing cards. It is similar in reserve layout to Odd and Even but with different rules of play.
Contradance is a solitaire card game which is played with two decks of playing cards. It is probably so called because when the game is won, it shows the king and the queen of each suit about to do a dance, the cotillion being a country dance from the 18th century.
Zodiac is a solitaire card game which is played with two decks of playing cards shuffled together. An old game, it first appeared in Lady Adelaide Cadogan's book Illustrated Games of Patience. It is so-named probably because of its "globe"-shaped layout. It had many variations until its rules were standardized in 1914.
Gate is a solitaire card game played using a deck of 52 playing cards, and is a member of the Canfield family. It gets its name because the cards are laid out in such a way that they form a gate. Average players can expect to win 99% of their games.
Jubilee is the name given to two solitaire card games, both played with two decks of playing cards. Both games are so-called because they were created during the time of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. One of the games has an ornate layout, while the other is simpler and it belongs to the family of games which include Sir Tommy, Strategy, and Calculation.
Following is a solitaire card game which uses a deck of playing cards. It is so called because a player has to follow a rotation of suits. It was first described in the book Games of Patience and has since seen appeared in other books and solitaire software.