Winning Strategies for Three Online Card Games

Thanks to the internet and mobile apps, classic card games have seen something of a revival in recent years. Some online card games even offer you ways to earn money right from your phone.

Of course, that also means these games are as competitive as ever. To get an edge over the competition, here are some strategies that can help you win some of the most popular online card games.

Solitaire Cube

Solitaire Cube is the fast-paced, high stakes version of the classic card game, but that doesn’t mean time is against you. With money on the line and a ticking clock in the corner of your screen, it’s easy to feel rushed and try to run through the deck as quickly as possible.

Time is an asset in Solitaire Cube though, not an enemy. Five minutes may not seem like a lot of time, but it’s more than enough for you to remain composed and make deliberate decisions. Rushing is one of the worst things you can do, as even missing one card could cost you hundreds of points and the match as a result.

While you do get bonus points based on how much time you have remaining when the round ends, those points pale in comparison to what you can rack up if you pay close attention to each card. Resist your urge to rush and you’ll win more games in the long run. It’s still solitaire, after all, a notoriously slow-going game.

21 Blitz

This game combines solitaire and blackjack to create a unique experience, but that also means it can be difficult to get a feel for it at first. Much like Solitaire Cube, just because there’s a timer doesn’t mean you should feel the need to rush. The deck is small enough and the game is quick enough to ensure that you should never feel pressed for time.

21 Blitz is to work all four decks at one time. It can make the game a little more hectic, but unless you spread out your cards you’ll struggle to make it through a game without busting three times. While you may find yourself with no choice but to bust from time to time, keeping all your decks active at once limits how often you’ll have your back against the wall.

While it’s not quite a strategy, you should also brush up on your mental math. Simple addition never seems as hard as when you’re in a cash game and need to get to 21.

Hearts

Hearts is one of the most complicated, as well as most popular, online card games out there. Tactics and strategies will change from game to game as you work with different hands, but there are a few good ones to be aware of.

• Voiding: Also known as short-suiting, this strategy dictates that you should rid your hand of a particular suit as quickly as possible. That gives you the opportunity to play other suits when the suit you’ve voided is the trick, allowing you to rid yourself of worse cards more easily.
• Flushing: If you’re leading tricks early in the round, you can attempt to “flush” out the queen of spades by constantly leading with low spades. This strategy attempts to ensure that one of your opponents gets hit with the 13-point penalty associated with that card.
• Ducking: Ducking is a conservative strategy. You’re less likely to get hit with big penalties but probably won’t end up winning, just not losing. Basically, you avoid leading tricks by always playing a card lower than at least one other, but you may end up stuck with high cards toward the end of a hand. For instance, if you have the ace of spades you can’t duck it and may end up taking the queen of spades later.

Following these strategies won’t guarantee your success, but with some practice, they could put you ahead of the competition.

If you’re looking for ways to make money playing games like solitaire, check out our Classic Games that Pay to Play.