A famous casino is responsible for the invention of a very popular solitaire game. Mr. Canfield, who owned a casino in Saratoga, invented a game where one would purchase a deck of cards for $52 and obtain $5 for every card played to the foundations. He gained an average of $25 per game, however, each game required a dealer of sorts to watch the player, so the profit was not as high as one might think.

The actual name of this popular game was Klondike, but the name Canfield has stuck and is almost as commonly used as the word patience. Due to its difficulty to win, the time needed to play and the lack of choices along the way, Klondike has lost some popularity to other popular solitaire games. Today most people refer to Klondike as simply Solitaire.

Both solitaires and reasons why people enjoy playing with these patchworks of cards have, of course, changed since the old times the solitaires appeared. In the contemporary world, we sometimes need a break from an everyday hustle and tedious treadmill. Solving solitaires is not only a way of time-killing distraction; it is also a sure way to relax after work. Long winter nights, it helped Jack London's characters to amuse their leisure. A great musician, Nicolo Paganini was also in favor of solving solitaires; his best-liked solitaire was later called after his name.

A good solitaire not only helps you relax and kill time; it is a great mental gymnastic as well. This is why solitaires were appealing  to mathematicians like Martin Gardner and Donald Knut. As his  contemporaries witnessed, Prince Matt

ernich, an eminent 19-century diplomat, used to sit and ponder over knotty solitaires before starting most difficult negotiations.

Today most people refer to Klondike as simply 'Solitaire'. Due to its difficulty to win, the time needed to play and the lack of choices along the way, Klondike has lost some popularity to other popular solitaire games.

When we think of solitaire games today, many people would immediately think of the digital versions for computers, for example solitaire for mac and solitaire games for PC, however, there are still millions of people that play the "old-fashion way" with a standard deck of cards, perhaps much like the deck of cards Napoleon played with nearly 200 years ago.