Type: Solitaire, Wish variant
Number of players: 1
Difficulty: Very easy
Luck: High
Number of cards: A single deck, no Jokers
Aces High is an addictive, easy to learn solitaire card game. It requires minimal room to play, so it is possible to play on a binder, notebook, or similar surface placed on your lap. I've played this game in the car (I wasn't driving; don't worry) and on the bus...
Anyway, this game is played with the typical 52-card deck, or all the cards sans the two Jokers. After shuffling the deck, lay out the cards, face up and one at a time, in four columns, like so:
/=====\ /=====\ /=====\ /=====\
/=====\ /=====\ /=====\ /=====\
/=====\ /=====\ /=====\ /=====\
| 2 | | 4 | | A | | 9 |
| ♥ | | ♠ | | ♥ | | ♦ |
| 2 | | 4| | A | | 9 |
\-----/ \-----/ \-----/ \-----/
The entire point of the game is to remove all of the cards except for the four Aces. Aces, as the name implies, are the "high" cards, meaning the value of the cards ranges from Two, Three, Four ... Queen, King, Ace. The top cards of each column are considered "in play".
Now, let's look at the cards in play. There are two Hearts cards, the Two and the Ace. There is a Four of Clubs and a Nine of Diamonds as well. In order to remove cards, there has to be a higher one of the same suit. Therefore, the Two can be removed:
/=====\ /=====\ /=====\ /=====\
/=====\ /=====\ /=====\ /=====\
| Q | /=====\ /=====\ /=====\
| ♦ | | 4 | | A | | 9 |
| Q | | ♠ | | ♥ | | ♦ |
\-----/ | 4| | A | | 9 |
\-----/ \-----/ \-----/
Now look: there are now two Diamonds cards, the Queen and the Nine. The Nine of Diamonds can be removed.
If a column is entirely eliminated, the top card from another column can be placed there:
Before:
/=====\ /=====\ /=====\
/=====\ /=====\ /=====\
| Q | /=====\ /=====\
| ♦ | | 4 | | 9 |
| Q | | ♠ | | ♦ |
\-----/ | 4| | 9 |
\-----/ \-----/
After:
/=====\ /=====\ /=====\ /=====\
/=====\ /=====\ | 9 | /=====\
| Q | /=====\ | ♦ | | 4 |
| ♦ | | 4 | | 9 | | ♣ |
| Q | | ♠ | \-----/ | 4 |
\-----/ | 4| \-----/
\-----/
It's, unfortunately, fairly easy to get stuck:
/=====\ /=====\ /=====\ /=====\
/=====\ /=====\ | J | /=====\
| Q | /=====\ | ♦ | | Q |
| ♠ | | A | | J | | ♥ |
| Q | | ♣ | \-----/ | Q |
\-----/ | A| \-----/
\-----/
Such is the luck of the draw. I would place the odds of winning at 1-in-4, although you may find better odds.