On Podium, every player plays exactly the same game. Same deal, same cards, same conditions. There’s nothing to hope for from a good hand: what separates you from the podium is only how you play the game everyone else received.
And that can be measured. Solitaire on Podium awards points action by action, with a published scoring table. Knowing it changes how you approach a game entirely.
The scoring table first
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Completing a full foundation | +500 |
| Placing a card on its foundation | +100 |
| Turning over a face-down card | +75 |
| Playing a card from the stock onto the tableau | +50 |
| Emptying a column | +50 |
| Using a hint | −70 |
| Cycling the stock without playing | −50, then −25 more each time |
A game lasts 4 minutes, so 240 seconds. On top of that comes a time bonus on the time remaining: +20 points per second if you complete all four foundations, against +10 points per second if the game ends because no move is left.
1. Every move should turn a card over
Turning over a face-down card is worth 75 points, one and a half times a foundation placement. It’s the most profitable action in the game after the foundations themselves.
But its value isn’t only arithmetic: a card turned over opens up new moves. A card left face down blocks an entire column.
The habit to build: before every move, ask whether it reveals anything. Tidying two visible cards onto each other earns nothing and costs time.
2. Finishing the game is literally worth double
This is what most players miss. The time bonus goes from 10 to 20 points per second depending on whether you finish or get stuck.
Take a concrete case. You finish in two minutes: 120 seconds remain, so 2,400 bonus points. Get stuck at the same moment, with those same 120 seconds on the clock, and they’re worth only 1,200.
The gap is 1,200 points — the equivalent of sixteen cards turned over — plus the 500 points of the final foundation completed. Across 240 seconds of play, that’s the heaviest source of points after the foundations themselves.
3. Never cycle the stock “just to look”
This is the most treacherous penalty, because it escalates. The first empty pass costs 50 points, the next 75, then 100, and so on.
Three unproductive passes and you’ve wiped out 225 points — three cards turned over. Cycle the stock when you know what you’re looking for and you have somewhere to put it.
4. Forget the hints
A hint costs 70 points, almost as much as turning over a card earns. In a tight game, two hints are enough to keep you out of the top three.
If you need hints, use them in practice mode, where they cost you nothing in the ranking.
5. Emptying a column only helps if you can fill it
An empty column earns 50 points and takes any card or pile. It’s a powerful tool — provided you have something to put in it.
Emptying a column with no plan means taking 50 points and losing a manoeuvring space. Identify the pile you want to move first, then empty the column.
6. Decide before you touch the screen
Because the time remaining converts into points, every second of hesitation costs you 20 points once you’re on track to finish. Ten seconds of thinking scattered across a game, and 200 points disappear — without counting the margin you lose to close out the foundations.
The best players don’t play faster — they hesitate less. They read the board while their hand is still, then run three or four already-planned moves in a row.
A simple order of priority
When several moves are available, in this order:
- The move that completes a full foundation
- The move that turns over a face-down card
- The move that places a card on a foundation without blocking the board
- The move that sets up one of the three above
Everything else waits.
Where to practise
Practice mode is free and unlimited. That’s where these habits need to become automatic, because in a tournament you won’t have time to think about the scoring table.
And that’s precisely what sets this Solitaire apart from a game of chance. Since the deal is identical for everyone and no draw is involved, every hour of practice converts into points. Zero chance, 100 % talent.
To discover the tournaments: Solitaire on Podium Games. And if you’re starting out, 20 € of free credit lets you try without putting up money.
