There's plenty to love about solitaire, that's why we have a whole website dedicated to it. It's the perfect game to sit down on your own and challenge your brain to a workout. Whilst we've got hundreds of different varieties to play, sometimes it's nice to shake things up a bit. So, if you're looking for a change in your card-playing schedule, we've got some suggestions for new card games to add to your repertoire. This is our guide to three new card games that solitaire players are guaranteed to love.

Blackjack

Blackjack is a brilliant choice for players who are fans of solitaire. It's easy to find online games, in fact, Joe Fortune Online Casino offers eight different variations of the game, meaning you'll never run out of new ways to test your skills. As well as this convenience, it's also a fast-paced game played with standard decks of cards, sometimes as many as eight at once. Blackjack provides a nice way to branch out your skills and learn about a whole new game strategy whilst improving your mental arithmetic at the same time. To get started playing blackjack, you can forget about memorizing the strategy for a while and instead focus on how the order of play works.

To begin with, everybody will place their bets, and the dealer will give everybody two cards, face down, into their hand. The aim of the game is to create a total as close to 21 as possible without going bust, that is, over 21. Turn your cards to look at them without showing anybody else, and see where you're standing. If you've got a couple of 10s, for example, then you're in a strong position, whereas a total of 16 or 17 makes your position a little more difficult.

Once you've decided what you want to do next, you're given the option to increase your bet, take another card, or stick on the cards that you already have. If you choose another card, then the dealer will give you another face-down to add to your hand. If you're still under the 21 limits, you can ask for a further card, but be careful not to go bust. When all of the players are content with their hands, the dealer will reveal their own cards and see if anyone has beaten them. If they have, then their bet will be paid out, and another round will commence.

Once you've played your first few rounds of blackjack, you could start studying the optimum strategy blackjack table. This helps to ensure the house edge is kept as low as possible, sometimes as low as 0.5%. If you're playing online, then it's easy to implement this strategy by having a tab open with the table next to the tab that you're playing on. This way if you forget your strategy, you can refer back to the table easily.

Devil's Grip

One of the reasons people love playing solitaire is that you can play on your own, meaning you can keep yourself occupied even when your friends are busy. Another game that's perfect for the solo player is Devil's Grip. This game is perhaps the least well-known on the list, but it's great fun and works in quite a similar way to solitaire. To begin with, you'll need two standard decks with all of the aces removed. Shuffle the decks together and deal yourself three rows of eight cards each, all face-up. The remainder of the cards will act as your stockpile, very similar to solitaire.

Once you're all set up, you need to work out how to stack your cards in a specific order, which is as follows. The top row should be 2, 5, 8, and Jack, the middle row, 3, 6, 9, and Queen, the bottom row, 4, 7, 10, and King. You begin by moving any of the cards that are 2, 3, or 4 to the correct row and then stack the cards by suit wherever they fit. Once you run out of cards, you pull three at a time from the stockpile until you've completed the game.

Poker

Our final selection is poker. This game is incredibly popular both online and off, so it's easy to start playing. You can head down to your local card club or see if there's a casino near you that offers poker. Of course, if you'd rather play from home, then there are countless websites that offer poker, both for free and for those who want to place a bet. There are a whole host of variations of this game, but Texas Hold'em is the most popular.

This variety involves making the best hand possible by using cards from your own hand, as well as community cards. You can bluff your way to victory or play to the best of your abilities with the cards that you've got. Learning this one takes a little time, but it can be seriously rewarding, especially when you get to the tournament level of play.