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NOT ONLINE Sholly73

Sholly73 has been a member since 11/9/05 and was last logged in on 10/2/18

SHOLLY'S TIP SHEETS, CHAPTER X: Top Ace 11/19/07 6:17 PM

I'm aware of many different solitaire games, but Aces Up, which is the game played in Top Ace, is unfamiliar to me. If I've seen it before, I don't remember it. This game can be totally frustrating, yet completely addictive. Proceed at your own risk!

In Top Ace, the objective is to move the four Aces to the top (duh) of the four stacks. You do this by eliminating lower cards of the same suit, until (hopefully) you have just the Aces left, standing proudly at the top of the board. If you do this successfully in two rounds, you'll get to play a third, which will significantly raise your score.

Let's talk about how this simple little game works:

You start each round with a row of four cards. If any suit appears more than once among these cards, you can click on the lower-ranking card to remove it. You can move a card to an empty column by clicking the card, then the empty space. You can also move a card to the sports bag by clicking the card, then the bag. The bag holds up to four cards. Note that only the top card (in terms of overlapping, not the highest on the screen) is playable in each stack, and in the bag. When you're done making moves, click on the deck to deal another row of cards on top of the four stacks. Oh, and one more thing: When an Ace hits an empty column, it locks into place, and can't be moved for the rest of the round. Aces can, however, still be "bagged" just like any other card, though of course they can't be removed, being the highest-ranked card.

Continue this process until either your four stacks are all headed by Aces, you run out of time, or you play out the whole deck. If you get the Aces Up, you'll get bonus points, and if you do it in both of the first two rounds, you'll get to play a third one.

Let's talk about the scoring:

Each card removed is worth 10 points times its face value; in other words, removing an 8 will get you 80 points. Jacks are worth 110, Queens 120, and Kings 130. There is no score for locking in an Ace.

If you get the Aces Up, you receive bonus points as follows:
Deck Bonus: 100 for each undealt card remaining
Bag Bonus: 250 for each empty spot remaining in the bag
Time Bonus: 500x(percentage of time remaining in the round)

Note that some games have higher maximum possible scores than others; the maximum for the round is entirely dependent on when the Aces appear. The theoretical maximum possible score in this game is 18,900, if all four Aces were the first cards dealt in each round: (4800 card bonus + 1000 bag bonus + 500 time bonus) x 3 rounds. However, if one or more Aces don't appear until the very last cards are dealt, there's no way to get any card bonus in that round, and so the maximum is much lower. The point is to concentrate not on the number of points you're scoring, but on whether or not you're finishing each round perfectly. More on that in a bit.

Now, let's talk about how you win this silly little game:

It's all about clearing each round perfectly. A Perfect Clear looks like this: No cards dealt after the fourth Ace appears, no cards other than the four Aces remaining on the board, and an empty bag. If you do this, you'll score the maximum possible for the cards on that board, leaving time as the only variable. If you clear all three rounds perfectly, you have an excellent chance of winning your game.

As there is no Undo button, you must click carefully, and plan ahead before you click. You should be familiar with all the different ways the cards can stack up, and how to untangle them without leaving any stuck in the bag. I'll cover as many card positions as I can think of here, and may have to update this Tip Sheet as I think of more.

First off, you should always click off any cards you can remove without moving any cards. There is no advantage to leaving a card on the board when you can remove it without disturbing anything else.

The simplest obstacle is when cards of the same suit land on top of each other. When this happens, just move the top card to an empty column if you have one, then click off the smaller card. If you have no empty column after removing any other cards, you'll have to bag one.

It's always safe to bag a card if it's the only one of its suit on the board, at least if the bag is otherwise empty. This is often necessary early on when suits stack up, or "criss-cross" each other, meaning that for instance, a heart is dealt onto a club and a club onto a heart. Remember to take the card back out of the bag after removing the extra cards.

Speaking of criss-crosses: If both higher cards appear above or below the lower cards, you can move either top card to an empty column, then clean up the other suit, then clean up the first suit. For instance, if the 10 of spades is covered by the 3 of hearts and the 10 of hearts by the 4 of spades, you can move the 3 of hearts, then remove the 4 of spades, then remove the 3 of hearts. If the 10s are on top, just move one 10, remove the card beneath it, move the other 10 into the new hole, then remove the card beneath that. However, when both higher cards appear in one column of a criss-cross and both lower cards in the other, you must be careful to move the top card of the HIGHER stack first, in order to avoid unnecessary bagging and possibly getting stuck.

If you MUST leave cards in the bag - and sometimes you'll have to - it's a good idea to try to keep the bag all one suit. That way, it's easier to work your way back through the bag later, as you'll want to clean it out before you finish the round.

You'll often get a "dud" deal, which consists of one card of each suit. It's usually safe to just go ahead and deal another row on top of them early in the round, but later on - and especially if you already have one or more Aces locked in - you should bag one or more cards and try to work your way back through a column. Choose a column that isn't headed by an Ace, so you'll have an empty spot when you finish it. This will make it considerably easier to play your way through the other columns. Remember to keep the bag all one suit if possible.

You lose some flexibility once you start locking Aces in, so you have to be more careful at that point. It's very important that you keep your board as empty of stray cards as you possibly can at this point, as you'll need the room to empty the bag. Sometimes you won't be able to play off criss-crosses on top of the Aces, especially if you already have cards in the bag.

I'd guess that the situation that trips up the most novices is when you have three Aces locked in, and a card of the fourth suit in the other column. Don't leave that card there! If you leave it there and deal the corresponding Ace on top of it, you're dead, as you have nowhere to put the Ace to get rid of the card underneath. Once you have three Aces locked in, leave the fourth column empty. It's a matter of luck where the fourth Ace appears--if it lands in the empty column, you'll lose out on a good deal of bonus, but losing bonus is better than losing the round. It can be frustrating when the fourth Ace drops into the empty hole, but unless you're playing a progressive, you have no way of knowing where that Ace will show up, so it's just a chance you have to take. Again, keeping the bag as empty as possible minimizes the damage when the Ace does drop in.

I'll probably think of other card positions I want to discuss after I post this, so don't be surprised if this one gets taken down and updated a few times. As always, questions and feedback are welcome. Take care and good luck!

Comments

  • shelums

    I also play in pogo.com and they have this game which really helped my get this one...called Aces up. It is a little more complicated so this seemed rather easy compared. Although I am not by any means a champ on pogo at this one or on here either but was able to win money on this one rather quick