history of canfield casino saratoga springs ny

The game we today call Canfield Solitaire, you play with a layout consisting of a 13-card reserve and a 4-card tableau.

But if Canfield played a form of Solitaire, we can narrow down our research to the two following versions: If there was a Solitaire played in Canfield’s casinos, I say if because there is also a theory that he didn’t have anything to do with it and never even offered it to his players. The Candidates: Either Canfield or Klondikeĭespite my efforts, including contacting authors who have written about this topic, no hard evidence exists to prove that Canfield offered any form of Solitaire at one of his gambling houses.Įven Saratoga Springs historian Greg Veitch, an authority on the history of gambling in New York, was unable to comment on what Solitaire was played at Canfield’s Casino in Saratoga Springs. So why is a Solitaire game named after him? Was he the creator of the game that now bears his name, or was the game named after him for other reasons? And which Solitaire did he offer in his casinos? Oddly, to this day, it is nearly impossible to pinpoint precisely where the name Canfield Solitaire comes from or why Solitaire bears the name of the well-known casino boss. Canfield’s illustrious career became history-making material and did so at a time when Solitaire’s popularity was extraordinarily high. Over 100 years had passed since Richard A. It is mainly hearsay and then often without a reliable source.

Despite being such a famous figure, and the multitude of facts about his life and activities as a gambler, there is little concrete evidence that Canfield had anything to do with Solitaire. In my research of the history of Solitaire from a gambling perspective, I couldn’t avoid the topic and the controversy surrounding Canfield. These days, most people have only heard the stories about Canfield as the inventor of Canfield Solitaire. Richard Canfield, the “Prince of Gamblers,” was a famous gambler (gambling house proprietor) who ran several successful casinos in New York City and Saratoga Springs.

History of canfield casino saratoga springs ny