Solitaire Cash says you win real money playing solitaire on your phone.
How much are we talking? According to several sources, players can earn as much as $139 per tournament.
But how realistic is this?
To find out, I installed Solitaire Cash and gave it a try. I also read through a bunch of reviews from other users.
In this honest review, I’ll break down:
- how Solitaire Cash works
- how much money you can realistically make
- how to increase your odds of winning and maximize your earnings
- some pros and cons
- a few other apps similar to Solitaire Cash
Ready? Let’s do it!
Compete against other players for cash prizes in this fast-paced mobile solitaire app.
Don't count on it to pay the bills, but it's a fun way to pass the time and the possibility of winning some money adds to the excitement.
- Chance to win real money.
- Variety of tournaments depending on your comfort level.
- Get matched with similarly-skilled players.
- To win big, you'll need to put cash at risk.
- Cash tournaments aren't yet available in all states.
- $1 withdrawal fee is pretty lame.
What is Solitaire Cash?
Developed by Papaya Gaming (also the parent company of Bingo Cash), Solitaire Cash provides a digital twist to the classic card game and the opportunity to earn real money.
You can play for free or compete in cash tournaments. The tournaments pit you against similarly-skilled players, with the top-scoring players winning the cash.
Cash tournaments are available in several countries, including:
- the United States
- the United Kingdom
- Canada
- Australia
- Denmark
- Sweden
- Norway
- Finland
That said, not all areas within these countries support cash tournaments. For instance, players in AZ, IN, IA, LA, ME, SC and MT can play for free but aren’t allowed to compete for cash prizes.
Currently, Solitaire Cash is available for:
- iOS devices through the Apple App Store
- Samsung devices through the Galaxy Store
As of the latest estimates, the app has approximately 460,000 active users.
Is Solitaire Cash Legit?
Yes, Solitaire Cash is a legitimate money making app that offers the potential to earn real cash.
At press time, it had a 4.6-star rating on the iOS app store and a 4.5-star rating on the Samsung Galaxy app store.
Still, you should know there’s no free lunch. Cash tournaments usually require you to deposit your own money, putting it at risk in the game.
In my experience, the game is fun to play and the winnings are real, but you can’t really bank on it as an extra source of income.
How Does Solitaire Cash Work?
Solitaire Cash is set up like traditional solitaire, with seven piles of cards sorted into an ascending line, the top card visible on each stack.
The goal is to uncover all the cards and organize them into the four stacks at the top of the board, starting with the Aces and arranging them ascending order by suit and color.
In Solitaire Cash, you have 5 minutes to earn as many points as you can.
Here’s how you earn points:
- Revealing a new card, whether by moving it from the draw pile or rearranging cards on the board
- Moving Aces to the top stacks
- Moving other cards up to the top stacks
- Unused time bonus (the faster you finish, the more points you get)
You can also lose points each time you undo a move or restart the draw pile, so keep that in mind.
Entry Fees
Each tournament has an entry fee for entering and playing. This can be paid in dollars, gems, or a combination of both.
Entry fees start as low as $1 (or less if the app is offering a promotion). The amount you can win generally corresponds to the entry fee — the higher the fee, the bigger the prize.
You can see the entry fee for each tournament displayed on the right side in the lobby:
Once you enter the tournament, the entry fee gets deducted from your balance.
Prize Pools
Each tournament has a different prize pool made up of the total possible winning amount. This prize pool is typically split between the top 3 winners.
For example, in the “Rookie” tournament, the total prize pool is $5, which is awarded as follows:
- 1st: $2.90
- 2nd: $1.40
- 3rd: $0.70
You can see the prize pool breakdown for each tournament by clicking on it:
How to Play Solitaire Cash
Download the app and create your profile.
Every new user starts with a tutorial game, but the cool thing is, you can actually earn gems and possibly even some cash just for playing that intro game and learning the ropes.
Choose a Game
Now that you’ve been introduced to how the app works and how the game is played, it’s time to dive right in.
Browse the home screen to select from regular or cash tournaments.
If you want to play for free, you can join the gems tournaments.
You can also participate in the Freeroll tournament, where you can win gems and bonus cash (more on that below).
For the purpose of this review, I deposited a small amount so I could play a few cash tournaments.
You can see the different deposit options by visiting the Shop:
Play Solitaire
Once you’ve started a game, the cards will be dealt, and you’ll be ready to play.
With this game, time is of the essence, so you’ll want to assess the board and start planning your moves as quickly as possible.
The basic rules of the game are as follows:
- Fill the 4 upper stacks with cards of the same suit, in ascending order (e.g. Ace, 2, 3, etc.).
- When moving cards around the board, they must be placed in decreasing order of alternating color (e.g. a red 8 on a black 9).
- Any open spots on the board can be filled only by Kings.
- Each game is 5 minutes long, and the earlier you finish, the more points you’ll earn.
And remember – points are deducted whenever you reshuffle the draw deck or undo a move, so try to use those features sparingly.
If you hit a dead end and can’t find any more moves, consider hitting the “End Game” button.
That way you’ll at least be able to maximize your points by getting a time bonus.
Bonus Cash
Bonus cash is a form of in-game currency that supplements your “real” money. You can use bonus cash to enter cash tournaments and play games, but you can’t withdraw it.
When you use bonus cash to enter a tournament, any winnings will be credited as a combination of bonus cash and as withdrawable funds.
If both regular funds and bonus cash are available in your balance, up to 20% of a tournament’s entry fee will be paid in bonus cash, and the rest in regular funds.
Gems
As mentioned, gems can also be used to enter certain tournaments.
There are several ways to earn additional gems, including:
- logging in for the daily reward and daily gift
- watching short ads
- participating in in-app challenges
- entering promo codes
If you Google “Solitaire Cash promo codes” there are a bunch of sites that have lists of codes.
I tried a few and they worked, so if you’ve got some extra time and want to boost your gems balance, give it a go.
Clubs
The Clubs feature in Solitaire Cash allows you to join forces with other players and collectively earn a club chest with weekly rewards.
Club members earn trophies by playing and winning cash tournaments. The higher the entry fee, the more trophies you’ll earn.
At the end of the week, if your club has earned enough points to earn a chest, all eligible members will be awarded, and the club chest will reset with a new challenge.
The Clubs feature is open to players at level 8 or above.
Experience Points (XP)
Each time you participate in a tournament, you’ll earn ‘XP’, or experience points.
Each tournament offers a different XP reward. Generally speaking, the higher the entry fee, the more XP points you’ll earn.
Once your XP meter fills up, you’ll advance to the next level, which unlocks new tournaments and even better rewards.
Withdrawing Money from Solitaire Cash
You can withdraw your Solitaire Cash winnings via:
The minimum withdrawal for Solitaire Cash is $5. Additionally, the app also deducts a $1 processing fee on each withdrawal.
Important Note: When you request a withdrawal, all bonus cash in your account will be removed from your balance.
How Much Can You Make on Solitaire Cash?
As with many pay-to-play “real money” gaming apps, the amount you can earn from using Solitaire Cash will ultimately depend on:
- how often you play
- how much money you deposit
- how much you’re willing to spend to enter tournaments (higher stakes = higher winnings)
- how strategic you are with game play
Realistically, you really can’t win a lot unless you deposit real cash and enter higher paying tournaments.
And remember, the “expected value” of every entry fee is negative. Going back to that example of the 7-player Rookie tournament, Solitaire Cash takes in $7 in entry fees (7 x $1), and pays out $5 in prizes.
That $2 difference is how they make their money, all day every day.
And in that example, 5 out of the 7 players (71%) will lose money.
How did I do?
I’ve been playing for a few days, and have won a few lower-entry-fee tournaments, but my account balance is less than I initially deposited. If I cut my losses and withdrew the remaining balance, I’d pay that $1 withdrawal fee and sacrifice my bonus cash.
(And lock in a small loss on an app that advertises making money.)
Maybe I haven’t quite mastered the speed and strategy yet.
Solitaire Cash Tips and Tricks
Log in Daily
Even if you don’t plan on playing, the Solitaire Cash app offers a couple different rewards just for logging into the app.
First, there’s the Daily Reward, which is progressive and may include:
- gems
- bonus cash
- experience points
- or all of the above
There’s also a Daily Gift of free gems, which can be accessed every 24 hours at the bottom of the Shop.
Be Strategic with Your Moves
This can be challenging when the timer is ticking down!
But if you want to maximize your points, take a few seconds to assess your options and plan your approach before moving any cards around.
Be Aware of the Timer
Obviously, you don’t want to panic, but you also don’t want to get caught up in the game and lose track of time.
The faster you finish, the more points you’ll earn. Avoid wasting time on moves that don’t advance the game.
Use the Shuffle and Undo Features Sparingly
Being able to undo your last move for a better one is great but doing so will cost you points.
Likewise, reshuffling the stockpile deck also deducts points.
These features can be useful, just try not to overdo it.
Don’t be Afraid to Restart
If you end up hitting a dead end and you haven’t earned many points yet, you can restart the game.
This basically resets the layout and lets you start fresh. Sometimes it’s better to try again than to waste time trying to solve a puzzle that’s unsolvable.
Take Advantage of Time Bonus
You’ll earn a time bonus for finishing the game before the clock runs out, so if you reach a point where you feel the game is unwinnable, it may be best to simply end it.
That way you don’t wasting more time or lose points by reshuffling.
Enter Promo Codes
As mentioned, I found a bunch of sites that list current promo codes.
I only tried a few, but they all worked. It’s tedious, but a super easy way to jack up your gems balance.
Stay Connected
Occasionally, Solitaire Cash shares promo codes or other special deals via their social media channels, so be sure to like and follow them.
Practice Makes Perfect
Because Solitaire Cash does have a strategic aspect to it, the more you play, the more you’ll learn about the game, the better you’ll get, and the faster you’ll be able to finish.
This will help you maximize your chances of winning tournaments and earning some moola.
Refer Friends
Solitaire Cash offers bonus cash for referring up to two friends. It’s worth a few dollars, especially if your balance is low and you don’t want to deposit more of your own cash.
How Does Solitaire Cash Make Money?
Solitaire Cash makes most of its money by taking a cut of the entry fees on every tournament.
There are also additional revenue streams from in-app purchases, sponsorships and promotions, and advertisements.
Solitaire Cash Pros & Cons
Pros
- Free to Use: Solitaire Cash is free to download and some of the games can be played without requiring a deposit.
- Win Real Money: Solitaire Cash offers the opportunity to compete against other players to win real money.
- Variety of Tournaments: There is a tournament for just about everyone, from low entry fees to high stakes and everything in between. You can also play for free.
- Fair Play: Solitaire Cash uses an algorithm to match users of the same skill level so as a beginner, you won’t have to worry about competing against experts.
- Bonuses and Promos: There are plenty of ways to earn bonus cash and additional gems. This can help you stay in the game without having to continuously add your own money.
Cons
- Pay to Play: While Solitaire Cash can be played for free, if you want to win decent money, you’ll need to deposit cash.
- Withdrawal Fee: A $1 fee will be automatically deducted from any balance being withdrawn.
- Prize Splitting: Winnings are split between the top 3 players in a tournament. The prize may say $20, but there’s no chance of actually winning that entire amount, even if you place first.
- Location Restrictions: Cash tournaments aren’t available for players located in Arizona, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, South Carolina, and Montana.
- Bonus Cash Loss: When you request a withdrawal, any bonus cash you may have earned will automatically be removed from your account.
Is the Solitaire Cash App Worth It?
I personally found the Solitaire Cash app fun to play. Games are straightforward, and you can earn a bonus for each day you log in, which incentivizes you to keep coming back.
Compete against other players for cash prizes in this fast-paced mobile solitaire app.
Don't count on it to pay the bills, but it's a fun way to pass the time and the possibility of winning some money adds to the excitement.
- Chance to win real money.
- Variety of tournaments depending on your comfort level.
- Get matched with similarly-skilled players.
- To win big, you'll need to put cash at risk.
- Cash tournaments aren't yet available in all states.
- $1 withdrawal fee is pretty lame.
Bottom line: If you’re good at solitaire and want the chance to win a little extra money just for playing, the Solitaire Cash app is a great option.
I wouldn’t count on it to pay the bills, but it’s a fun way to pass the time and the possibility of winning some money adds to the excitement.
Solitaire Cash Alternatives
There’s no shortage of GPT apps that are similar to Solitaire Cash. Here are a few that might be worth checking out.
Bingo Cash
Bingo Cash is another popular “real money gaming” app from Papaya. Only instead of Solitaire, you’re playing Bingo on your phone.
According to multiple sources, players can earn as much as $83 per tournament.
Check out our full Bingo Cash review to learn more.
Freecash
Freecash has thousands of game offers for iOS, Android, and PC, with some paying out hundreds of dollars.
And in many cases, you won’t need to deposit your own money to earn.
The average Freecash user can expect to earn around $17.53 per day just playing games.
Check out our full Freecash review to learn more.
Freecash pays you to test new games on your phone or computer, with some offers paying $100s.
- Wide variety of game offers.
- Simple, transparent rewards.
- Low minimum to cash out. ($5)
- Some offers feel spammy or have unrealistic milestone requirements.
- Some offers require spending money.
- 5% transaction fee for PayPal or bank transfers.
KashKick
Similarly, KashKick pays users to test new games, complete offers, and answer short surveys.
Incentives range from $0.25 to over $100, depending on the task.
Scrambly
Scrambly is a cash back rewards platform that lets you make money playing mobile games, completing challenges, and trying new services.
According to the company, monthly earnings typically range from $50 to $500.
Get paid to try new games, complete offers, and more. It won't replace your job, but Scrambly is a fun and legit way to make a little extra money online.
- Easy and free to use.
- Wide variety of offers.
- Low minimum to withdraw (just $1).
- Some offers have strict requirements or require a lot of time.
- No iOS app yet.
- Only available in US, Japan, and Korea.
Serious About Making Extra Money?
- Start Your Free $500 Challenge. My free 5-day email course shows you how to add $500 to your bottom line.
- Join the free Side Hustle Nation Community. The free Facebook group is the best place to connect with other side hustlers and get your questions answered.
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