Welcome to the "Meet the Players page".


Here we will periodically add profiles, hints and tips and other general information about and from TournamentGames' Top Players. Keep checking back for more details and great tips from Tournament Solitaire's MOST WANTED!

Know a player who belongs here? E-Mail us!

-Featured Players-
[ Babes5 ] [ Legendia ] [ sojofun ] [ Susie ] [ Cooner ] [ Jasmania ] [ Angelavk (AKA: Angie) ] [ Denise ] [ GALPALVAL ] [ BINAHLEIGH ] [ GUELPH ]

BABES5
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Player : Babes5
Location: Tuscon, Arizona
Playing Since: November, 1998
Occupation: Nurse
Profile:
If we could only say one thing about Babes5, it would have to be that she is an excellent Tournament Solitaire player. She is consistently at the top of the leader board and has won several tournaments.

Babes5 is lady in 40's. She has 1 cat, 1 husband, and 3 grown children. Her husband  is a musician who performs 60's and 70's music in his own band. Babes5 hobbies include Tournament Soliatire and Calligraphy. Her father taught her Calligraphy when she was eight years old. It took her seven years to master.

Babes5 Loves to play Tournament Solitaire because it help her to relax after a long day at work. She's an "old fashioned girl who just loves life and the things it has to offer."
Solitaire Hardware:
Pentium 100
82 MB RAM
8 gig hard disk
CD-Rom Writer
Scanner
Lots of other goodies
Babes5 Tournament Solitaire Tips and Tricks
  1. Just close your eyes and click like mad. This makes the games go much faster.
  2. Never worry about winning any of the games. Just play for fun!
  3. Cheetos and keyboards make an ugly combination.
  4. Turn the music up loud especially late at night when you need to concentrate
  5. Don't forget to register to vote

LEGENDIA
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Player : Legendia
Location: Port Jervis, New Jersey
Playing Since: January, 1999
Occupation: Retired
Previous Occupation: Toxicology & program bugs for a major pharmaceutical firm, Health inspector.
Favorite Vacation Spots: Florida's inland waterway, Peugeot Sound & New Mexico.
Age: between 30 and 50 ???
Profile:
  Although retired in the strictest sense of the word, Legendia is far from inactive. She and her husband are starting their own business: Custom built computers systems and repair (her husband's specialty) and graphic design, web page design, software evaluation, trouble shooting and windows instruction. (Her specialty).
She is often asked "Where did she come up with the username 'Legendia'?". The answer is "Legend of the Red Dragon".. An old BBS (Bulletin Board System: a precursor to the Internet) Door Game. A interesting nickname isn't the only thing she got out of the game: She also met her husband playing it.

  "I sent him a message because I was tired of him killing me. Marrying him was a package deal. I now, also have, a wonderful step-daughter."

  Legendia is a college graduate who studied Botany and Wildlife Management. Her specialties include Scientific Illustration, Photography, Master Bird Banding Permit. She enjoys Computers (obviously), Photography, Fossil hunting, FISHING & boating; Loving, being owned by, showing, training & working Austrailian Shepherds (litter due on Easter)

  Legendia learned to play Solitaire from her grandmother when whe was 5 or 6 years old. She learned her best tips and tricks from her. (There are some great tips below, especially for newbies, but hardcore Solitaire players could learn a thing or two, as well!)
Solitaire Hardware:
HOME-Built AMD K6 233
64 MB Ram
Multiple Caviar 6.4 gig HD
USR 56K modem (with Supporting ISP) {G}
HP Deskjets and laser printers, Scanners & re-writable CD-Rom Drive
Legendia's Tournament Solitaire Tips and Tricks
  1. Always play from the stacks hiding the greatest number of cards first. (They are after all hiding the most cards.) Exception in TG Solitaire: I move an ace over last. I may have a 2 that I can "bounce" it off of under a card that can be moved.
  2. Early in the game, use a low ranked dealt card before moving an exposed card. The exposed card will still be there.
  3. Try to "weave" cards whenver possible... For excample place spades on hearts and clubs on diamonds. This helps to maximize points on a hand that may not be a winner.
  4. Don't move a card unless it is necessary. If you have a six of diamonds with no cards underneath it, don't move it on a black seven unless a king comes up, you may need that six you've yet to turn over.
 TG Solitaire according to Legendia (or what works best for me!)
  1. Trackballs are better for a winning time when you have a busted hand. That is, if you learn to use one first.
  2. Don't get all bent out of shape over speed in the main part of the game. Go for accuracy. I've missed too many moves that way. Use the time after turning over an unneeded card to take a breather and study what you have on top...
  3. If you have a choice of where to put a King, put it as close to the out area (Ace column) for increased speed on a busted hand.
  4. Maximize moves. Double place cards. Example: Bounce a red two of a black three before moving it over [to the ace column].
  5. Unless it's a three round game, don't quit if you have a bad first hand. My best rounds often do. I never bail out unless I'VE done something real stupid or, toward the end of the tournament, I can't better my own best score.
  6. At the end of the deal, don't place a card on top of a card you can move over [to the ace column]. You get more points (3x) for moving a card over.
  7. Don't click done unless you are. Take the extra second or two to make sure you've made all you moves. I've made over 1000 points when I THOUGHT I was done but wasn't.
  8. Don't forget about piles out of your direct line of sight. (Especially if you have a 17 inch monitor.)
  9. TAKE THE TIME to forget about winning & figure out what works best for you.
  10. All online solitaire games use a random number generator. I'm sure this one is no different. If you have a series of bad hands, don't give up. Statistically, you WILL get a great one.
  11. If you just busted a deck, go for unusual moves in the next hand. It may very well be a "hidden winner". I've busted back to back hands a couple of times that way.
  12. Keep your sense of humor. It's as important in solitaire as in love, marriage & life. Remember IT'S JUST A GAME! Probably the best solitaire game around.
 Murphy's Laws of TG Solitaire:
  1. If you really need a black seven you'll turn over a red one.
  2. If you're on a roll you'll be dealt a hand with all red cards.
  3. If you think you're on a roll you'll be dealt a hand with three queens showing and 4 kings hiding underneath them.
  4. If you really think you're on a roll, you'll have all cards save one exposed... and that's the Ace of hearts.
  5. If you're sure your on a roll, don't forget the mayo.
 Legendia says: "DON'T forget to stay in touch with the Homesite for TG Solitaire It is updated frequently. Also, if you have any problems let Chris or Jack know. Responses are vitually immediate (which is virutally unheard of in the internet gaming world). SPREAD the WORD about this site, and Email Jack to give Chris a raise..."

Chris Says: "Thanks, Legendia! But spreading the word will be enough! {G}"

SOJOFUN
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Player : sojofun
Location: Overbrook, Kansas
Playing Since: March, 1999
Occupation: Technician for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
Profile:
 Sojofun was the player who brought drop-it into the limelight. The competitiveness she brought into the game got others involved and playing. She is also very active in the message board and has been known to give away her game playing techniques to just about anyone who asks. She also helps keep the conversation rolling with her fantastic sense of humor. Tournament Games is glad to have her!
 Sojo is married and has one grown daughter who lives in Mississippi. Sojo's game of choice is Drop-it! and it's not hard to see why. She is consistently in the top-five players and wins often. Sojo plays Solitaire too, but she "[has] had no luck at it. So far that is!...I still have hope." Be sure and check out her great tips for Drop-it! Thanks Sojo!
Drop-it Hardware:
Compaq Presario 5660
128 MB RAM
12 gig hard disk
Sojofun Drop-it Tips and Tricks
  1. I have alloted a column where I think each number should be, and I try and put that same number in the same place each time.
  2. I will never put the "W" ball anywhere but the first column unless it is near then end of the rack and I have a tight spot I think the odds are I'll not fill it
  3. Always try and work with what you're dealt on the initial rack. Don't try and change every slot.
  4. Press your luck. I do and sometimes it won't pay off but when it does the payoff is generally a high scored rack.
  5. The most important thing: never give up and never sneeze in the middle of the rack with your finger on the button. You'll drop in the wrong slot everytime!

    SUSIE
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    Player : Susie
    Location: Lebanon, Tennessee
    Playing Since: One of the original players (The DOS version)
    Occupation: USAF Retired and working on second retirement. Been in aviation industry for 25 years.
    Age: 51
    Favorite vacation spot: Backyard pool.
    Profile:
    Well, what can we say about Susie... she's been there for us since we started. She is one of the original "right-stuff" crew. Lately, you'll find Susie playing the new Drop-it, but she's no slouch at solitaire, either. Susie has won several times, and was very strong in the "DOS" age when our software was a dos and windows combination. And for those of you who think that Babes5 can dominate the winner board, just ask Susie about "DebbieL"...
    Susie and others like her have been crucial in the development of TournamentGames by giving us great feedback on what works what doesn't, what's right and what's wrong in our games. Susie is a die-hard TournamentGames fan: "I have gone to A LOT of other sites and played other games, but these two just have me addicted. I don't ever go to the others since I started playing these two games." We're glad to hear it! Keep up the good work!
    Solitaire Hardware:
    Pentium 133 / Clone
    32 MB RAM
    Susie's Tournament Solitaire / Drop-it Tips and Tricks
    1. Go to the bathroom BEFORE playing Drop-it or Solitaire.
    2. Read and Heed everyone's tips and tricks... They are VERY helpful

    Cooner
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    Player : Cooner
    Location: Barrie, Ontario, Canada
    Playing Since: Febuary 1999
    Occupation: Account manager for a major seed company.
    Profile:
    Cooner is one of several of our friends from Canada who are consistenly on the leader board. He enjoys spending as much time as possible (when he's not playing Drop-it) with his fiance, Amber and their two dogs Morgan (a really cute Lab cross) and Brock (a really cute Shepherd cross). He's also into golf, squash, rollerblading and following the Leafs (of course), Jays, and NFL football. Cooner without doubt is one of the top Drop-it players at TournamentGames and it's good thing too: somebody has to keep Susie and Sojofun in check. I guess it was "aboot" time, eh? (Sorry, Cooner. Us Nashville boys very rarely get to poke fun at OTHER people's accents!) All kidding aside, we are very excited that our website has gained popularity in Canada. In the last few months, more than a few winner's checks have crossed our Northern border.
    Solitaire Hardware:
    Packard Bell Pentium
    Cooner's Drop-it Tips and Tricks
    1. Re-read Sojofun's tips. They are good.
    2. I put a little more emphasis on the "Every Ball Has It's Home" theory than Sojofun does. I almost change every ball every time. (45 balls divided by 12 columns equals 3.75, so column one should house 1-4, column 2 should house 5-8, etc., etc. Of course when complete a red rack and you have balls, you should upgrade your score and hopefully you'll have higher numbers in those columns.
    3. When the ball starts going REALLY FAST, don't panic and scream. Always remember a professional baseball player can hit a 100 mph fast ball and with a little practice you can hit any column you want.
    4. Sometimes even when you are playing well, you may not get the right balls to complete a rack. i.e. You set yourself up to have 10 balls left to get 1 ball between 13 and 28 and you don't get any ball of those 10 between 13 and 28. Don't let it get you down. You'll get it next time...hopfully. :)

    JASMANIA
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    Player : Jasmania
    Location: Sanford, Florida
    Playing Since: September, 1998
    Occupation: Student / Entertainer
    Website: http://jasmania.net
    Profile:

    Jasmania is a 26 year old, college student who has recently received her Associates Degree in Criminal Justice. She hopes to put her degree to work as an Intelligence Officer. Jasmania is very proud of her academic accomplishments and she should be: She's been published in two scholar books and missed a 4.0 average by .23. (Whew! Be sure and visit her website above for more goodies!) Jasmania loves to play with her dogs. A Siberian husky who gives high fives on command and a dancing chihuahua. Jasmania hints that she may be in the in the market for a chihuahua-sized tutu! Jasmania plans to return to school to continue her education after her husband finishes his pilot's training.

    Jasmania works long hours but even after a long day's work she looks forward to a few rounds of Tournament Solitaire. "I can play Tournament Games for hours on end and not sleep. My husband can't see why I even play. He thinks it's boring. But, after I won 3 times he started to play himself. ...[Now] every time he wants to play is when I'm playing it. So I have to put him in line and tell him 'You have all day to play while I'm at work...'"

    Jasmania and her husband have been together for 8 years.

    It took us a while, but we finally got Jasmania's profile. I'm glad too, she gave us some great hints and tips. Keep watching the standings because it won't be long before you'll see Jasmania's name popping up there.

    -Chris

    Solitaire Hardware:
    A home built clone
    2 gig hard disk
    CD-Rom
    Scanner
    Fax
    Printer
    Jasmania's Tournament Solitaire Tips and Tricks
    1. Make sure you have a second phone line or cell phone handy, that way people won't complain that they can't get through.
    2. Always have plenty of soda / coffee and snacks around (it's kind of hard to find a store open after a 11pm ) You definitely need the caffiene to keep you awake.
    3. Cash and keep the checks you win. Then put them in a jar for a vacation.
    4. Instead of playing all of the games in the tournament, just play the first hand until you complete it. If you don't complete it hit the escape key and start over. That's what I always do and I won twice. The third time I had to work for it.
    5. I like the person who came up with "Murphy's Law of Tournament Solitaire" (That's definitely TRUE. Always happens to me, but it especially happens to my husband when he plays, then gets bored and gives me the game again.) If it wasn't for Murphy's Law, my hubby would hog the game.
    6. Have fun and stay safe! and always PLAY PLAY PLAY solitaire!!!

    ANGELAVK (Also Known As: angie) 
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    Player : angelavk (AKA: angie)
    Location: San Fransico, California
    Playing Since: January, 1999
    Occupation: Former Bank Employee
    Profile:
    Like most of the players in this section it won't be long before you see this player's name on the standings pages. She's a real competitor, and an interesting profile too: Angelavk was born in the Ukraine, former Russian Republic in the city Odessa by the Black Sea. She's lived in the United States for 20 years, settling in San Francisco, California. She's married and has 3 children. Angelavk says that she doesn't like the way the mouse handles on her new Windows 98 machine so she plays Solitaire on her old Windows 95 Packard Bell. As for Drop-it, she says she likes the game but "...it's going to give me a heart attack. I don't have the nerves for it."
    I say don't let her fool ya!
    Solitaire Hardware:
    Packard Bell
    Windows 95
    Angelavk's Tournament Solitaire Tips and Tricks
    1. Just play it. If a good game comes your way, you've got a chance to win it. Be fast.
    2. Never mind TGJacks's "Missed one", some times you have to miss a play for extra points.

    DENISE 
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    Player : Denise
    Location: Lucedale, MS
    Playing Since: December 1998
    Denise's Tournament Solitaire Hardware
    Compaq Presario 5460 / AMD K6 475
    8.0 Gig Hard disk
    Scanner
    Printer
    Profile:

    Denise is 23 years old, and would love to go back to school to learn computer programming (or anything to do with computers) "because I love computers" Denise says she's "...not much of a people person (shy and usually very quiet)". With 50 cash tournament wins under her belt, Denise is anything but quiet around here!
    Denise loves dogs and kids and working on her home page (click here to see Denise's website) which "..thanks to [Tournament Games] I don't work on as much as I would like to. :0)"
    Denise had some very nice things to say about Tournament Games and we sure do appreciate them. Here's what she said:
    "I think the people doing this site really have their heads screwed on right by giving quick respnses to the e-mail, sending checks on time, and by not doing the one thing that kills most game sites: getting in over your head. Meaning getting one game going good before moving on to another. By the way do you all sell stock on your company..I think that TG would be a good investment."

    Thanks Denise! We're blushing!

    Denise's Tournament Solitaire Tips and Tricks
    As far as tips go there have already been a lot of good ones covered.
    1. I disagree with one on having a second phone line because now when I answer the phone people complain because I'm not paying attention to what they are saying!
    2. For people that are new to TG Solitaire don't worry about winning at first just work on beating your own high score for a while...practice does help with this game
    3. Get a trackball or something besides a regular mouse, it helps.
    4. Oh, and you better hope someone starts a TG Solitaire Anonymous group, because it's addicting

    GALPALVAL 
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    Player : GALPALVAL
    Location: Seattle, WA
    Playing Since: ???
    Age: 40 something
    Occupation: Bartender
    Profile:
    Val's not sure when she started her addiction to Tourament Games  but her last clear memory of a day without the game is about year and a half ago. She really enjoys helping beta test our new games but says: "..it doesn't give you any 'pull' when it comes to the hands dealt you.(Darnit)" I really like GalPalVal's sense of humor.. get a load of these tips!
    Thanks Val!
    GALPALVAL's Tournament Solitaire Tips and Tricks
    1. Extra phone line is a must
    2. Answering machine is also a must. Sometimes you can't quit the game "just to answer the phone" and God forbid anyone knocking at the door during a good hand.
    3. Getting your housework done before turning on the computer is a "MUST MUST"
    4. You know you're hooked on TG.com when in the middle of the night everybody's sleeping and there you are with just the glow of the computer...and you start screaming like Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally"...yes,Yes,YES...Maybe it's time to seek help?

    BINAHLEIGH

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    Player : BinahLeigh
    Location: Bakersfield, California
    Playing Since: September 1999
    Profile:
    BinahLeigh (Jeanne) says she's been playing Solitaire since she "was old enough to hold a deck of cards without dropping them all over the place." She has two children, Amanda, age 7 and Andrew, age 6. Amanda has been playing solitaire since age 5 and practices on Tournament Games whenever Mom lets her. BinahLeigh is a tough competitor, you'll see this name again...on the standings page!
    BinahLeigh's Tournament Solitaire Tips and Tricks
    1. "Double-play" as many cards as you can
    2. When playing a single game tournament, the trick is "to only play games that have 3 or 4 of the aces showing. Playing the aces right at the start gives you 1,000+ points per Ace"
    3. Finally, try and get a rhythm going

    GUELPH
    Player : Guelph
    Location: Bridgeton, MO (Future home of an Airport Runway)
    Playing Since: November '97
    Age: 22
    Marital Status: Married in July 99 (sorry ladies)
    Profile:
    Guelph has been with us for a while, and you can see that practice makes perfect. He's one of our most prolific players and it's no surprise that he's also one of our most frequent winners. Here's the scoop on this Solitaire Sultan:
    I'm a Computer Programmer, I graduated college in May of '98
    I don't have a website up anywhere that I know of, unless my college page is still there (if it is it hasn't been touched in at least 2 years) or someone secretly is worshipping me online...
    I like to watch pro sports (Fav. Teams: White Sox, Cardinals (MLB), Rams, Blackhawks) and eventually hope to compete as a Pro Bowler. I average about 200 right now, if I can get that between 210 and 220 I'd be willing to take a stab at the regional tour.
    I love playing TG Solitaire, and I'm really looking forward to triple stars.. I'm glad the pay-to-play tournaments came along, it definately increased the "motivation" to play..
    Guelph's Tournament Solitaire Tips and Tricks
    1. Have a good, reliable mouse. No matter how well you see the cards if half the time you move the mouse the pointer doesn't budge. Keep an area of your desk clean so your hand and arm has plenty of space to move around. I use a Logitech Mouse, in fact I think it's even 5 or 6 years old.. best darn mice I've ever used
    2. Practice, Practice, Practice. You can't get better without doing it more. Take notice of plays that you try that work out, and things that don't work. Nothing works all the time, but you can learn what works most often to bust as many decks as possible.
    3. Keep Moving. I've noticed personally that once that mouse stops moving, it's hard to get back into a quick-moving rhythm both mentally and physically.. the less you have to stop and think, the more you'll score.
    4. Move Quickly. The faster you can move your hand to the pile you want, the more you'll score. I can't give any tips on how to make you move your arm faster, that's something you'll have to work on yourself.
    5. Move More. On any game other than the "future-play" game, there are up to 104 possible moves. If you can get 100 or more moves in a hand, chances are you'll have a good score.
    6. Give yourself options. Try to avoid leaving yourself hands where the only cards that will help you are a king or an Ace (both of which are probably buried). and if you can avoid it, don't keep playing cards off the discard stacks when you can uncover new cards...
    7. Don't waste the Wild Card too early. Most of the time I wait until I've become stuck before I use the wild card. I usually make sure I don't have any more cards left to deal before I'll use it, because there's nothing worse than being in a spot where if you had "just that one card" you'd easily clear the board, and you use the WC to get it, and it turns out it would have been the next card turned over anyway..
    8. Don't give up too easily. Strange things can happen at the end of deals, you may uncover cards in just the perfect order to get the victory, but you have to be careful in the way you play your cards not to prevent yourself from victory.
    9. Look at the big picture. At the end of a hand if you have your wildcard left, if you don't have any places to play that wildcard that will lead to at least 2 or 3 other moves, SAVE IT. The 500 points you get for not using it is better than the 200 or 400 for the couple of moves.. but at the same time, if you're in a tourney where you need to win every hand, take chances on moves like that, if you can use the WC to uncover a card, go for it, it may be what you need to bust the deck.
    10. Know what you can and cannot do. When you win a hand, keep an eye on how many points you score. Know what your "average win" score is. If you're playing a sprint tourney, the key is to win as quickly as possible, so you need to know when you aren't gonna win so you can quit and start over. Don't bother playing the last hand if you need 50,000 points to take the win, especially if you usually score 44-45,000 per hand.. I don't believe anyone has ever scored 50,000 in a hand, it probably isn't humanly possible (the timer is too darn fast)
    11. Most importantly, have fun. Remember, noone except Jack and Chris are making enough off of this to live on, anything you win should be dropped directly into the "Entertainment" fund, and anything you put into your account should come directly from that same fund.
    12. If you don't like something about the game, don't be afraid to speak up about it! Jack and Chris are really great about taking suggestions, and if they're used you can feel special knowing you helped make one of the coolest online games around!
    13. Last but not least, Support the Site. There aren't many places online (or in real life) where you can win hundreds of dollars for a measly 50 cents, or 10 dollars for a penny, or 5 dollars for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Heck, you can start with free tourneys, take the winnings from those to play the penny tourneys, and when you've built up enough go for the nickel/quarter/half-dollar tourneys.. You don't have to use your credit card to support the site, just using winnings to play helps out...