Do you ever want to play poker, but none of your buddies are around? That won't be a problem anymore. All you need is a space big enough to hold 25 cards in a 5x5 grid. The game is called Poker Solitaire and it is based on the scoring system of poker. All you need to do is lay down the cards in a grid that will enable you to score the most points.

Poker Solitaire is also a great game to play if you would like to practice poker hands before you play. It helps you to see what hands make the most and what you should be aiming for when the cards are in your hand.

Shuffle a regular deck of 52 cards. When you are ready to play, start turning up the cards one by one. Remember, each poker hand consists of 5 cards. You will be making a grid of 5x5 for a total of 25 cards.

Lay them down where you think they will help make the best poker hands. Unless you know poker hands inside and out, it would be best to have a cheat sheet of poker hands where you can glance at it as you play.

Each row up or down will be a separate poker hand. You will be scoring a hand across as well as down. You will need to keep this in mind as you lay down your cards. There will be ten hands scored altogether.

For example, you may want to try putting all clubs in one column or row. The same with spades, diamonds, and hearts. You will then have one row where you can put any miscellaneous cards that might make a great addition to your hands.

Usually the game is played where you cannot adjust the cards once you lay them down. You could vary up the game and decide to shuffle the cards around once you lay them down. This could prove to be fun and then again, it could prove to make the game more frustrating.

You could call, "Jokers Wild" and leave the Jokers in the card deck and use them in the game. This sometimes happens in real poker.

Probably the best way to play the game is to start laying out your grid with a game plan in mind. Keeping one row or column open for face cards would score high points.

Statistics play a part in this game as well. There are four Aces in the deck. How many do you think will come up while you are laying down your grid? Do you want to try a row or column with four Aces and a King?

The above suggestions are just that; suggestions. How you play Poker and Poker Solitaire is up to you. This game is great to kill time or for practice.