My original Maverick solver was written in 1998, making it one of my first solitaire solvers.
The solver does not try to optimize solutions for points, although I may revisit this in the future. It simply determines whether it is possible to arrange the 25 cards into five Poker hands that are each a Straight or higher, and if so the game is counted as a win. Maverick is winnable 98.25% of the time (about one deal in 57 is impossible).
Whenever you are trying to place a card that does not seem to go with anything else, it often helps to make it the kicker of a Four of a kind. So, I was surprised at how little the win rate drops when not allowing Four of a kind hands. Only about one deal in 200 requires them!
| 4 of a Kinds Allowed? | Games Won | Win Rate % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 98,248,680 | 98.25 |
| No | 97,786,104 | 97.79 |
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