Chapter 21: Solitaire-y Entwinement

“Nice job, kid!” says Charlie. “I always like seeing the red team win!” The stands are full of cheering fans. The robots all march back to the dugouts.

“What’s next?” asks Melvin.

“Well,” says Charlie, “If you are up for it, the next step is the Super Challenge league.” 

Melvin whistles, then stops himself. “But, don’t tell me, we need more money.”

“You guessed it,” says Charlie. “To get in there, you need another five hundred. And I know just how to get it. But you’re going to have to be clever.”

You look at Melvin, sigh, and look back at Charlie. “Well, we made it this far. What do we do?”

“Just meet me back at the Casino, and I’ll handle the rest!” He runs off, gleefully.

After you clean up, you and Melvin head to the Casino. It’s nighttime now, and it glitters with a million rainbow pixel lights. You walk in the main doors, into the throng of casino-goers and suddenly realize you have no idea where to go. “Melvin, where are we going?”

Melvin flies around this way and that, peering over the crowd. He flies back down. “I have no idea. Maybe the blackjack tables again?”

Just then, a robot in a tuxedo steps up, with a prim expression. “Excuse me, I believe you are here to meet Mr. Hustle?” You both nod. He raises an eyebrow. “Right this way,” he says, and wheels off into the crowd, who seem to clear a path for him.

You follow him through the crowded casino, until you arrive at a large green table with a robot croupier shuffling a deck of cards over and over, while a beaming Charlie Hustle stands nearby. “Ah ha! Here you are! Just in time!” He gleefully ushers you onto a stool in front of the table.

You look out at the table, and see twenty-five squares marked in a grid. “This… isn’t blackjack,” you astutely remark.

“No, no it isn’t! Something much better! All you have to do is it lay out the cards you get from the dealer into rows and columns, trying to make the best poker hands you can. The better the hands you lay out, the more money you’ll make! Do it right, and you could get as much as three thousand, three hundred and forty dollars!” He appears to restrain himself a little bit. “But… don’t get greedy. All you need right now is to win another five hundred bucks, and you’ll be all set. Are you ready?”

You look over the grid… it seems simple enough… maybe? People in elegant evening dress are looking on with much interest. The robot dealer shuffles the cards one last time. “Be careful,” whispers Melvin. “This game is harder than it looks.”

You take a deep breath, and press the reset button.

Put the Casino cartridge into your Atari 2600. Use game select 4. Play until you are able to win $500 or more in a single game. Post a link to a video in the comments section of yourself completing the challenge.