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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is this a gambling or online casino site?
No, absolutely not. This site has nothing to do with gambling. This site is a free multi-player online game, used for entertainment purposes.
How much does it cost to play?
This site and the game are free, and there is no purchase required.
Is your site safe for kids?
Yes, this site is safe for kids. We are rated with RSACi. We do not allow any adult content or adult advertising on our site. We do not collect personal information from children. We do not allow players to interact with or contact one another via forums, message boards, chats, or other means through this site. We believe in keeping the net safe for children and young adults.
Do I have to register or sign-up in order to play?
No, you do not. Unlike other online games, we do not ask for or require any registration or sign-up to play. We do not require you to remember a login name or password. We do not ask for or want your name or e-mail address. We cannot and do not spam your mailbox with promotions. We do not compile a database of "members" or "users". In short, unlike other web sites, we respect your privacy to the highest degree. Our proof is not only in our promises, but also in our actions. For those interested, our privacy statement is also available online.
Is there a limit on the number of games that I can play?
No, there is no limit. You can play games as often as you'd like, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We encourage you to play often, and to tell all your friends about this site.
Do World High Score lists expire?
Yes, they expire weekly, each Tuesday at 10:01 AM Eastern Time.
What are the system requirements for the game?
Windows users can use either Internet Explorer or Netscape, version 4.0 or higher. All others must use Netscape, version 4.0 or higher. You must have Javascript, CSS (Style Sheets), Browser Cache (at least 15 MB), and Cookies enabled. The game does not use Java, ActiveX, Shockwave, or any plug-ins, and works through all firewalls and web proxies. The game works well on Windows 3.1/95/98/NT, Solaris, Linux, FreeBSD, IRIX, HP-UX, AIX, MacOS, and all other operating systems that support one of the required browsers. A screen size of at least 800x600 and at least 16-bit color (32K/64K colors) are recommended, but not required. An internet connection speed of at least 28.8 Kbps is also highly recommended.
Can I play the game using WebTV, Dreamcast or iToaster?
No. These devices are not supported at this time. If there is enough demand, a version for one or all of the devices may be developed in the future. If you're looking for online games that can be played on WebTV, try here.
Can I disconnect and continue to play the game offline?
No. The game requires you to stay online in order to play.
I share my computer and browser with other people. Does that affect the game?
There is no significant problem with multiple people using the same browser. However, because 'Your Best Score' values are stored in your browser, their values will be the best scores of all individuals who use that browser on your computer. If those scores belong to someone else who uses your computer, you can easily reset those scores at any time.
I use several different computers or browsers to access the Internet. Does that affect the game?
While we would prefer that everyone use one computer and browser to play the game, there is no significant problem with using multiple computers or multiple browsers on the same computer. However, because 'Your Best Score' values are stored in your browser, their values will depend on which computer and/or browser you are using at the time. You can, however, easily reset those scores at any time.
I understand that the game uses cookies. Do cookies invade my privacy? Are they harmful in any way?
The game uses a single cookie in order to identify you. This cookie does not contain your name, e-mail address, or any other personal information about you. Also, this cookie cannot be altered or retrieved by sites other than POKERSQUARES.COM. In general, cookies are not dangerous. Cookies cannot be used to invade your privacy. Cookies cannot be used to watch where you surf. Cookies cannot be used to violate the security of your computer. And finally, cookies cannot contain viruses or any other executable code.
When the game is loading, is it being installed on my computer? Is there any possibility of getting a virus?
The game is never installed on your computer. When the screen says "loading game", what actually happens is that game graphics are being pre-cached into your browser in order to create a smooth game experience. No executable code whatsoever is installed on your computer and there is no possibility of getting a virus.
My Netscape browser becomes very slow or crashes if I play for a really long time. What's wrong?
Many versions of Netscape 4.x suffer from known memory leaks in their HTML rendering engines, which means that the longer you use the browser during a particular browsing session, the more memory the browser allocates. The browser eventually becomes very slow because it starts swapping memory to disk, until it finally runs out of memory and crashes. Netscape has stated that these memory leaks have been fixed in Netscape 4.51 and 4.6, however if your browser does crash, we strongly recommend switching to Internet Explorer 4.x or 5.x.
Why can't I maximize the game window?
The game window is not meant to be maximized. Actually, it can't be maximized in Netscape, and trying to do so in Internet Explorer will eliminate the window. The window can be minimized and restored however (for those people playing at work who want to quickly hide the game from the boss walking buy :-). The game was designed and formatted for the small window size in order to take up as little screen real estate as possible and be compatible with systems that have 640x480 resolution.
The game doesn't look right. What should I do?
You may have some old or outdated images in your browser cache. Try clearing your cache. If that doesn't help, try reducing or increasing the font size in your browser. If neither of these work, you may need to upgrade your browser to a newer version.
Sometimes the site is slow. Why is that?
The site may be slow for any number of reasons - your modem may be slow, your computer may not have enough memory, your browser cache may not be enabled, or there may be Internet congestion. Although we use very fast servers (Pentium III 550mhz) with fast internet connections (155mbps backbone to the net), there may be times when conditions beyond our control may affect the speed of the site.
Some of the advertising on your site seems irrelevant to me. Is there anything that can be done?
Yes, you can adjust your anonymous advertising profile by clicking on the narrow blue "CUSTOMIZE" button on right side of any banner. Afterwards, the advertising you view should be more relevant to you.
My company is interested in buying your site or building a business relationship with your site. What should I do?
Although this site is not really for sale, we are interested in talking to established and well known companies about possible ideas for purchase, co-marketing, co-branding, advertising sales, revenue sharing, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, licensing, and other mutually beneficial business relationships. Contact us at the address listed on the about us page.
Did you invent this game?
No, we did not. The game of poker squares dates back to the late nineteenth century, and was first documented as poker squares in the Hoyle series of card rule books in the early 1930's. Many other card rule books have also documented the game, calling it poker squares, poker solitaire, or poker patience. The rules for the game are widely known and in the public domain. Various versions of the game have existed for the PC, Mac, Palm Pilot, Unix, and other computers since 1985.
Can I link to your site from my web site?
Yes, we welcome and encourage sites that link to us. In fact, based on reviews of our referral server logs, any site that brings us significant traffic will be contacted and rewarded with free advertising. When linking to our site, we ask that you do not place our site in a frame within your site.
Can I copy this game and use it on my site?
No, you absolutely cannot. This game took untold time, money, and energy to develop. If you copy any text, graphics, design elements, or code from our site, you are infringing on our intellectual property rights, and you will probably hear from our lawyers. Sorry to put things so bluntly, but our investors require us to protect what we have built. Please see our terms and conditions agreement for more details.
What happens if I attempt to cheat the game?
We have numerous ways of preventing and detecting cheating. By using strong cryptographic authentication and log reviews, we are 100% confident that we can detect any cheating. If you attempt to cheat you will be banned from the site entirely. Furthermore, we reserve the right to take legal action against anyone attempting to harm or defraud this site.
I have a question that is not in the FAQ. What should I do?
You may leave feedback by clicking the feedback link at the top of the page.