Object of the game
	Object of the game Remove all cards from the table in the order shown in the right-hand column. The bottom card in the column indicates the first card to remove from the table.  Once you've played through the Training levels, you will bid against the house to win points. To break even, you need to remove 6 cards from each table. The game ends when you have fewer than 40 points to wager. See also How to Play


Game screen


Group Indicator
Top group indicator

Square-shaped cards, or oval-shaped cards, are grouped to move toward the top of the table. Press the UP ARROW KEY once to determine the first card group that can move in this direction. Press the UP ARROW KEY again to determine the second card group that can move in this direction.


Group Indicator
Right group indicator

Hearts and diamonds, or clubs and spades, are grouped to move toward the right of the table. Press the RIGHT ARROW KEY once to determine the first card group that can move in this direction. Press the RIGHT ARROW KEY again to determine the second card group that can move in this direction.


Group Indicator
Left group Indicator

Cards with white-colored backgrounds, or cards with yellow-colored backgrounds, are grouped to move toward the left of the table. Press the LEFT ARROW KEY once to determine the first card group that can move in this direction. Press the LEFT ARROW KEY again to determine the second card group that can move in this direction.


Group Indicator
Bottom group Indicator

Hearts and clubs, or diamonds and spades, are grouped to move toward the bottom of the table. Press the DOWN ARROW KEY once to determine the first card group that can move in this direction. Press the DOWN ARROW KEY again to determine the second card group that can move in this direction.


Winnings

The points you've won. You cannot bid more points than you have. You need more than 100 points to enter your name in the High Scores list, and the game ends when you have fewer than 40 points to wager.


Place your bets

You must bet 8 chips. The house matches your wager. To place a bet, click the chips you want to bid. Once you move a card, the bid is fixed and cannot be changed.


Sequence of play

The Sequence of Play column indicates the order in which you must remove the cards from the table. The bottom card in the column indicates the first card you must remove.


Dice

Use the dice as teleporters. Slide a card into a die and the card will be transported to where the other die is placed. Both dice disappear once they've been used.


Joker

The joker provides an alternate exit. Slide the card you need to remove into the joker and the card will be removed from the table. The joker disappears after one use.


Bumper

The bumper blocks any card in the row or column from moving toward it. It acts as a "card block."


Black hole

Black holes act like another edge to the table. If a card is placed next to one, a black hole can prevent the entire card group from moving and acts as a "group block."

You can also TAB off a card into the hole as if it were the edge of the table. You lose the same amount of chips when you TAB off a card into a black hole as you would when you TAB a card off the table's edge.


Stationary Cards
Card block

You cannot move a card toward another card, or toward a bumper, within the same column or row. For example, this card cannot move even though it is part of the group indicated by the box at the side of the table. It is being "card blocked" by the card to its right

When a card is "card blocked" it is not highlighted, and the rest of the group can move.


Highlighted cards

All cards that can move on the table are highlighted. The only exception is when a card is blocked by the edge of the table, a black hole, or a joker. In this situation, the cards remain highlighted, but the entire card group is blocked from moving. This is called a "group block."


Blocked cards
Group block

This card is blocked by the joker, which is causing a "group block." If a card is blocked by the edge of the table, a black hole, or a joker, it prevents the entire card group from moving. When cards are "group blocked" they remain highlighted even though they cannot move.


Inactive cards

This card is inactive because it is not part of the current card group. To select a different card group, press the arrow key twice.


Exit

Slide the cards to the exit in the lower right corner of the screen in the order shown in the Sequence of Play column on the right.

•	To choose the direction you want to slide a group of cards, press the arrow keys.

•	To select a different card group, press the arrow key twice.

•	To move the group of cards, press SPACEBAR.


How to play
	How to play Remove all 8 cards from the table in the order shown in the Sequence of Play column on the right. The bottom card in the column indicates the first card to remove from the table. Training levels start with 5 cards on the table. Betting levels (Easy, Medium, Hard, and Alexey's Challenge) start with 8. Once you've played through the Training levels, you will bid against the house to win points. To break even, you need to remove 6 cards. The game ends when you have fewer than 40 points to wager. The cards move in groups. Positioning a group so that you can remove a particular card and determining a good bid are the keys to winning the game. • Slide the cards to the exit in the lower right-hand corner of the screen. • To choose the direction you want to slide a group of cards, use the arrow keys. A box on each side of the table highlights to indicate the card group that can move in that direction. Each card on the table that can move in the selected group is highlighted with a blue arrow. To select a different card group, press the arrow key twice.  • To move the group of cards, press SPACEBAR.  • If you are stuck, press TAB to knock a card off the table. You can TAB a card off the table or into a black hole, but this will cost you points. • You lose the potential to earn back your chips each time you TAB a card off the table or into a black hole. TAB more than 2 cards off the table and you won't break even. • You cannot move a card toward another card within the same row. Even if the card is part of the group indicated by the box at the side of the table, it cannot be moved and it will not be highlighted. See also Object of the Game How to Bid Game Screen Tips and Strategies Starting a New Game, Resetting, and Exiting


Tips and Strategies
	Tips and strategies The following objects may appear on the table and can improve your game if used strategically:  Bumper  Dice  Black hole  Joker • Place your bets carefully. Winning the game involves accurately predicting how easily you can clear the board, and then actually clearing it.  • Wager as much as possible when the table appears easy to clear. For example, if all the cards are near the exit, use this opportunity to bet high.  • Wager the minimum possible when the table appears difficult to clear. For example, if all the cards are on opposite sides of the table and if the board is filled with black holes (which block cards), bet less.  • Try to group your cards in the center or toward the exit in the lower right-hand corner of the table.  • It is more difficult to move a card group if individual cards are at the edges of the table.  • Quit while you're ahead. Once you've earned a high score, it could be dangerous to continue and risk losing points.  • Use the joker at an advantageous time. Save it for a card that is especially difficult to move to the exit.  • Use the dice to move a card close to the exit, rather than farther away.  • Remember that you cannot move a card toward another card or a bumper within the same column or row. Use these "card blocks" to your advantage by blocking a certain card from nearing the edge of the table or blocking a certain card from nearing the exit before you're ready.  See also How to Play How to Bid Game Screen Scoring


Dice

Use the dice as teleporters. Slide a card into a die and the card will be transported to where the other die is placed. Both dice disappear once they've been used.


Joker

The joker provides an alternate exit to the exit in the lower right corner. Slide the card you want to remove into the joker and the card will exit the table. The joker disappears after its one use.

You can also use the joker as a black hole, and may TAB a card off into it. You lose the potential to earn back your chips for that card, however, when you TAB a card off into a joker, just as you do when you TAB a card off the edge of the table.


Black hole

A black hole acts like another edge to the table. It creates a "group block" and prevents entire card groups from moving.

You can use a black hole to TAB a card off. You lose the potential, however, to earn back your chips for that card when you TAB it off into a black hole.


Bumper

The bumper blocks any card in the row or column from moving toward it. Use it strategically as a "card block."


How to bid
	How to bid Once you've played through the Training levels, you will bid against the house to win points. The game ends when you have fewer than 40 points to wager.  • You are given 100 points at the start of a new game. • You must bet 8 chips, and the house matches your wager. To place a wager 1  Click the chip with the point value you want to bet.  With 100 points to start, you can click the red 5-point chip to bid 40 points (clicking once automatically bids 8 chips), or the blue 10-point chip to bid 80 points (clicking once automatically bids 8 chips). The bid you make depends on how easily you think you can clear the table. If you have more points later in the game, you can bid 25-point or 50-point chips.  You cannot bid more points than you have. 2  Once you move a card, your chips, plus the 8 chips the house matches, appear in the middle of the betting board between Player and Casino. You can change your bet until you move a card. Once you move a card, the bid is set. Now you can try to win back 16 chips on the betting board - the chips you bid plus the chips the house matched. You can win all or some of the chips. • For each card you remove from the table, you win back a certain number of chips. To break even, you need to remove 6 cards from the table. • For each card you TAB off the table, you lose the potential to win back chips for that card. To break even, you cannot TAB off more than two cards. • You need more than 100 points to enter your name on the High Scores list. See also How to Play Game Screen Scoring Tips and Strategies


Scoring
	Scoring Your score is determined by the bid you make and the number of cards you remove from the table. You do not gain "extra" points for clearing the table of cards. In order to break even for each bet, you need to remove 6 cards from the table, and TAB off no more than 2. The following tables explain the number of chips you receive for removing each card, and the number of chips you lose when you TAB off a card. The number of points you earn for each chip is dependent on your bid. For example, if you bid blue (10 point) chips, the 6th card you remove from the table would be worth 20 points, because you earn 2 chips for the sixth card you remove. Chips earned per card removed Chips lost per card TABBED off See also How to Bid


To start a new game, reset, or exit
	Starting a new game, resetting, and exiting To start a new game On the Game menu, click New, or press F2. To reset a game On the menu bar, click Reset!, or press F3.  Note  When you reset a game, you lose the chips for any cards still on the table. If you have fewer than 40 points, clicking Reset ends your game. To exit a game On the Game menu, click Exit. See also How to Play Game Options


Game Options
	Game options You can customize the game by increasing the difficulty, changing the Training mode start level, adding a player name, and turning the background music and sound effects on or off. You can also reset the high scores, and turn Quick Help and Quick Tips on or off. Click the option you want: Changing the Difficulty Changing the Start Level Changing the Default Player Name Turning the Background Music On or Off Turning the Sound Effects On or Off Turning Ask for Player's Name On or Off Resetting the High Scores Turning Quick Help On or Off Turning Quick Tips On or Off


Start levels
	To change the start level The Muddled Casino Training mode contains 8 levels. The Alexey's Challenge mode contains 10 levels. You can start on a specific level instead of always playing these modes from the beginning.  1  On the Game menu, click Options. 2  In the Start Level section of the Muddled Casino Options dialog box, click the up or down arrow to increase or decrease the start level of a game. See also Game Options


To increase the difficulty
	To change the difficulty 1  On the Game menu, click Options. 2  In the Difficulty section of the Muddled Casino Options dialog box, click Training, Easy, Medium, Hard, or Alexey's Challenge. Note  The levels in Alexey's Challenge were designed by Alexey Pajitnov himself. They are fiendishly difficult! See also Game Options


To add a player name
	To change the default player name You can change the name that appears by default in the High Scores list. 1  On the Game menu, click Options. 2  In the Muddled Casino Options dialog box, type your name in the Please enter your name box. If you want the same name to appear automatically in the High Scores list each time you earn a high score, clear the Ask for player's name check box.  If you want to change the name that appears in the High Scores list each time you earn a high score, select the check box. See also Game Options Ask for Player's Name


To turn the background music on or off
	To turn the background music on or off 1  On the Game menu, click Options. 2  Select or clear the Background Music check box in the Muddled Casino Options dialog box. See also Game Options


To turn the sound effects on or off
	To turn the sound effects on or off 1  On the Game menu, click Options. 2  In the Muddled Casino Options dialog box, select or clear the Sound Effects check box. See also Game Options


To turn Ask for Player's Name off
	To turn Ask for player's name off You can choose to have your name appear automatically in the High Scores list when you earn a high score when you earn a high score, or you can enter your name each time you earn a high score. 1  On the Game menu, click Options. 2  In the Muddled Casino Options dialog box, select the Ask for Player's Name check box if you want to enter a name each time you earn a high score. Clear the box if you want the name in the box to appear automatically in the High Scores list. See also Game Options


To reset the high scores
	To reset the high scores When you reset the High Scores list, all high scores listed return to zero. 1  On the Game menu, click High Scores. 2  In the High Scores for Muddled Casino dialog box, click Reset. See also Game Options


To turn Quick Help on or off
	To turn Quick Help on or off Quick Help provides brief instructions for the game, including the game's Objective and How to Play. 1  On the Help menu, click Quick Help. 2  In the Muddled Casino Quick Help dialog box, select or clear the Skip Quick Help at Startup check box. See also Game Options


To turn Quick Tips on or off
	To turn Quick Tips on or off Quick Tips provide quick information on key game features as they appear or level as they occur. 1  On the Help menu, click Show Quick Tips. 2  When Show Quick Tips is checked, Quick Tips will appear during gameplay. When Show Quick Tips is cleared, Quick Tips will not appear during gameplay. See also Game Options


Credits
	Credits Mir-Dialogue Project Manager: Valeri Mirantsev Concept: Alexey Pajitnov Producer: Andrey Novikov Lead Programmer: Nickolay Reshetnyak Programmers: Vadim Kuznetsov, Nadya Romanchuk Lead Artist: Marina Lenskaya Lead Composer: Igor Krasilnikov Software Test Lead: Yury Romanchuk Technical Support: Sergey Pshenichnikov Microsoft Producer: Zachary M. Drake Game Designer: Alexey Pajitnov Product Planner: Heather Burgess Product Manager: Ann Martinson Localization Project Manager: Laurence K. Smith Technical Support Lead: Steven Kastner   Software Test Leads: Steve Sanford, Matt Gradwohl, Eric Spunaugle Software Testers: Brian Hunt, Paul H. Gradwohl, Sean Kellogg, Shelina I. Gowani Beta Coordinator: Andy Wood Setup Developer: David Shoemaker Help Developer: Maximilien X. Klaisner Writers: Tricia Hoffman, Pamela Janello, Alexandra Shapiro Editor: Amy Robison Art Director: Jennifer Epps Jewel Case Artist: Chris Lassen  Icon Artist: Connie Braat Usability Specialist: Sean Draine   Management: Stuart Moulder, Brian Bennink, Jo Tyo, Craig Henry, Ed Ventura


Your guide to Microsoft Technical Support
	Technical Support For product support, contact the manufacturer of your PC.  Refer to the documentation that came with your PC for the product support telephone number.