What two card games does George play in Of Mice and Men?

In chapters two and three of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, George plays solitaire. In chapter three he plays the game of euchre with the laborer Whit. In chapter two, he is described as shuffling and dealing hands of solitaire, a card game played by one person in which the player tries to collect all the cards from each suit into separate piles starting with the ace as the first card. The playing seems to suggest George's loneliness, one of Steinbeck's main themes. George obviously likes to play cards but doesn't usually have a partner because card games are most certainly too complicated for Lennie. Lennie even questions why cards are made with "Both ends the same." While George plays, he is listening to Candy as the old swamper tells him about Curley and his wife. George is afraid that Lennie will end up fighting Curley and he warns his friend to stay away from Curley.

In chapter three, while the men ominously wait for the gun shot which will kill Candy's dog, George asks if any of the men would like to play a game of euchre. Euchre is usually a game played by four people involving 24 cards from a standard deck including the ace, king, queen, jack, ten, and nine of each suit. Here, Steinbeck suggests they are playing two handed. Whit is one of the laborers on the ranch and, while he sits at the table with George, he talks about the two different whorehouses in Soledad. He soon becomes bored with the game and George winds up again playing solitaire.