Minesweeper, to those who do not know the strategies involved, is a difficult game.

What patterns exist in the game which I can take advantage of? 

> Meta-context: [this question](https://puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/357/how-do-i-win-minesweeper-every-time/358) is an offshoot of the current original question, for which the scope has been changed to be simply pattern-based. Feedback indicated this _was_ [somewhat too broad](https://puzzling.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/159/how-broad-is-too-broad-for-how-do-i-solve-this-puzzle-questions/). **This question has now been edited to address these concerns.** Please contribute to discussion on Meta if you feel inclined.