How to Play Lucas Solitaire

Lucas Solitaire is a one-deck version of Forty Thieves where Aces are already placed in the foundation, and the tableau has 13 columns.

Objective

The goal is to move 48 cards from the stock pile and tableau into 4 foundation piles by suit in ascending order from Ace to King.

The Setup and Play Area

Tableau piles: This is the area where cards are placed face-up in 13 columns of 3 cards each, totaling 39 cards.

Foundation piles: These are the 4 piles at the top of the game where 4 Aces are placed in each pile. Cards are placed by suit in ascending order from Ace to King.

Stock pile: The remaining cards, or a total of 9 cards, are face-down in the stock pile. You are allowed a single pass through the stock pile, and cards are drawn 1 at a time.

Waste pile: Cards drawn from the stock pile that cannot be placed in the tableau go to the waste pile.

Available moves

• Only Aces can start in the foundation, and subsequent cards must be in ascending order by suit. For example, only a 2 of Spades can be played on an Ace of Spades.
• Only the last card in the tableau column is playable, and it can either be moved to the foundation or on top of another card of the same suit, one rank higher. A 5 of Spades, for example, can be moved on top of a 6 of Spades.
• Unlike Klondike, you cannot move a group of sequenced cards in the tableau.
• If a tableau column is empty, any playable card can be placed there.
• You win when all cards are placed in the 4 foundations.

Strategy

• Create empty columns to move cards and unblock others.
• If you have an empty column, try to place cards of higher ranks to help you create longer sequences in that column. Also, late in the game, consider moving cards from the stock pile into empty columns to get them into the tableau.
• Immediately move 2s to the foundation.
• The first visible sequence may not always be the best one. Plan out your moves to remove as many cards as possible from the tableau.
• Prioritize freeing up lower-ranking cards to move them into the foundation at the beginning of the game.
• Because foundations are built from Ace to King, try to make low cards available so you can move them out of the tableau into the foundation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are similar games?

Josephine Solitaire, Squadron, Three Pirates, Forty Thieves, and Thieves of Egypt all have similar rules.

What is the probability of winning Lucas Solitaire?

We looked at 61 random games played. Of those, 52 were won, or 85.25%. This makes Lucas considerably easier than Forty Thieves, which has a win rate of 3.69%, and other easier variations like Three Pirates which has a win rate of 24.03%. This is because Lucas Solitaire is only played with 1 deck of cards, and you have 3 more tableau columns or 3 more opportunities to move cards when those columns are emptied.

What are other popular Solitaire games to try?

Try these games:

• Solitaire
• Spider Solitaire
• Klondike
• Yukon Solitaire
• TriPeaks Solitaire
• Pyramid Solitaire
• Scorpion Solitaire
• Golf Solitaire