Quick Summary
Forty Thieves Solitaire is a double-deck game notorious for its difficulty. With 104 cards spread across 10 tableau columns, 8 foundations, and a single-draw stock pile, your strategic decisions carry enormous weight. The same-suit-only building rule means far fewer legal moves than most solitaire variants, and many deals are mathematically impossible to win.
This guide covers the core strategies that separate winning players from the rest: creating empty columns, disciplined foundation building, stock pile management, and card counting with a double deck. Whether you are new to Forty Thieves or looking to refine your approach, these principles will help you win more games.
Understanding the Same-Suit Building Constraint
The defining rule of Forty Thieves is that tableau building must follow suit. Unlike FreeCell or Klondike where you alternate colors, in Forty Thieves a 7 of Hearts can only be placed on an 8 of Hearts, never on an 8 of Diamonds or any other suit. This single rule transforms the entire strategic landscape.
Because building is same-suit only, the number of legal moves at any point is drastically reduced. In a typical Klondike position you might have 10 or 15 possible moves. In Forty Thieves, you might have only 2 or 3. Every move matters more, and a single bad decision can cascade into an unrecoverable position.
Strategic Implication
Because legal moves are scarce, you must think several moves ahead before committing. Ask yourself before every move: "What does this enable? What does it block?" A move that looks harmless can cut off a critical sequence two or three turns later. The same-suit constraint rewards patience and punishes impulsive play.
The double deck adds another layer of complexity. With two copies of every card, you might see two 9s of Spades on the tableau simultaneously. Knowing which copy to prioritize — the one that unblocks more cards beneath it — is a skill that develops with practice.
Empty Column Creation and Preservation
If there is one principle that defines winning Forty Thieves play, it is this: create empty columns and guard them fiercely. An empty column in Forty Thieves is the equivalent of a free cell in FreeCell — it gives you a place to temporarily park a card while you reorganize the board. But in Forty Thieves, empty columns are even more valuable because there are no dedicated free cells to fall back on.
How to Create Empty Columns
At the start of the game, each of the 10 tableau columns contains 4 cards. Scan the opening layout for columns where all four cards can be legally moved — either to foundations (Aces and low cards) or onto other tableau columns following the same-suit descending rule. Columns with matching suits and sequential ranks are the easiest to clear. A column containing the 5, 4, 3, 2 of Diamonds, for example, could be emptied if you can place the 5 on a 6 of Diamonds and move the lower cards to foundations.
When to Use an Empty Column
Use an empty column only when you have a clear plan that ends with the column being empty again, or when the move unlocks significant progress elsewhere. Filling an empty column permanently with a random card is one of the most costly mistakes in Forty Thieves. Every time you fill an empty column without a recovery plan, you lose your most flexible resource.
Pro Tip: The Temporary Park
The strongest use of an empty column is as a one-move temporary park: move a blocking card to the empty column, make your desired move on the tableau, then move the parked card to its final destination. This three-step sequence preserves your empty column while enabling moves that would otherwise be impossible. Always look for these "park and return" patterns before committing to filling a column permanently.
Foundation Building: The Aces-First Principle
In Forty Thieves, the goal is to build all eight foundations from Ace through King in suit. With two copies of each suit, you have eight foundation piles to fill. Foundation building should begin immediately and continue aggressively throughout the game.
Always Play Aces and Twos Immediately
Aces serve no purpose on the tableau — no card can be built on top of an Ace in the tableau since building is descending. Move every Ace to the foundation the moment it becomes available. Twos should follow immediately after, since the only card they could support on the tableau (an Ace) should already be on the foundation. This principle extends to Threes once both Twos of that suit are on the foundation.
Keep Foundations Balanced
A common mistake is racing one foundation far ahead while neglecting others. If you build Spades up to 9 but Hearts is stuck on 3, you may find critical Heart cards buried under Spades you cannot move. Try to keep all eight foundations within two or three ranks of each other. This balanced approach ensures you always have multiple options for foundation plays.
The Safe-to-Play Rule
A card is "safe to play" to the foundation when both copies of the card one rank lower (in every other suit) are already on their foundations. For example, the 6 of Hearts is safe to play if both copies of the 5 of Spades, 5 of Diamonds, and 5 of Clubs are already on their foundations. This ensures you will never need that 6 of Hearts on the tableau to build a sequence. Following this rule prevents you from prematurely stranding cards.
Stock Pile Management: Single-Draw Discipline
The stock pile in Forty Thieves contains 64 cards (104 total minus 40 dealt to the tableau). You draw one card at a time, and in most versions there is no redeal. This means you get exactly 64 draws, and every card drawn either goes to the waste pile or gets played. Managing the stock is a critical strategic skill.
Exhaust Tableau Moves Before Drawing
Before drawing from the stock, make sure you have explored every possible move on the tableau. Foundation plays, tableau-to-tableau moves, and empty column maneuvers should all be exhausted first. Drawing a new card adds to the waste pile, and if that card cannot be immediately played, it may bury cards you need. Every unnecessary draw shrinks your options.
Play from the Waste Pile Whenever Possible
The waste pile operates as a stack — only the top card is available. When you play the top waste card to the tableau or foundation, you reveal the card beneath it, potentially unlocking another useful card. Chains of waste-pile plays can sometimes clear several cards in succession, which is one of the most satisfying and strategically important sequences in the game.
Warning: The No-Redeal Trap
In standard Forty Thieves, you get no redeal of the stock. Once all 64 stock cards have been drawn, you are left with only the waste pile and tableau to work with. This makes early-game waste pile management crucial. If you draw rapidly without playing waste cards, you can end up with a tall waste pile full of buried cards you needed. Pace your draws and prioritize clearing the waste pile regularly.
Tableau Management Across 10 Columns
Forty Thieves gives you 10 tableau columns, each starting with 4 face-up cards. Unlike Spider Solitaire where cards are dealt face-down, every card in Forty Thieves is visible from the start. This complete information is both an advantage (you can plan further ahead) and a burden (there are no hidden surprises to bail you out).
Categorize Your Columns
At the start of each game, mentally categorize your 10 columns into three types. First, clearable columns — columns where all four cards can potentially be moved away to create an empty column. Second, building columns — columns with good same-suit sequences that you can extend by adding cards from elsewhere. Third, dump columns — columns that are already tangled with mismatched suits and ranks, where adding one more card will not make things significantly worse.
Avoid Building Excessively Tall Columns
A column with 8 or 9 cards stacked on it becomes a liability. Even if the sequence is same-suit, moving that many cards requires significant board reorganization. Try to keep columns manageable — ideally 6 or fewer cards. When a column starts growing too tall, look for opportunities to offload cards to the foundation or redistribute them across other columns.
Only Move One Card at a Time
A critical rule that trips up new players: in Forty Thieves, you can only move one card at a time from the tableau, not entire sequences. Even a perfectly ordered same-suit run of 10-9-8-7 must be moved one card at a time, each requiring its own destination. This is why empty columns are so vital — they provide the temporary storage needed to disassemble and reassemble sequences. Planning a multi-card move requires counting your available empty columns and ensuring you have enough to complete the operation.
Card Counting with the Double Deck
Forty Thieves uses two standard 52-card decks shuffled together, giving you 104 cards with two copies of every card. This double deck introduces a card-counting dimension that does not exist in single-deck games. Tracking which cards have appeared and which remain in the stock can give you a significant strategic edge.
Track Key Cards
You do not need to track all 104 cards. Focus on tracking the cards you need most — typically the next card needed for each foundation and any card that would let you clear a column. If you need a 6 of Clubs and you can already see both copies on the tableau, you know the stock cannot help you with that specific need. Conversely, if neither copy has appeared, there is a reasonable chance one will come from the stock.
Use Duplicate Cards to Your Advantage
The double deck means two Aces of each suit, two Kings of each suit, and two of everything in between. This redundancy can be a lifeline. If one copy of a critical card is buried deep in a tangled column, the second copy might appear from the stock. When planning your strategy, always consider whether a card's duplicate might rescue you from a seemingly dead-end position.
Counting Shortcut
At the start, 40 of 104 cards are on the tableau and 64 are in the stock. As the game progresses, note when both copies of a rank-suit combination are visible. If both 8s of Hearts are on the tableau, you know with certainty that no 8 of Hearts will come from the stock. This certainty lets you make more confident decisions about whether to wait for a card or pursue an alternative strategy. Even rough counting — "I have seen one Jack of Diamonds, so there is still one in the stock" — is far better than no counting at all.
Win Rate Expectations and Measuring Progress
Forty Thieves is one of the hardest standard solitaire variants. Understanding realistic win rate expectations helps you gauge your progress without becoming discouraged. Many deals are mathematically unsolvable, so even perfect play cannot achieve a high win rate.
| Skill Level | Win Rate | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 1-3% | Learning the rules, making many avoidable mistakes |
| Intermediate | 4-7% | Understands empty columns and foundation priorities |
| Advanced | 8-12% | Consistent stock management and card counting |
| Expert | 12-15% | Optimal play with deep lookahead and planning |
These figures assume random deals without undo. With unlimited undo (as in our online Forty Thieves), your effective win rate will be higher since you can explore different lines of play and backtrack from mistakes. Use the table above as a relative benchmark rather than an absolute target.
The key insight is that Forty Thieves is a game where you win by losing less. Every decision that avoids a dead end or preserves flexibility adds a fraction of a percent to your long-term win rate. Improvement is gradual but measurable — if you are winning 3% of games today, applying the strategies in this guide consistently can push you to 7% or 8% within a few weeks of practice.
Putting It All Together: A Game Plan
Here is a step-by-step framework for approaching each Forty Thieves game from deal to finish.
Opening: Assess and Clear (First 2 Minutes)
Scan all 10 columns before making any moves. Identify Aces for immediate foundation plays, find columns that can be cleared, and note same-suit building opportunities. Move all Aces and Twos to foundations. Make any obvious same-suit tableau moves. Your goal is to create at least one empty column before touching the stock pile.
Early Game: Build and Draw (Next 5-10 Minutes)
Begin drawing from the stock one card at a time. After each draw, check if the card can go to a foundation, then check if it can extend a same-suit sequence on the tableau. If neither, it goes to the waste pile. Between draws, continue looking for tableau moves that free up cards or create empty columns. Play from the waste pile whenever the top card becomes useful.
Mid Game: Manage and Count (Ongoing)
As foundations grow, more cards become safe to play. Keep foundations balanced and track which key cards remain in the stock. Use empty columns for temporary parking to enable multi-card maneuvers. Identify which columns are "live" (still productive) and which are "dead" (hopelessly stuck). Focus your energy on live columns.
End Game: Push for the Win (Final Stretch)
Once the stock is exhausted, you are in the endgame. Success depends on how well you managed the earlier phases. If you have empty columns and balanced foundations, you may be able to cascade remaining tableau cards to the foundations. If the board is locked with no legal moves, the game is over. Learn from each loss by identifying the decision point where things went wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good win rate for Forty Thieves Solitaire?
A win rate around 10% is considered strong for Forty Thieves Solitaire. Most casual players win fewer than 5% of games, while experienced players with sound strategy can push toward 10-15%. The game is one of the hardest standard solitaire variants due to the same-suit building constraint and single-card stock draw, so even a modest win rate represents skilled play.
Should I always play Aces to the foundation immediately in Forty Thieves?
Yes, almost always. Aces and Twos should be moved to foundations as soon as they appear. They serve no useful purpose on the tableau since no card can be built on top of an Ace, and moving them frees tableau space. The only rare exception is if moving an Ace would prevent you from accessing a more critical card underneath it in the same turn, but this situation is uncommon.
How important are empty columns in Forty Thieves?
Empty columns are the single most valuable resource in Forty Thieves. Because building is restricted to same-suit only, you have far fewer legal moves than in games like FreeCell or Klondike. An empty column acts as flexible temporary storage where any card can be placed. Creating and maintaining empty columns should be a primary strategic goal throughout the game.
Why is Forty Thieves harder than other solitaire games?
Forty Thieves is harder for several reasons: the same-suit building constraint drastically limits legal moves, the stock pile deals only one card at a time with no redeal, the double deck means 104 cards must be managed across just 10 tableau columns and 8 foundations, and many deals are mathematically unsolvable regardless of player skill. These factors combine to produce win rates far below games like FreeCell (99%+) or Klondike (30-40%).
Should I focus on one foundation or build all eight evenly?
In general, you should build foundations evenly rather than racing one suit ahead. Building one foundation far ahead of the others can trap cards you need on the tableau. For example, if you have built Hearts up to 8 but Diamonds is still on 2, you may find Diamond 3s and 4s buried under Hearts you cannot move. Keep foundations within two or three ranks of each other when possible.
Ready to Play?
Put these strategies to the test. Forty Thieves rewards patience, planning, and discipline — every game is a puzzle worth solving.