How to play Canfield Solitaire
Canfield was born in Richard Canfield's 1890s Saratoga casino, where gamblers paid for the deck and were paid back per card they managed to play to a foundation. The house kept most of the money — this is one of the hardest classic solitaires — but every game is a fresh puzzle. The goal: build all four 13-card foundations, each starting from the same base rank.
- The base rank — the first foundation card sets the starting rank for all four suits. Builds go up in suit and wrap from King to Ace.
- The reserve — 13 cards, top card playable. Every time a tableau pile empties, the reserve refills it automatically.
- The tableau — four piles building down in alternating colors, wrapping from Ace to King. Any packed run can move as a group.
- The stock — deals three at a time to the waste, with unlimited redeals.
Strategy tips from the casino floor
- The reserve is the game. Every reserve card you free is pure profit — prefer any move that plays or unblocks the reserve top over a prettier tableau move.
- Empty spots are reserve pumps. Moving a whole tableau pile onto another pulls a fresh reserve card into play. With four piles this is your main engine.
- Learn the wrap. A Queen can be one step from an Ace-based foundation — count distance from the base rank, not from Ace. The card one BELOW the base is the last card home; never bury it.
- Don't rush the waste. With unlimited redeals, the same three-card groups come around again — sometimes skipping a playable card changes which cards surface next pass.
- Pull foundations back when it pays. Retrieving a foundation card to extend a tableau run costs points but can unbury the reserve — a trade the casino never offered.
Frequently asked questions
What are the rules of Canfield Solitaire?
Thirteen cards form a reserve with only the top one playable. One card is dealt to a foundation — its rank becomes the BASE every foundation must start from — and four cards start the tableau. Foundations build up in suit from the base rank, wrapping from King to Ace; the tableau builds down in alternating colors, wrapping from Ace to King. The stock deals three at a time with unlimited redeals, and you win by completing all four 13-card foundations.
What makes Canfield different from Klondike Solitaire?
Three things: the 13-card reserve that feeds every freed tableau spot, foundations that start at a random base rank rather than the Ace, and building that wraps around the Ace–King corner in both directions. Klondike has seven tableau piles; Canfield has only four, so the reserve is the real battlefield.
What is the reserve in Canfield Solitaire?
A face-down pile of 13 cards to the left of the tableau, with the top card face up and playable. Whenever a tableau pile empties, the reserve automatically fills the spot. Emptying the reserve is the main obstacle to winning — most lost games die with cards still buried there.
Why do the foundations not start with Aces?
In Canfield the first card dealt to a foundation sets the starting rank for all four suits — a legacy of its casino origin, where Richard Canfield sold decks for $50 and paid $5 per foundation card. If the base is a Seven, every foundation runs 7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A-2-3-4-5-6.
Are Canfield Solitaire games winnable?
Rarely — that was the point of the casino game. Estimates put wins around 1 in 30 with typical play, and even flawless play converts well under half of deals. Treat clearing the reserve as the win condition and celebrate long foundation runs.
How does the redeal work in Canfield?
Cards are drawn from the stock three at a time onto the waste. When the stock is empty, tapping it flips the whole waste back over — preserving order — and you deal through it again. Unlike Klondike Draw 1, redeals are unlimited.
More free card games
Sharpen up on Klondike Solitaire first — Canfield is its ruthless casino cousin — or try FreeCell for a solitaire where skill always wins, and Crescent Solitaire for another wraparound challenge.