How is Josephine Solitaire Different?

If Forty Thieves has been one of your go-to games, you should be able to pick up Josephine solitaire quickly. There is an important difference though: Josephine solitaire is a bit simpler because you can now move more than one card at a time.

The object of the game is to transfer all playing cards from the tableau piles to the foundation piles in order by suit, ascending.  as is the case with all solitaire variations. You’ll need to account for the stock pile, too — use all cards and place these in the foundations to win.

Once you develop a winning strategy, you should expect to win 25% or more of your games. 

Game Setup

  1. Shuffle two decks of cards to begin a new round of Josephine solitaire.
  2. Ten stacks of four cards each, face up, should be laid out; these are the tableau piles. The rest of the cards should be placed face down and off to the side, this is the stock pile.
  3. Eight foundation piles will be present; they must start out empty. After the game starts, you will construct these from ace to king in order of ranking suit.
  4. The game will be configured for you if you’re playing online or on an Android, iPad, or another device.

The Goal of the Game

Moving every card from the tableau and stock pile to the eight foundation piles in progressive order is the goal of the game.

Therefore, you may start the first pile with an ace of spades, the second one with an ace of diamonds, and so on. You must do the same when constructing each foundation pile.

You have plenty of cards to build up in the tableau columns before completing the foundations because only forty cards are initially in play. Only one card from the discard pile may be revealed and put at once; there are no reshuffles or redeals.

Rules of Josephine Solitaire

If you’re used to playing traditional Klondike solitaire, the Josephine solitaire game’s rules might appear challenging, but you’ll get the hang of it.

Here are the rules:

  • A suitable foundation must be built up: rising in rank (e.g., ace of hearts to king of hearts)
  • Tableau piles should be constructed down in rank. Let’s say, a black 7 of spades would be stacked on top of a black 8 of spades.
  • If you have a properly constructed sequence, you can move card groups together.
  • Any card may be placed in an empty tableau column; thus, any card or sequence of cards may be transferred into an empty tableau pile likewise.

Winning Strategies

When playing solitaire, you can rely on all the luck in the world, but without a sure plan of attack, you’ll find it difficult to win.

Empty one column in the tableau as soon as you can

Emptying one tableau column as soon as you can is a good strategy to start with. You can store kings on this pile or utilize it to play additional cards from the stock and discard piles by placing any card or created sequence there. Also, this will prevent lower-value cards from becoming stuck in the tableau columns.

Pay close attention to low cards that high cards have trapped

Avoid building in a tableau if you see low-value cards near the bottom of your tableau column. These cards can be tricky to move, especially when you’re just starting to assemble a foundation pile, so you don’t want to let them stay stuck.

Try not to spam the stock and discard pile since this could result in these lower-value cards becoming trapped. Instead, use an empty column to help free up cards by placing sequences there.

Bear in mind that you don’t have to move a card from the stock

You’ll turn to the stockpile when you’ve run out of options. So, there are situations when adding the stock card to the tableau is a mistake.

If you are able to place a card, take care to avoid making any lower-value cards become stuck. Just because a move is available doesn’t mean you have to use it. Therefore, choose your move wisely, and only place cards when it is the best move.