Deuces (solitaire)

Deuces

Deuces is a Patience game. See also Glossary of solitaire.
Named Variants	Courtyard, Square
Deck	Double 52-card
Family	Forty Thieves
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Deuces is a solitaire card game which is played with two decks of playing cards. It is so called because each foundation starts with a deuce or two card. It also belongs to a family of card games which includes Busy Aces.

Rules

First, the eight two cards are separated from the deck and placed in two rows to form the foundations. Then, ten cards, four above the foundations and three at each of the left and the right of the foundations, are dealt. These are the bases for the tableau piles.

The foundations should be built up by suit up to kings, then aces. In the tableau, building is down by suit, also aces can be built upon by kings.

The top cards of each tableau piles are available for play on the foundations or on other tableau piles. Sequences, where in part or in whole, can be moved as one unit. Spaces in the tableau are filled only with cards from either the stock or the wastepile.

The stock can be dealt one card at a time, onto a wastepile, the top card of which is available for play on the foundations and on the tableau. There is no redeal

The game is won when all the cards are dealt onto the foundations with the aces on top.

Variations

Below are variations of Deuces, both of which are also akin to Busy Aces.

• In Square, the twos are shuffled in the deck and there are 12 piles in the tableau, four each above, to the left, and to the right of the foundation spaces.
• Courtyard is just like Square, but with aces as bases for foundations.

See also: Solitaire terminology