Acme

Game Objective

The primary goal in Acme Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the deck onto the four foundation piles, building each foundation up in ascending order by suit from Ace to King.

Setup

1. Use a standard 52-card deck.
2. Place four foundation piles, each starting with an Ace (these are dealt face-up).
3. Deal four tableau piles, each with one card dealt face-up.
4. Create a reserve pile with 13 cards: deal one card face-up on top, and the remaining 12 cards face-down beneath it.
5. Place the remaining cards as the stock pile (face-down).
6. Set aside space for a waste pile, which starts empty.

Play Areas Defined:

• Foundations: Four piles, each built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: Four columns, each built down by suit.
• Reserve: One pile of 13 cards (top card face-up, rest face-down).
• Stock: Remaining cards, dealt one at a time to the waste.
• Waste: Receives cards from the stock; top card is always accessible.

Gameplay / Turn Structure

1. On your turn, you may perform any of the following actions:
   • Move the top card of a tableau pile to:
     • A foundation pile (if it is the next rank and same suit).
     • Another tableau pile (if it is one rank lower and same suit).
   • Move the top card of the reserve pile to:
     • A foundation pile.
     • A tableau pile.
   • Move the top card of the waste pile to:
     • A foundation pile.
     • A tableau pile.
   • Move a card from the stock pile to the waste by dealing one card face-up.
2. Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved.
3. When a tableau pile becomes empty:
   • Automatically fill it with the top card from the reserve pile (if available).
   • If the reserve is empty, any card (from tableau, waste, or reserve) may fill the space.
4. Only the top card of each tableau, reserve, or waste pile is available for play.
5. When the stock is exhausted, you may redeal the waste back into the stock once, allowing for two complete passes through the deck.

Building Rules:

• Foundations: Build up by suit, starting with Ace and ending with King (e.g., 2♣ on Ace♣, 3♣ on 2♣, etc.).
• Tableau: Build down by suit (e.g., 8♥ on 9♥, 7♥ on 8♥, etc.).

Winning the Game

• You win by successfully building all four foundation piles from Ace to King in the same suit, using all 52 cards.
• The game is lost or unwinnable if no legal moves remain and not all foundations are complete, or if both passes through the stock are exhausted without completing the foundations.

Key Rules & Edge Cases

• Empty Tableau Spaces: Always filled automatically from the reserve pile if available. After the reserve is empty, any card may fill a vacant tableau spot.
• Reserve Pile: Only the top card is accessible. No cards may be moved into the reserve.
• Stock & Waste: Only one redeal is permitted, allowing for two passes through the stock. The top card of the waste is always available for play.
• Movement Restrictions: Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences cannot be moved. Cards cannot be moved from the foundation once placed.
• Legal Moves: Only the top card of tableau, reserve, or waste piles may be played. Cards must match strict suit and rank requirements when building on tableau or foundations.
• Unwinnable State: If all possible moves are exhausted and foundations are incomplete, the game ends in a loss.
• Special Note: Acme Solitaire is considered a difficult variant, with only about 15% of deals statistically winnable.

Definitions:

• Foundation: A pile where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: Columns where cards are built down by suit.
• Reserve: A holding pile of 13 cards, only the top card is available.
• Stock: The remaining undealt cards, drawn one at a time to the waste.
• Waste: Discard pile for cards drawn from the stock; only the top card is accessible.