Bucket

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Bucket Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau and stock into four foundation piles, building each foundation in ascending order by suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Foundations: Four empty piles designated for each suit (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades).
• Tableau: Seven piles are created. All cards in the tableau are dealt face up in this variant. Each tableau pile begins with a single card, and the remaining cards are placed in the stock.
• Stock: The undealt cards form the stock pile, used to introduce new cards into play.
• Waste: Cards from the stock that cannot be played are placed face up in the waste pile.

Key Play Areas:

• Foundation piles: Build up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau piles: Build down by alternating color, one rank lower.
• Stock pile: Supplies new cards to the tableau or foundations.
• Waste pile: Holds unusable cards from the stock.

Bucket Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
  • Cards are moved to the foundation piles by suit, in ascending order (Ace, 2, 3, …, King).
  • Tableau piles are built down by alternating color and one rank lower (e.g., a red 7 can be placed on a black 8).
  • Only single cards may be moved at a time.
• Building Sequences:
  • Tableau: Build down in rank, alternating colors (red-black-red-black).
  • Foundations: Build up by suit, starting with Ace and ending with King.
• Moving Cards:
  • Cards may be moved from tableau to foundations, from stock to tableau or foundations, and from tableau to tableau, following building rules.
  • Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play.
  • When a card is moved from a tableau pile, the next card beneath (if any) becomes available.
• Empty Spaces:
  • Only a King may be placed in an empty tableau pile.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:
  • Move eligible cards among tableau piles, following the building rules.
  • Move cards to the foundation piles if they fit the ascending suit sequence.
  • Draw cards from the stock pile to the waste pile, then play the top card of the waste to the tableau or foundations if possible.
• If no moves are available in the tableau, draw one card from the stock and place it in the waste pile. Only the top card of the waste pile is playable.
• When the stock is depleted, the waste pile is turned over to form a new stock pile (if allowed by the variant).
• Play continues until all cards are moved to the foundations or no further legal moves are possible.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning: The game is won when all cards are successfully moved to the four foundation piles, building each suit from Ace to King.
• Losing: The game is lost if no further legal moves can be made and cards remain outside the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableau Piles: Only Kings may fill empty tableau spaces.
• Stock Recycle: When the stock is exhausted, turn the waste pile over to form a new stock (if permitted by the variant).
• Single Card Moves: Only single cards (not sequences) may be moved at a time.
• All Cards Face Up: In Bucket Solitaire, all tableau cards are dealt face up at the start, increasing visibility and strategic options.
• No Foundation Reversal: Cards placed in foundation piles cannot be moved back to the tableau.

Note: These rules are based on the official Politaire Bucket Solitaire variant, which emphasizes face-up tableau cards, single-card moves, and strict suit/color building requirements.