Lady Betty

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Lady Betty Solitaire is to move all cards from the stock and tableau to the four foundation piles, building each foundation up by suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Use a standard 52-card deck.
• All cards begin face-up in a single stockpile (draw pile).
• The play area consists of:
• Stockpile: The main deck from which cards are drawn, face-up, one at a time.
• Tableau/Waste Piles: Six empty piles where cards from the stockpile are placed. These are sometimes called "waste" or "tableau" piles.
• Foundations: Four empty piles where sequences are built by suit from Ace to King.
• No cards are dealt to the tableau or foundations at the start; all cards are initially in the stockpile.

Lady Betty Solitaire Rules:

• Card Movement:
• Draw one card at a time from the stockpile and place it onto any of the six tableau piles, regardless of suit or rank.
• Once a card is placed on a tableau pile, it cannot be moved to another tableau pile or back to the stockpile.
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available to be moved to a foundation.
• Cards can be moved from tableau to foundation if they follow the foundation building rules.
• Building Foundations:
• Foundations are built up by suit, starting with Ace and proceeding in ascending order to King (e.g., Ace, 2, 3, …, King of the same suit).
• Any Ace may be moved to any empty foundation pile.
• Only cards that are one rank higher and of the same suit as the top card of a foundation may be placed there.
• Tableau Restrictions:
• Cards in tableau piles cannot be moved between tableau piles.
• Only cards from the stockpile can fill empty tableau spaces.
• Once the stockpile is depleted, empty tableau spaces remain empty.

Gameplay:

• Draw the top card from the stockpile and place it on any tableau pile.
• If the drawn card is an Ace, it may be placed directly onto a foundation pile.
• Continue drawing and placing cards, moving eligible cards from tableau piles to foundations as possible.
• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play to the foundation.
• If a tableau pile is emptied, it can only be refilled by placing a card from the stockpile; once the stockpile is empty, empty tableau spaces cannot be filled.
• There is no redeal; once the stockpile is exhausted, play continues only with available tableau and foundation moves.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all 52 cards have been moved to the four foundation piles, each built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Lose: The game is lost (unwinnable) if no further legal moves are possible and not all cards have been moved to the foundations (i.e., cards are blocked in tableau piles and cannot be transferred to foundations).

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Tableau Spaces: Can only be filled by the next card drawn from the stockpile; cannot be filled from other tableau piles or foundations.
• Immobility: Once a card is placed on a tableau pile, it cannot be moved except to a foundation.
• No Redeal: The stockpile is used only once; after it is depleted, no further cards can be drawn.
• Strategic Consideration: Burying lower-ranked cards (especially Aces or sequential cards needed for foundation building) under higher-ranked cards of the same suit in tableau piles can block progress and create unwinnable situations.
• Unique Restriction: Cards cannot be moved between tableau piles at any time.

Definitions:

• Stockpile: The main deck from which cards are drawn.
• Tableau/Waste Piles: Six piles used to temporarily hold cards drawn from the stockpile.
• Foundations: Four piles where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.

This guide provides a precise, rule-focused overview of Lady Betty Solitaire for optimal clarity and reference.