Preference

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Preference Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the tableau and other play areas to the four foundation piles, building each foundation up in sequence by suit from Ace to King.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Standard 52-card deck (no jokers).
• Foundations: Four piles, each starting with an Ace of each suit placed face up.
• Tableau: Eight tableau piles, each with one card dealt face up.
• Stock: The remaining 44 cards form the stock pile, placed face down.
• Waste: One waste pile, initially empty, used to hold cards dealt from the stock.
• Face Orientation: All tableau cards are dealt face up; foundations are face up; stock is face down; waste is face up as cards are dealt onto it.

Key Play Areas Defined:

• Foundation: Area where cards are built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Tableau: Eight piles where cards are built down by suit.
• Stock: Draw pile for undealt cards.
• Waste: Discard pile for cards dealt from the stock.

Preference Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations:

• Build up by suit, starting from Ace and ending with King (e.g., A♠, 2♠, 3♠ … K♠).

• Only the next higher card of the same suit can be placed on each foundation.

• Tableau:

• Build down by suit (e.g., 7♣ on 8♣).

• Only the top card of each tableau pile is available for play.

• A card may be placed onto a tableau pile if it is exactly one rank lower and of the same suit as the current top card.

• Only single cards (not sequences) can be moved at a time.

• Stock & Waste:

• The stock deals one card at a time, face up, to the waste pile.

• No redeals are allowed; once the stock is depleted, it cannot be reused.

• The top card of the waste pile is available for play to the foundations or tableau.

Gameplay:

• On each turn, the player may:

• Move the top card of any tableau pile to a foundation if it fits the foundation's sequence.

• Move the top card of any tableau pile onto another tableau pile if it is one rank lower and of the same suit.

• Move the top card of the waste pile to a foundation or tableau if it fits the building rules.

• Deal one card from the stock to the waste pile if no other moves are available or desired.

• Introducing New Cards:

• When a tableau pile becomes empty, it is immediately filled from the waste pile.

• If the waste is empty, the empty tableau is filled from the stock.

• If both waste and stock are empty, any single card may be moved to fill an empty tableau.

• No More Moves:

• If no legal moves remain and the stock is exhausted, the game ends in a loss.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: All 52 cards are moved to the four foundation piles, each built up by suit from Ace to King.
• Loss/Unwinnable: The game is lost if no further moves are possible and the stock is empty, preventing completion of the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Tableaus:

• Empty tableau spaces are automatically filled from the waste pile.

• If the waste is empty, fill from the stock.

• If both are empty, any single card may be moved to the empty tableau pile.

• Stock Limitations:

• Only a single pass through the stock is permitted; no redeals are allowed.

• Card Movement Restrictions:

• Only the top card of each tableau or waste pile may be moved at any time.

• Only single cards may be moved; sequences cannot be moved together.

• Automatic Filling:

• The process of filling empty tableau spaces is automatic and follows the order: waste → stock → any card.

• Luck Factor:

• The game is considered to be based entirely on luck, with minimal skill involved.

Note: Preference Solitaire is distinct from classic Klondike Solitaire in that tableau piles build down strictly by suit (not by alternating color), only single cards can be moved, and empty tableau spaces are refilled automatically according to a specific order.