Racing Aces

Game Objective:

The primary goal in Racing Aces Solitaire is to be the first to advance your chosen suit (represented by an Ace) to the finish line by revealing and placing a set number of cards of that suit in a row. The suit that reaches the target number of cards first is declared the winner.

Setup & Layout:

• Deck: Use a standard 52-card deck.
• Aces as Horses: Remove all four Aces from the deck. Place them vertically in a column on the table. Each Ace represents a "horse" and corresponds to its suit (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades).
• Racetrack: The area to the right of each Ace forms that suit’s "track." Cards of the same suit will be placed in a horizontal row extending from their Ace.
• Stock: Shuffle the remaining 48 cards and place them face down as the draw pile (stock).
• Face Orientation: All Aces are face up. Cards drawn from the stock are revealed and placed face up in their respective rows.

Racing Aces Solitaire Rules:

• Card Advancement: On each turn, flip the top card from the stock. Place it face up at the end of the row corresponding to its suit (e.g., a 7 of Hearts goes in the Hearts row).
• No Building or Rearranging: Cards are only placed in the row of their suit as they are drawn. There is no building in sequence, by color, or by suit order within rows.
• No Movement Between Rows: Once a card is placed in a row, it cannot be moved to another row or repositioned.
• Betting (Optional): Players may place bets on which suit will win. This is an optional rule and not essential for solitaire play.

Gameplay:

• Turn Sequence:
• Draw the top card from the stock.
• Identify its suit.
• Place it face up at the end of the corresponding suit’s row, extending that suit's "horse" forward on the racetrack.
• Continue Drawing: Repeat the process, drawing one card at a time and placing it in its suit’s row, until one suit reaches the predetermined finish line (commonly 10 cards in a row, including the Ace).
• No Legal Moves: If the stock is depleted and no suit has reached the finish line, the game ends with no winner.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Winning Condition: The first suit to have the required number of cards (usually 10, including the starting Ace) in its row is the winner.
• Losing/Unwinnable State: If the stock runs out before any suit reaches the finish line, the game ends with no winner. In competitive or betting variants, players who did not bet on the winning suit lose their bets.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Filling Empty Spaces: There are no empty spaces to fill; all cards are simply added to the end of their suit’s row as they are drawn.
• Multiple Suits Reaching Finish Simultaneously: If two or more suits reach the finish line on the same draw, the suit that was completed first (the first card placed in the row during that draw) is considered the winner.
• Deck Exhaustion: If the deck is exhausted and no suit has reached the finish line, the game ends in a draw.
• Player Bets (Optional): In multiplayer or party variants, players may bet on which suit will win. Bets are resolved at the end of the game.

Definitions:

• Ace: The card representing the starting point for each suit’s row.
• Stock: The face-down pile of cards from which cards are drawn.
• Row (Track): The horizontal sequence of cards extending from each Ace, representing that suit’s progress in the race.

This guide is based on the most widely referenced rules for Racing Aces Solitaire as described in party and card game resources. If you require clarification or rules for a different variant, please specify.