Robie

Game Objective:

The objective of Robie Solitaire is to move all cards from the stock and tableau into the 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 foundation piles, one for each suit.
• Tableau: Robie Solitaire is unique in that it features no tableau—there are no columns or rows of cards initially laid out on the table.
• Stock: The entire deck is shuffled and placed face down as the stock pile.
• Waste: Cards drawn from the stock that cannot be played to the foundations are placed face up in a single waste pile.

All cards begin face down in the stock. No cards are dealt face up at the start.

Robie Solitaire Rules:

• Foundations: Build up each foundation by suit, starting with the Ace and ending with the King (A-2-3-…-K).
• Stock Play: Cards are drawn one at a time from the stock pile.
• Waste Pile: If a drawn card cannot be played to a foundation, it is placed face up on the waste pile.
• Card Movement: Only the top card of the waste pile is available for play to a foundation.
• No Tableau: There is no tableau or reserve; all play is between the stock, waste, and foundations.
• Redeals: Once the stock is exhausted, the waste pile is turned over (without shuffling) to form a new stock. The number of allowed redeals may vary by house rule, but the most common rule allows no redeals.

Gameplay:

• Draw the top card from the stock pile.
• If the card is an Ace, immediately play it to its matching foundation.
• If the card can be played to a foundation (i.e., it is the next higher card of the same suit), place it there.
• If the card cannot be played, place it face up on the waste pile.
• Continue drawing and playing cards, always checking if the top card of the waste can be moved to a foundation.
• Play proceeds until the stock is empty.
• If redeals are allowed, turn the waste pile over to form a new stock and continue play.
• If no redeals are allowed, the game ends when the stock is exhausted and no further moves are possible.

Winning & Losing Conditions:

• Win: The game is won when all 52 cards are built into the four foundations by suit in ascending order.
• Lose: The game is lost if the stock is exhausted, no redeals remain (if any), and not all cards have been moved to the foundations.

Special Rules & Edge Cases:

• Empty Stock: If the stock becomes empty and redeals are permitted, turn the waste pile face down to form a new stock, maintaining the order of cards.
• No Tableau: Since there is no tableau, there are no empty spaces to fill or sequences to manipulate—only the top card of the waste and the next card from the stock are ever available for play.
• Unwinnable State: Due to the lack of tableau and strict reliance on card order, the game is considered "nearly unwinnable" as unfavorable card sequences often block progress.
• No Reserve or Cells: There are no reserve piles or free cells in Robie Solitaire.

Note: Robie Solitaire is a highly restrictive and challenging variant, notable for its absence of a tableau and its reliance on the luck of the draw. The game is primarily a test of patience and chance rather than skillful manipulation of cards.