Ultimate Book of Card Games: The Comprehensive Guide to More Than 350 Games by Scott McNeely Page A
Authors: Scott McNeely
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moved are properly sequenced in descending rank. Continuous ranking is not permitted, so you may never build kings on aces. The ultimate goal, of course, is to build descending sequences of
matching
suits, and this always should be your default choice when choosing which cards to build.
Whenever a face-down tableau card is the leading card in its column, turn it face up. Fill vacant tableau slots with any available card (or group of properly sequenced cards).
When you’ve exhausted all moves, deal one card face up from the stock to each of the ten tableau piles. The only limitation here is that you may not deal a stock card to an empty tableau slot. Instead, you must first fill the empty slot with a card (or cards) from an existing tableau pile. There is no redeal in Spider. The game ends once the stock is exhausted and you’re out of moves.
----
VARIATION: SPIDERETTE
If Spider is too intimidating, try its simplified cousin, Spiderette, where the odds of winning are a gentler 1 in every 3 hands. The rules are identical, except that you play Spiderette with one deck of cards instead of two. Start by dealing seven tableau piles, with the number of cards per pile increasing leftto right from one to seven cards. The top card in each pile is dealt face up. As in Spider, the goal here is to remove all cards from the tableau by building sequences (four total) of thirteen cards by suit and in descending rank from king to ace.
ST. HELENA
DIFFICULTY :
medium
TIME LENGTH :
long
DECKS : 2
St. Helena throws a wrench in the standard foundation-building process, which makes the game both memorable and hard to win. The odds of winning are 1 in every 12 hands.
HOW TO DEAL Start with two fifty-two-card decks (104 cards total), and remove all kings and aces; place these with aces in the top row, kings in the bottom row. These are your foundations. Shuffle and deal twelve tableau piles (eight cards per pile) in a box surrounding the foundations, like so (T = tableau, F = foundations):
WINNING Build eight total foundations: four by suit in ascending rank from ace to king, four by suit in descending rank from king to ace.
HOW TO PLAY The topmost tableau cards may be played to the foundations or another tableau pile. Within the tableau, you may build up or down by rank, regardless of suit or color. Only one card may be moved at a time. Ranking is not continuous. Fill tableau spaces with any available card.
St. Helena has one truly unique feature. On the first deal only, cards from the top tableau row may be played only to king foundations; cards from the bottom row may be played only to ace foundations; and cards from the sides may be played to both. These restrictions don’t apply on the second and third deals.
When you’re out of moves, pick up the twelve tableau piles in reverse dealing order, turn them over (do not shuffle), and redeal cards one at a time to the twelve tableau piles until you run out of cards. You are allowed two redeals in St. Helena.
STALACTITES
DIFFICULTY :
medium
TIME LENGTH :
short
DECKS : 1
If you paid attention in school, you’ll remember that stalactites are mineral deposits that “grow” down from the ceilings of caves. This game “seeds” its stalactites with four cards and forces you to build foundations down from there. The game is easy to master but hard to win (odds of winning are 1 in every 7 hands).
HOW TO DEAL Start with a fifty-two-card deck, and deal four cards face up. These are your “starter” cards. Leave space below for a row of four foundation piles, and below that deal eight tableau piles with six cards each, all face up. Leave room for a reserve pile, which you may use later in the game.
WINNING Build four foundations in ascending rank (suits and colors do not matter), each starting with the card one rank higher than its corresponding starter card. For example, if the starter cards are 4, J, A, 7, yourfoundations must start with 5, Q, 2, 8, respectively. You play
matching
suits, and this always should be your default choice when choosing which cards to build.
Whenever a face-down tableau card is the leading card in its column, turn it face up. Fill vacant tableau slots with any available card (or group of properly sequenced cards).
When you’ve exhausted all moves, deal one card face up from the stock to each of the ten tableau piles. The only limitation here is that you may not deal a stock card to an empty tableau slot. Instead, you must first fill the empty slot with a card (or cards) from an existing tableau pile. There is no redeal in Spider. The game ends once the stock is exhausted and you’re out of moves.
----
VARIATION: SPIDERETTE
If Spider is too intimidating, try its simplified cousin, Spiderette, where the odds of winning are a gentler 1 in every 3 hands. The rules are identical, except that you play Spiderette with one deck of cards instead of two. Start by dealing seven tableau piles, with the number of cards per pile increasing leftto right from one to seven cards. The top card in each pile is dealt face up. As in Spider, the goal here is to remove all cards from the tableau by building sequences (four total) of thirteen cards by suit and in descending rank from king to ace.
ST. HELENA
DIFFICULTY :
medium
TIME LENGTH :
long
DECKS : 2
St. Helena throws a wrench in the standard foundation-building process, which makes the game both memorable and hard to win. The odds of winning are 1 in every 12 hands.
HOW TO DEAL Start with two fifty-two-card decks (104 cards total), and remove all kings and aces; place these with aces in the top row, kings in the bottom row. These are your foundations. Shuffle and deal twelve tableau piles (eight cards per pile) in a box surrounding the foundations, like so (T = tableau, F = foundations):
WINNING Build eight total foundations: four by suit in ascending rank from ace to king, four by suit in descending rank from king to ace.
HOW TO PLAY The topmost tableau cards may be played to the foundations or another tableau pile. Within the tableau, you may build up or down by rank, regardless of suit or color. Only one card may be moved at a time. Ranking is not continuous. Fill tableau spaces with any available card.
St. Helena has one truly unique feature. On the first deal only, cards from the top tableau row may be played only to king foundations; cards from the bottom row may be played only to ace foundations; and cards from the sides may be played to both. These restrictions don’t apply on the second and third deals.
When you’re out of moves, pick up the twelve tableau piles in reverse dealing order, turn them over (do not shuffle), and redeal cards one at a time to the twelve tableau piles until you run out of cards. You are allowed two redeals in St. Helena.
STALACTITES
DIFFICULTY :
medium
TIME LENGTH :
short
DECKS : 1
If you paid attention in school, you’ll remember that stalactites are mineral deposits that “grow” down from the ceilings of caves. This game “seeds” its stalactites with four cards and forces you to build foundations down from there. The game is easy to master but hard to win (odds of winning are 1 in every 7 hands).
HOW TO DEAL Start with a fifty-two-card deck, and deal four cards face up. These are your “starter” cards. Leave space below for a row of four foundation piles, and below that deal eight tableau piles with six cards each, all face up. Leave room for a reserve pile, which you may use later in the game.
WINNING Build four foundations in ascending rank (suits and colors do not matter), each starting with the card one rank higher than its corresponding starter card. For example, if the starter cards are 4, J, A, 7, yourfoundations must start with 5, Q, 2, 8, respectively. You play
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