How to Play Demon Solitaire

The game is a version of Canfield Solitaire with two decks of cards, but with a different amount of reserve and tableau cards. Canfield is often called Demon in reference to the difficulty of the game.

Objective

Your goal is to move 103 cards to the 8 foundation piles in ascending order by suit. 1 card is already placed in the foundation for you.

The Setup and Play Area

Foundation piles: These are 8 piles where you aim to move all cards in ascending order. Each foundation pile will begin with a starting number, which is determined by a single card placed in the foundation at the beginning of the game. For example, if the starting card is a 7 of Hearts, it would be followed by an 8 of Hearts and so on until the final card is the 6 of Hearts. All other foundation piles would start with an 8 as well. Successfully placing all 104 cards in the foundation wins the game.

Tableau piles: These are the 8 face-up cards in the middle of the game.

Reserve pile: These are the 40 cards laid out in a column on the left, with the last card facing up. Whenever a tableau column opens up, the bottom reserve card is placed there.

Stock pile: The rest of the cards, or 54 cards, go into the stock pile. You can go through the stock pile unlimited times.

Waste pile: Cards are moved 3 at a time from the stock pile to the waste pile. The top card of the waste pile can be moved either to the foundation or the tableau if it is a legal move.

Available moves

• Foundations are built in ascending order based on the starting card.
• Tableau cards are sequenced in descending order, alternating between colors. For example, you can move a 7 of Clubs on top of an 8 of Hearts.
• You can move multiple cards at a time in the tableau. To move a group of cards, they must be sequenced, and the top card of that group must be placed on top of another card of the opposite suit and one rank higher.
• The bottom cards of the tableau that are not covered by other cards can be moved to the foundation.
• You dispense cards from the stock pile into the waste pile to introduce new cards in the game. They can then be played into the foundation or tableau.
• If a tableau column is empty, the face-up card from the reserve pile is moved there, and then the next card in the reserve is turned face-up.
• If the reserve pile is empty, any moveable card can be placed in an empty tableau column.
• You win when all the cards have been placed in the foundation.

Strategy

• Try to build the foundations evenly. If one foundation is built immediately in the game, you now have fewer cards of that color to help you sequence.
• Prioritize revealing and getting reserve cards into the game. Focus on creating empty tableau columns to do this.
• If you get stuck, use the undo button. You may not always make the right moves, and you may need to reverse some to win the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the odds of winning?

When looking at 248 random games played, 71 were won, making the win rate 28.634%. This makes Demon Solitaire easier the Double Canfield, which has a win rate of 8.94%. This is because there are twice as many tableau columns in Demon Solitaire, giving you more opportunities to move cards.

What are similar games?

Canfield and Double Canfield have similar rules, with differences in the number of reserve and tableau cards.

What are other popular Solitaire games?

Be sure to check out these Solitaire games:

• Solitaire
• Mahjong
• Klondike
• Spider Solitaire
• FreeCell Solitaire
• Yukon Solitaire
• TriPeaks Solitaire
• Pyramid Solitaire
• Golf Solitaire