Aces Up Solitaire: Rules and Empty Columns

Aces Up is a very short game with very few choices, and most players want to know how discarding works and what an empty column does. Here are the rules, with the questions people ask.

How discarding works

Four cards are dealt to four columns and the other 48 form the stock. Only the top card of each column can be played. If another column's top card has the same suit and a higher rank, the lower card is discarded and the card below it is revealed. Aces rank highest, so an ace discards any other card of its suit, and an ace can never be discarded. The game does the discarding for you.

Empty columns and dealing

When a column is empty, you may move the top card of any other column into it, not only an ace. Tap the stock to deal one card onto each column, even onto an empty one. There are 12 deals after the opening one, you may deal at any time, and there is no redeal.

Winning and losing

You win when the stock is used up and each column holds one card, an ace. Your real choices are when to deal and which card to move into an empty column. Aces Up is one of the hardest solitaire games, and many deals cannot be won, so new games here come only from deals a solver has won. See the Aces Up guide or play Aces Up. For a less luck-heavy start, compare games in which solitaire to play first.

Frequently asked questions