How to Play Aces Up Solitaire: Rules and Tips

Aces Up solitaire needs one deck, four columns and about three minutes. You deal four cards, throw out the low ones, and try to end with nothing on the table except the four aces. The rules fit on an index card, yet a full win is rare enough to feel like an event. This guide covers the setup, every rule, a short worked example, scoring, the common variant and the strategy that wins more often.

What is Aces Up solitaire?

Aces Up is a classic patience game, the kind you play alone with real cards or on a screen. It goes by several names. The Wikipedia article on Aces Up lists Aces High, Idiot’s Delight, Firing Squad and Drivel, and notes that the rules were first recorded in England under the name Drivel Patience in 1900.

If you have heard it called Idiot’s Delight solitaire, it is the same game. Be aware that the Idiot’s Delight name has also been attached to unrelated patience games, so Aces Up is the clearest name to search for.

Unlike Klondike, there are no foundations and no building in sequence. Every move is about one question: is there a higher card of the same suit showing somewhere else?

Setup

Shuffle a standard 52-card deck with the jokers removed. Deal four cards face up in a row. These are the bottoms of your four columns.

The rest of the deck stays face down as the stock. You will deal from it four cards at a time, so the 48 remaining cards give you twelve more rounds after the first deal. Discarded cards go to a single face-down pile and never come back.

Cards rank from 2 (lowest) up to king, then ace (highest). Suits matter for discarding, but colors do not.

Aces Up rules

Here are the Aces Up rules in the order you use them during play.

1. Discard outranked cards

Look at the top card of each column. If two or more top cards share a suit, you can discard every one of them except the highest. For example, with the 4♥ on top of one column and the J♥ on top of another, the 4♥ goes.

Only top cards count. A queen of spades buried under other cards does nothing until it is uncovered. Because aces rank high, an ace can never be discarded, which is why the four aces are what you hope to end with.

After each discard, check again. Removing a card uncovers the one beneath it, and that card may be outranked too.

2. Fill empty columns

When a column is empty, you may move the top card of any other column into it. This is the only way to reach a card that is buried. Moving a card from a column of two or more uncovers a new card, which often sets up the next discard.

You do not have to fill a gap right away. Many players hold an empty column until they see which move helps most.

3. Deal four more when stuck

When no discards or useful moves remain, deal four cards from the stock, one face up onto each column, including any empty ones. Then go back to step 1. Strict rules say you deal only when stuck, though many digital versions, ours included, let you deal whenever you choose.

4. End of the game

The game ends when the stock is empty and no more plays are possible. If only the four aces are left on the table, you win. Otherwise, count the cards that remain. That number is your result, and fewer is better.

A short example

Say the first deal shows 7♣, K♦, 7♦ and 9♣. Two suits are doubled. The 7♣ is outranked by the 9♣, so it goes, and the 7♦ is outranked by the K♦, so it goes too. You now have two empty columns and two cards, K♦ and 9♣.

No more plays are possible, so you deal four: 2♣, 6♠, A♠ and J♥. The 2♣ lands on the first gap, the 6♠ on the K♦, the A♠ on the third gap and the J♥ on the 9♣. The tops are now 2♣, 6♠, A♠ and J♥. The A♠ outranks the 6♠, so the 6♠ goes, which uncovers the K♦ again. Nothing else matches, so you deal again. Notice that the A♠ landed in a column of its own, which is the best place an ace can be.

Scoring and how often you win

Aces Up has no point system beyond the cards you remove. A perfect game discards all 48 non-ace cards. Some players count discards, others count cards left; it is the same measure from opposite ends.

Wins are uncommon. To give an honest number, we ran our own simulation over 200,000 numbered deals of our game with a simple strategy: discard whenever possible, fill a gap with the move that opens a discard or frees an ace, otherwise move from the tallest column, and deal only when stuck. It won about 2.4% of deals, roughly one in 41, and left an average of about 14.5 cards on the table. A careful human player who looks ahead can do better on some deals, but most games end with a handful of cards left.

Common variations

• Aces only in gaps: a much harder version allows only an ace to be moved into an empty column. It removes most of your control over buried cards.
• Deal any time: some versions, ours included, let you deal even when plays remain. The strict rule is to deal only when you are stuck.

Strategy tips for Aces Up

Knowing how to play Aces Up takes a minute. Winning more often comes down to managing the empty columns.

• Free trapped aces first. An ace that sits on top of other cards blocks that whole column forever. When a gap opens, moving that ace into it is usually the best play.
• Pick the move that uncovers a discard. When several cards could fill a gap, look one card down in each column. Move the card that reveals something you can throw out right away.
• Keep kings and queens away from low cards. A high card on top of a low card of another suit buries it. Use gaps to split up those stacks.
• Clear everything before dealing. Each deal covers all four columns at once. Make every discard and use every gap first.
• Use undo when you have it. In a digital game, trying a move and backing up is the fastest way to learn which gap moves pay off.

Play Aces Up online

The quickest way to learn is to play a few deals. Our free Aces Up Solitaire game follows the rules above. Cards you can discard glow, you tap a gap and then a card to move it, and undo and hint are a button away. Every game has a deal number, so you can replay a deal you lost, and your wins and best result are saved in your browser.

For a longer game with building and foundations, try Klondike Solitaire, the version most people picture when they hear the word solitaire.

Frequently asked questions

What are the rules of Aces Up solitaire?

Deal four cards face up in a row. Discard any top card that is outranked by a higher card of the same suit on top of another column, with aces high. Move any top card into an empty column, deal four more when stuck, and win when only the four aces remain.

Is Aces Up the same as Idiot’s Delight?

Yes, Idiot’s Delight is one of the common names for Aces Up, along with Aces High and Firing Squad. The name has also been used for a few unrelated solitaire games, so check the rules if a book uses it.

What are the odds of winning Aces Up?

Low. In our simulation of a simple strategy over 200,000 deals, about 2.4% were won. Careful look-ahead play can win some deals that strategy loses, but most games still end with cards left.

Can you move any card into an empty column in Aces Up?

Under the standard rules, yes. Any top card can move into a gap. A harder variant allows only aces to be moved there.

Can you discard an ace in Aces Up?

No. Aces rank above kings, so no card can outrank an ace. That is why the four aces are the only cards left in a winning game.

Conclusion

Aces Up solitaire is all about one check, a higher card of the same suit, plus smart use of empty columns. Learn those two ideas and you can play a full deal in a few minutes. Try a numbered deal on our Aces Up page, and when you want a break from cards, the Chrome Dino game on our homepage is one tap away.