Josephine Solitaire Games

How to Play Josephine Solitaire and Outmaneuver the Deck

Ready to take a crack at Josephine Solitaire? This solo card game pulls out two standard decks, 104 cards in all, and sets you up for a strategic showdown. You kick things off by dealing 40 cards face-up into ten tableau piles, four cards each, all out in the open. The leftover 64 cards chill in a stock pile, ready to be flipped one at a time into a waste pile. Your mission is to shuffle all those cards into eight foundation piles, building each suit from Ace to King.

Here’s the gist: you can move the top card of any tableau pile to a foundation if it’s the next in line, or stack it on another tableau card if it’s one rank lower and the same suit, like a 6 of Hearts on a 7 of Hearts. The cool twist? You can drag a whole sequence of same-suit cards together, as long as they’re in descending order, giving you more wiggle room than its cousin, Forty Thieves. Flip stock cards one by one, play what you can, and if a tableau pile empties, toss any card in there to keep the game alive. It’s a brainy blend of planning and a touch of luck, perfect for a solo session that’s tough but doable. Can you stack all eight foundations and call it a victory?