Content Table:
Golf Solitaire Strategy Guide
Golf Solitaire (sometimes also referred to as Forty Thieves) is a fun solitaire game, requiring great anticipation and a good degree of luck. While it is not possible to win every game, there are certain strategies you can use to greatly increase your chances of winning Golf Solitaire, and this article will go into some of them.
Understanding the Basics
The most important thing to realize with Golf Solitaire is that Kings and Aces are special. Every other card in the deck can be removed onto cards ranked directly above or below the card. For example, a 5 can be removed onto a 4 or a 6.
But Aces and Kings are different:
- An Ace can only be removed onto a Two.
- A King can only be removed onto a Queen.
This means you have to be particularly careful when you use Queens and Twos.
Count Your Kings and Aces
The very first thing you should do when you start a game of Golf Solitaire is to count all the Kings and Aces. If all the Kings are in the tableau, then every time you remove a Queen, you MUST make sure you also remove a King, or you won’t be able to finish the game. If a Queen is dealt from the Talon, then you MUST remove a King straight away. If you can’t, you may as well undo or start a new game.
Similarly, if all four Aces are in the tableau, then every time you remove a Two, you MUST make sure you also remove an Ace, and if a Two is dealt from the Talon, then you must immediately remove an Ace.
If all the Aces and Kings aren’t out, then you need to keep track of how many Twos and Queens have been dealt from the Talon. In this case, you don’t need to use every Two or Queen on an Ace or King, but if you keep track and work out that there are not enough Twos or Queens left to remove all the remaining Aces or Kings, then it is time to undo.
Enhancing Your Winning Chances
Just being aware of this one facet of Golf Solitaire will immediately increase your chances of winning. It takes about 5 seconds to count the Aces and Kings at the start of the game, but it will help dramatically improve your winning percentage!
There are other ways to further increase your chances of winning Golf Solitaire:
- If you have a choice between removing two cards of the same rank, one being the last card in its stack and the other having cards above it, then make sure you choose the card in the stack with cards above it. Removing the last card in the column will not help you remove any other cards, but removing the card with cards above it will expose new cards, which will help form new sequences and give you more options later in the game.
- Look at which cards will be exposed when given a choice between removing cards of equal value. Consider the following:
- Is the exposed card an Ace or a King? If so, it might be worthwhile exposing it so it can be removed if a Two or a Queen is dealt.
- Does the exposed card help with any other potential sequences at the moment? If so, then it may be worth exposing because it might help make a longer sequence later. For example, if there are a lot of Fours and Sixes exposed at the moment, then exposing a Five might be worthwhile.
Planning Your Moves
Finally, it’s often worth planning out sequences and playing around with alternatives to see how long a sequence you can make. You will often find that the first sequence you can see in Golf Solitaire is not the best one, and a different sequence might help you remove a lot more cards. You may find it helps to point your finger at the screen while planning out your sequence. This seems to help the thinking process and helps you to remember the sequence!
Conclusion
If you follow these strategies, will you win every game of Golf Solitaire? No, you won’t. There is too much luck involved, and most games will not be finishable. However, you will greatly increase your chances of winning Golf Solitaire and spend less time trying to finish games that can’t possibly be won.