Aces Up Solitaire
How to play Aces Up
Aces Up is a one-deck solitaire game played on four columns, in which you discard the lower of any two top cards of the same suit until only the four Aces are left.
Discard every card but the four aces.
The goal of Aces Up
Finish with the stock used up and a single Ace alone in each of the four columns.
How to set up Aces Up
Four cards are dealt face up, one onto each of four columns. The rest of the deck is the face-down stock.
Aces Up rules
Only the top card of each column is in play. When two tops share a suit, discard the lower one. Aces rank highest, so an Ace is never discarded, and a King goes only when the Ace of its suit shows on another column.
Any top card can move into an empty column. Whenever you choose, deal four more cards from the stock, one onto each column from left to right. There is no redeal.
Click a top card to discard it, or to move it into the first empty column if it cannot be discarded. Drag a card to choose where it goes yourself, and click the stock to deal. With Autoplay off in Settings, only a drag moves a card.
How to win at Aces Up
You win when the stock is used up and each column holds only its Ace. The game shows No moves left once the stock is empty and no discard can be reached, even by lifting cards into empty columns. From there you can undo, replay the same deal or start a new one.
Aces Up strategy tips
Make every discard you can before dealing, because the new cards cover the current tops.
Empty columns are precious; use one to uncover a card that unlocks a discard, not just to shuffle cards around.
An Ace at the bottom of a column blocks nothing, so moving an Ace into an empty column is often a strong play.
Aces Up questions and answers
How do you win at Aces Up?
You win Aces Up by discarding all 48 cards that are not Aces, so that the stock is empty and each of the four columns holds a single Ace. A card can only be discarded while a higher card of its suit is showing on top of another column, and Aces are the highest.
Why can't I discard a King in Aces Up?
Because in Aces Up the Ace ranks above the King, a King can only be discarded while the Ace of its suit is on top of another column. If that Ace is buried or not yet dealt, the King has to wait, or be moved into an empty column to uncover the card beneath it.
Can any card go into an empty column in Aces Up?
Yes. In Aces Up the top card of any column can be moved into an empty column, whatever its rank or suit. Only one card moves at a time, and a card is never placed onto another one; new cards arrive on the columns only when you deal from the stock.
Is every Aces Up deal winnable?
No, some Aces Up deals cannot be won, and most are hard to settle. Over a hundred test shuffles, the quick search the solver makes while dealing proved about one board in nine winnable and next to none lost; the rest it could not decide. Switch on Winnable in the menu beside New deal and each new board is shuffled until the game's solver proves it can be won, a median of six shuffles in testing, unless it runs out of tries. The daily Aces Up board, the same for everyone each day, is dealt that way too, and the Hint button follows a winning line whenever it finds one.
Do you have to discard before dealing in Aces Up?
No. In Aces Up you can deal the next four cards whenever you like, even with discards still available, and no discard is ever forced. Dealing early usually costs you, though, because each new card covers the top of its column and can hide a discard you could have made.