Play Brisbane Solitaire (Brisbane Patience) Online for Free
What is Brisbane Solitaire?
Brisbane Solitaire is an Australian Patience variant where the opening tableau has ascending column sizes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 face-up cards) instead of the uniform 4-per-column deal. All tableau cards are face-up from the start, remaining cards go to the stock, and the same-suit descending build rule applies. The asymmetric opening creates a completely different early-game dynamic compared to its sibling variants.
Brisbane Solitaire history
Brisbane takes its name from Queensland's capital city, continuing the Australian-city naming convention of the family. Its defining characteristic - the Klondike-style ascending column distribution - was likely adopted to blend the visual familiarity of a Klondike opening with Australian Patience's same-suit mechanics, creating fresh early-game decision points not found in the base game.
Opening deal - Brisbane vs. Australian Patience
Both games deal 28 cards to the tableau and 24 to the stock. The difference is column distribution:
| Column | Australian Patience | Brisbane |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 face-up | 1 face-up |
| 2 | 4 face-up | 2 face-up |
| 3 | 4 face-up | 3 face-up |
| 4 | 4 face-up | 4 face-up |
| 5 | 4 face-up | 5 face-up |
| 6 | 4 face-up | 6 face-up |
| 7 | 4 face-up | 7 face-up |
| Stock | 24 cards | 24 cards |
How to play Brisbane Solitaire
Opening geometry strategy
Brisbane's asymmetric opening creates two immediate opportunities and one immediate risk:
- Opportunity 1: Fast empty columns. Column 1 (1 card) and column 2 (2 cards) can be empties almost immediately. Use these to stage suit chains from the longer columns.
- Opportunity 2: Deep suit visibility. Column 7's 7 visible cards give you more information than any Australian Patience opening. You can plan an entire consolidation sequence before you draw from stock.
- Risk: Suite imbalance. Seven visible cards in one column usually means multiple suits are compressed there. Untangling column 7 without disrupting active suit chains in columns 4-6 requires careful sequencing.
Priority move order
- Clear column 1 immediately. A single-card column is a nearly free empty slot. Move that card to a legal suit attachment in columns 3-5 and you have an empty lane from move one.
- Plan suit chains in columns 5-7 first. These columns have the most cards and the most suit complexity. Identify which suit "owns" each column and route incompatible cards out before they become deeper blockers.
- Use the early empty lanes for routing, not storage. Don't permanently place a card in an empty column unless it's a suit chain anchor you plan to build three or more cards onto.
- Delay stock draw as long as possible. Brisbane's visible start means you have more tableau moves available in the opening than Australian Patience. Maximize tableau progress before consuming the one-pass stock.
- Convert foundations as suits clear. Unlike Yukon-family games, single-card foundation pushes are low-cost in Brisbane because they don't break multi-card stack moves.
Strategies to win Brisbane Solitaire
- Column 7 is a suit puzzle, not a liability. 7 visible cards means you can see the exact suit sequence needed to unlock them. Plan the entire chain before you start moving - moving one card at a time without a complete plan often makes column 7 harder.
- Use early empty columns aggressively. Columns 1 and 2 can both be empties within the first 5 moves in good deals. Two simultaneous empty columns at move 5 is a significant advantage.
- Track mid-columns as "mixed zones." Columns 4 and 5 typically hold a mix of suits from multiple chains. Route cards through them to their correct home columns before the stock becomes critical.
Brisbane Solitaire rules and objective
Build four suit foundations from Ace to King. In the tableau build same-suit descending. Move one card at a time. Draw one card at a time from stock to waste. One pass through stock only. Empty columns accept any card.
Game setup
Seven tableau columns of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 face-up cards (total: 28). Remaining 24 cards form the face-down stock. No redeals.
Brisbane vs. the Australian Patience family
| Game | Column distribution | Redeals | Empty col. rule | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian | 7 × 4 uniform | 0 | Any card | 18-35% |
| Brisbane | 1-7 ascending | 0 | Any card | 20-38% |
| Canberra | 7 × 4 uniform | 1 | Any card | 24-42% |
| Tasmanian | 7 × 4 uniform | Unlimited | Any card | 35-60% |
How difficult is Brisbane Solitaire?
Brisbane is medium-hard - comparable to Australian Patience but with a higher information advantage at start. The opening geometry is both the game's main advantage (more visible cards, easier early empties) and its main risk (column 7 can dominate the board if not untangled carefully). Strong Brisbane games leverage early empty columns much more aggressively than Australian Patience requires.
What is Brisbane Solitaire win percentage?
Skilled players typically see 20-38% win rates - slightly better than base Australian Patience because the early empty-column advantage and total board visibility allow more precise opening planning.
What is the difference between Brisbane Solitaire and Australian Patience?
Opening column distribution only. Australian Patience deals exactly 4 face-up cards to each of 7 columns. Brisbane deals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 face-up cards to consecutive columns (same total: 28). Rules, stock size, redeal policy, and empty-column rules are identical.
Brisbane Solitaire FAQ
Is Brisbane Solitaire harder than Australian Patience?
Not reliably either way. Brisbane starts with more information (all opens are visible) and easy early empties from the short columns. But column 7's depth is a concentrated puzzle that can stall mid-game if approached without a clear plan. On balance, Brisbane plays similarly to Australian Patience in overall difficulty but with a different challenge distribution - easier opening, harder column-7 cleanup.
What is the best Brisbane Solitaire opening strategy?
Move column 1's single card to a legal suit attachment in columns 3-5. This creates a free empty column on move one. Then route cards from column 7 toward matching same-suit chains in columns 3-5, using the empty column to stage temporary blocker moves. Try to have two empty columns simultaneously before ever touching the stock.
Can Brisbane Solitaire be solved consistently?
Not every deal is winnable, but the open-start information advantage means a larger proportion of Brisbane losses are from execution errors than from unfavorable stock order compared to Australian Patience. Players who plan column 7's full extraction sequence before committing to it win more games.
How does stock timing affect Brisbane Solitaire win rate?
Critically. Brisbane's full-visibility start means you should be able to extract 10-15 profitable tableau-only moves before the first stock draw. Players who draw early waste stock cards on positions the tableau could have resolved. The stock is a one-pass resource with no redemption - every wasted draw compounds difficulty.
How do I improve at Brisbane Solitaire quickly?
Study column 7 before making your first move. Map out the suit chains within it and identify which cards are blockers for which suits. Then plan a sequence that routes those blockers out through the short columns while preserving suit continuity in the longer ones. This pre-move analysis takes 30 seconds and dramatically reduces mid-game confusion.
Other solitaire games you may enjoy
For the same rules with a uniform 4-column opening, Australian Patience is the base game. For more recovery options, Canberra Solitaire adds one redeal or Tasmanian Solitaire adds unlimited redeals. For a no-stock same-suit challenge, try Russian Solitaire.