Play Canister Solitaire Online for Free
Canister is a single-deck Napoleon family patience with an unusual deal: eight columns receive six cards each, but the four middle columns get a seventh card in a partial extra row. All 52 cards are dealt face-up, so the game is pure strategy with no hidden information. Win rate is around 45%.
What is Canister Solitaire?
Canister Solitaire is a single-deck Napoleon family patience played entirely face-up. Eight tableau columns are set up as follows: six rows of eight cards are dealt, then four more cards are placed in a seventh row overlapping columns three through six (the four middle columns). This gives the middle four columns seven cards each and the outer four columns six cards each, for a total of exactly 52 cards. All cards are dealt face-up from the start. Four foundation piles must be built from Ace up to King in suit. Tableau columns build down in alternating colours. Only single cards may be moved between columns; sequences cannot move as a unit. There is no stock.
Canister Solitaire layout
The asymmetric layout is the defining feature of Canister. The four outer columns (1-2 and 7-8) are shallower at six cards, while the four inner columns (3-6) are deeper at seven cards. Because all cards are face-up, you can see every card in every column from the start and plan accordingly. This makes Canister a pure positional puzzle: the difficulty comes from the column depth and the single-card movement rule, not from hidden information.
How to play Canister Solitaire
Canister Solitaire rules and objective
Move all 52 cards to the four foundation piles, each built up from Ace to King in a single suit. A card may be placed on a tableau column if it is one rank lower and opposite in colour to the column's current top card. Only one card at a time may be moved. Empty columns accept any single card. There is no stock and no redeal. Since all cards start face-up, the challenge is purely positional.
Game setup
- Shuffle a standard 52-card deck.
- Deal six rows of eight cards, all face-up, into eight columns.
- Deal four more cards face-up to columns three through six, forming a partial seventh row.
- Reserve space above the tableau for four foundation slots.
- No stock pile is used. All 52 cards are now in the tableau.
Strategies to win Canister Solitaire
- Identify buried Aces and 2s first. Since all cards are visible, locate every Ace and the shortest path to uncovering it. Foundation building cannot begin until Aces are free.
- Clear the shallower outer columns first. Columns with six cards are easier to empty than the seven-card inner columns. A free column provides flexible working space.
- Work the inner columns systematically. The extra seventh card in columns three through six makes them the bottleneck. Plan moves to progressively reduce their depth before the outer columns run out of useful cards.
- Avoid filling empty columns carelessly. With no stock to refresh your options, a column filled with a blocking card cannot be replaced, so every empty column placement must serve a clear strategic purpose.
- Balance suit progress on the foundations. Because tableau movement is one card at a time, pushing one foundation suit far ahead of the others can strand opposite-colour cards with nowhere useful to go.
Canister vs similar Napoleon family games
Canister Solitaire FAQ
Why are four columns taller than the others in Canister?
The name Canister refers to the shape the deal creates: six equal rows of eight plus a partial seventh row in the middle gives the layout a slightly fuller appearance in the centre, somewhat like a canister. The partial seventh row accounts for all 52 cards (4 outer columns × 6 + 4 inner columns × 7 = 24 + 28 = 52) while maintaining a compact, symmetrical-looking layout.
Is Canister Solitaire fully solvable from any deal?
No. Like most solitaire games, Canister deals that block Aces early or create inescapable colour conflicts are unwinnable regardless of strategy. The roughly 45% win rate reflects deals where a skilled player can navigate the positional constraints. The full face-up information means bad positions are usually identifiable within the first few moves.
Can you move sequences in Canister Solitaire?
No. Only one card at a time may be moved in Canister. This single-card restriction combined with the deeper inner columns is what keeps the win rate moderate despite the full face-up information. Players who prefer sequence movement should try Westcliff Solitaire instead.
What happens when a column is emptied in Canister?
An empty column in Canister can receive any single card from another column or from the top of any other column. Because there is no stock, empty columns are a finite resource created entirely by clearing tableau cards. Using an empty column wisely, as a temporary staging area to reorganise adjacent columns, is essential to winning.