Play Fortune's Favor Solitaire Online for Free
Fortune's Favor is a single-deck Napoleon family game with a distinctive twist: all four Aces are dealt directly to the foundations at the start. Twelve columns of just one card each and alternating-colour building give you a breezy, fast-paced patience experience that rewards quick tactical decisions.
What is Fortune's Favor Solitaire?
Fortune's Favor uses a single standard 52-card deck. The four Aces are removed and placed on the foundations before play begins. Twelve tableau columns are each dealt one face-up card (12 cards), leaving 36 cards in the stock. Four foundation piles (one per suit) must be built from Ace up to King. Tableau columns build down in alternating colours; only one card at a time may be moved. One card is drawn at a time from the stock; no redeals.
How Fortune's Favor differs from Forty Thieves
Fortune's Favor is a single-deck game with alternating-colour building, while classic Forty Thieves is double-deck with same-suit building. Pre-dealing the Aces gives Fortune's Favor a head start and significantly raises the win rate. It is one of the gentlest introductions to the Napoleon family.
How to play Fortune's Favor Solitaire
Rules and objective
Move all 52 cards to the four foundation piles, each built from Ace to King in suit. The Aces are pre-dealt on the foundations. A card may be placed on a tableau column if it is one rank lower and of the opposite colour to the current top card. Only one card at a time may be moved. Empty columns accept any single card. Draw one card at a time from the stock; no redeals.
Game setup
- Remove the four Aces and place them on the four foundation piles.
- Shuffle the remaining 48 cards.
- Deal one face-up card to each of twelve columns.
- Place the remaining 36 cards face-down as the stock.
Strategies to win Fortune's Favor Solitaire
- Play 2s to foundations immediately. With Aces already in place, every 2 can go directly to a foundation pile. Getting 2s up early cascades into 3s, 4s, and so on.
- Leverage twelve columns for flexibility. With a single deck and twelve columns, you have room to spread cards out and avoid blocking critical suits. Use this width to separate colours early.
- Build alternating-colour runs. Unlike same-suit Napoleon variants, Fortune's Favor lets you place red on black and black on red. This flexibility means you can often find productive placements where stricter games would stall.
- Keep two or three columns empty. With only 36 stock cards, maintaining a few open columns ensures you have space for awkward draws without burying useful tableau tops.
Fortune's Favor vs similar Napoleon family games
Fortune's Favor Solitaire FAQ
Why are the Aces pre-dealt in Fortune's Favor?
Pre-dealing Aces removes the randomness of when they appear in the stock. This tilts the game toward skill by ensuring every player starts with the same foundation progress. It also increases the win rate compared to variants where Aces must be found during play.
Is Fortune's Favor a good game for beginners?
Yes. The combination of a single deck, twelve columns, pre-dealt Aces, and alternating-colour building makes Fortune's Favor one of the most accessible Napoleon family games. The win rate of around 55% keeps the experience encouraging without removing the strategic challenge.
How does Fortune's Favor compare to Martha Solitaire?
Both are single-deck, twelve-column games with pre-dealt Aces and alternating-colour building. The key difference is the deal: Martha deals four cards per column with alternating face-up and face-down rows, while Fortune's Favor deals only one face-up card per column. Fortune's Favor is generally easier because you start with more empty columns and no hidden cards.
Can I move sequences of cards in Fortune's Favor?
No. Like all Napoleon family games on this site, only one card at a time may be moved, regardless of tableau ordering.
What card fills an empty column in Fortune's Favor?
Any single card. There is no King-only restriction on empty columns, which adds to the flexibility and higher win rate of this variant.