Play Good Measure Solitaire Online for Free (Fan of Five)
What is Good Measure Solitaire?
Good Measure is a fan solitaire game using one deck where two Aces are sent to foundations during the deal, and the remaining 50 cards are arranged into 10 fans of 5. Fans build downward by any suit, making moves frequent and approachable. With no redeals and a win rate of around 75 percent, Good Measure is the most beginner-friendly game in the fan solitaire family.
Good Measure Solitaire history
Good Measure appears in patience collections as a companion to La Belle Lucie, designed as an accessible entry into fan-based building. The name reflects the game's generous win rate: most deals give the player "good measure" of success when approached methodically. The any-suit build rule and larger fan size make it a natural stepping stone before tackling the stricter same-suit variants.
How to play Good Measure Solitaire
Two Aces are already on foundations at the start. The 10 fans of 5 contain the remaining 50 cards. Build the four foundations from Ace (or 2 for the pre-seeded suits) up to King, one suit per pile.
- Look for Aces on fan tops. The two suits not pre-seeded need their Aces before foundation work can begin for those suits.
- Move any foundation-ready card upward. Because builds are any-suit down, many tableau moves are possible to expose buried cards.
- Rearrange fan tops to unbury cards needed for foundation sequences. A card may go onto any fan whose top card is exactly one rank higher, any suit.
- Empty fans cannot receive new cards, so avoid clearing a fan unless the last card goes directly to a foundation.
- No redeals are available. Win by moving all 50 tableau cards to the four foundations before running out of moves.
Strategies to win Good Measure Solitaire
- The larger fans of 5 mean more cards are stacked per group. Prioritize sending cards to foundations over rearranging fans, since every card removed from the tableau creates new possible moves.
- Balance the four foundation suits. A suit that runs far ahead while another is stalled creates situations where the needed low cards of the stalled suit are buried under many layers.
- Because building is down by any suit, look for long in-sequence runs across fans and plan to peel them off one at a time.
- Do not waste moves. Good Measure has no redeal safety net, so each move should advance either a foundation or expose a card that will.
Good Measure Solitaire rules and objective
Objective: move all cards to four foundations (A to K per suit). Two Aces are pre-dealt to foundations; two remain in the tableau. Fans hold up to 5 cards at the start. Only the top card of each fan is accessible. Fans build downward by any suit. Empty fans cannot be refilled. No redeals.
Game setup
| Element | Setup |
|---|---|
| Deck | 1 standard 52-card deck |
| Foundations | 2 Aces pre-placed; all 4 built A to K by suit |
| Tableau | 10 fans of 5 cards (50 cards) |
| Build rule | Down one rank, any suit |
| Redeals | None |
| Win condition | All 52 cards on foundations |
Good Measure Solitaire variants and similar games
Shamrocks is another any-suit-building fan game but uses fans of 3 with an up-or-down rule and no redeals. La Belle Lucie uses the same fan-of-3 layout but restricts building to same suit only, making it far harder. For an even more relaxed pace, try FreeCell, which gives you cell buffers to maneuver.
How difficult is Good Measure Solitaire?
Good Measure is the easiest game in the fan family. The any-suit-down build rule means that almost every fan top card has at least one valid destination, and the larger 5-card fans give more visibility into each group. Losses usually stem from a few specific blockages: the two Aces that remain in the tableau buried deep in fans while their needed 2s are accessible.
What is Good Measure Solitaire win percentage?
Good Measure wins approximately 75 percent of the time with careful play. This is among the highest win rates in the fan solitaire category, making it an excellent game for players new to the family or those looking for a more relaxing session.
What is the difference between Good Measure and La Belle Lucie?
Good Measure replaces the strict same-suit build rule with any-suit-down building and increases fan size from 3 to 5. It also pre-seeds two Aces and uses 10 fans instead of 18. These changes collectively raise the win rate from around 8 percent (La Belle Lucie) to 75 percent, making Good Measure a fundamentally different experience: approachable and rewarding rather than punishing.
Good Measure Solitaire FAQ
Why does Good Measure Solitaire start with two Aces on foundations?
Two Aces are seeded to foundations during the deal to give an immediate head start and guarantee that at least two suit sequences can begin on the first move. The other two Aces remain in the tableau and must be found and played before those suits can progress.
Can you build fans by suit in Good Measure Solitaire?
Suit is irrelevant for tableau building. You may place any card onto a fan whose top card is one rank higher, regardless of suit or color. Only foundation building requires suit: foundations build upward by same suit from Ace to King.
What happens when a fan is emptied in Good Measure Solitaire?
The empty fan stays empty and cannot receive new cards. This is an important rule to plan around: emptying a fan for no benefit wastes a potential staging area that might have helped unbury a needed card later.
Is Good Measure Solitaire good for beginners?
Yes. The high win rate, visible fan layout, and loose build rule make it one of the best fan solitaire games for beginners. It teaches the core concepts of fan management and foundation building without the frustration of frequently unwinnable deals.
How do you avoid losing in Good Measure Solitaire?
The most common way to lose is burying both remaining Aces under cards that cannot legally move to expose them. Prioritize any move that sends a card to a foundation over purely tableau rearrangements, and track where the non-seeded Aces are in the fans from the first look.
Other solitaire games I recommend
- La Belle Lucie Solitaire - harder fan game, same-suit building
- Trefoil Solitaire - all aces out, medium difficulty
- Cruel Solitaire - fans of 4 with ordered redeals
- Shamrocks Solitaire - up-or-down building, strict capacity limit
- FreeCell - open-information game with cell buffers