House in the Wood Solitaire

Classic Solitaire

House in the Wood Solitaire

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What is House in the Wood Solitaire?

House in the Wood is a fan-based patience game that plays almost identically to La Belle Lucie, with one key difference: empty fans can be refilled with any single card. This small change gives the player significantly more flexibility when reorganizing cards. The game uses one standard 52-card deck, 17 fans of 3 cards plus one single-card fan, and allows two redeals. Foundations build up by suit from Ace to King. The win rate is approximately 40 percent.

House in the Wood Solitaire history

House in the Wood appears in classic patience anthologies as a gentler cousin of La Belle Lucie. While La Belle Lucie locks players out of empty fan spaces, House in the Wood offers a release valve by allowing any card to fill an empty fan. This single rule change transforms the strategic landscape, making the game more approachable while preserving the same-suit building challenge that defines the fan family.

How to play House in the Wood Solitaire

All 52 cards are dealt face-up into 17 fans of 3 cards plus one single-card fan. Only the top card of each fan is playable. Build four foundations up by suit from Ace to King.

  1. Scan the fans for exposed Aces and move them to foundations immediately.
  2. Build on foundations by placing the next card in suit sequence (A, 2, 3 ... K) whenever possible.
  3. Build down by same suit on fan tops to uncover cards you need. Only single cards move between fans.
  4. When a fan becomes empty, you may place any single card there. Use empty fans as staging areas to reorganize blocked cards.
  5. When no more moves are available, use a redeal. All non-foundation cards are collected, shuffled, and re-dealt into fans. You get two redeals per game.

Strategies to win House in the Wood Solitaire

  • Create empty fans early. An empty fan is worth more than a card on a foundation in many situations because it gives you a free staging position for later moves.
  • Use empty fans to temporarily hold cards that block key sequence cards. This is the main advantage over La Belle Lucie.
  • Save redeals for when you have genuinely exhausted all productive moves. Each redeal shuffles remaining cards, so earlier moves to foundations improve your odds after a reshuffle.
  • Build foundations evenly across suits. Advancing one suit far ahead while others lag limits your options for future moves.

House in the Wood Solitaire rules and objective

Objective: move all 52 cards to four foundations (A to K by suit). Cards are dealt into fans of 3. Only the top card of each fan is playable. Build down by same suit on fan tops. Empty fans accept any card. Two redeals allowed (remaining cards shuffled and re-dealt).

Game setup
ElementSetup
Deck1 standard 52-card deck
Fans17 fans of 3 + one fan of 1 (18 fans total)
Build ruleDown by same suit, one card at a time
Empty fanAny card can fill an empty fan
Foundations4 piles, built A to K by suit
Redeals2 allowed (remaining cards shuffled)
Win conditionAll 52 cards on foundations

House in the Wood variants and similar games

La Belle Lucie is the strict version where empty fans cannot be refilled. Trefoil pre-seeds Aces to foundations before dealing fans. Shamrocks uses any-suit building with a 3-card fan limit and no redeals.

How difficult is House in the Wood Solitaire?

House in the Wood is moderately difficult. The empty-fan rule makes it notably easier than La Belle Lucie, giving players more room to maneuver when cards are deeply buried. Thoughtful use of empty fans and two redeals makes most deals winnable with careful play.

What is House in the Wood win percentage?

House in the Wood wins approximately 40 percent of the time with attentive play. This is significantly higher than La Belle Lucie's 15 percent, entirely because empty fans provide crucial staging space that La Belle Lucie denies.

What is the difference between House in the Wood and La Belle Lucie?

The only rule difference is that House in the Wood allows any card to fill an empty fan, while La Belle Lucie does not. This single change roughly triples the win rate because empty fans serve as free staging positions. Players can temporarily park blocking cards in empty fans, then move them back once deeper cards are exposed. Everything else is identical: same-suit building, fans of 3, two redeals.

House in the Wood Solitaire FAQ

Can any card go in an empty fan in House in the Wood?

Yes. When a fan becomes empty, any single card can be placed there regardless of suit or rank. This is the defining feature that separates House in the Wood from La Belle Lucie, where empty fans remain permanently empty.

How many redeals do you get in House in the Wood?

You get two redeals. When you redeal, all cards not yet on foundations are collected, shuffled, and dealt into new fans of 3. The redeal gives you a fresh arrangement, which combined with the empty-fan rule, often opens new paths to victory.

Is House in the Wood easier than La Belle Lucie?

Yes, significantly. The ability to fill empty fans means you can stage cards freely, avoiding the deadlocks that make La Belle Lucie so challenging. The win rate is roughly 40 percent versus La Belle Lucie's 15 percent.

Can you move sequences between fans in House in the Wood?

No. Only single cards move between fans, just like La Belle Lucie. You must move cards one at a time, building down by same suit on fan tops or sending them to foundations.

What is the best strategy for empty fans in House in the Wood?

Use empty fans to temporarily hold cards that block critical sequence cards deeper in other fans. Create empty fans by clearing small fans first, then use the space to rearrange cards. Keeping at least one empty fan available at all times maximizes your flexibility.

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