Play Martha Solitaire Online for Free
Martha is a single-deck Napoleon family patience that starts with all four Aces already on the foundations, then deals 48 cards in alternating face-down and face-up rows across twelve columns. The mixed visibility and wider tableau create an engaging puzzle with a win rate around 65%.
What is Martha Solitaire?
Martha Solitaire uses a single standard 52-card deck. Before the deal begins, all four Aces are removed and placed on the foundation slots. The remaining 48 cards are then dealt into twelve tableau columns of four rows each. The first and third rows are dealt face-down; the second and fourth rows are dealt face-up. Tableau columns build down in alternating colours. Only single cards may be moved between columns; sequences cannot be moved as a unit. There is no stock: all cards are dealt from the start. The game is won when all 52 cards reach the foundations, built from Ace up to King in suit.
Martha Solitaire layout explained
With twelve columns and four rows, the tableau holds 48 cards in a wide, low grid. Each column starts with the first card face-down, the second face-up, the third face-down, and the fourth (top) face-up. This alternating pattern means two of every column's four cards are visible from the start, and each face-down card is revealed as soon as the face-up card above it is moved away.
How to play Martha Solitaire
Martha Solitaire rules and objective
Move all 52 cards to the four foundation piles, each built up from Ace to King in a single suit. (The Aces start there automatically.) A single 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. Face-down cards flip automatically when the face-up card above them is moved. Empty columns accept any single card. There is no stock and no redeal: only tableau-to-tableau and tableau-to-foundation moves are available.
Game setup
- Remove all four Aces from a standard 52-card deck and place them on four foundation slots.
- Shuffle the remaining 48 cards.
- Deal four rows of twelve. Row one goes face-down, row two face-up, row three face-down, row four face-up.
- Build foundations from Ace up to King in suit to win.
Strategies to win Martha Solitaire
- Prioritise moves that flip face-down cards. Each reveal increases your options and may expose 2s or other low-rank cards needed to continue foundation building.
- Build foundations in balance. Because you cannot move sequences, every card on the tableau competes for the same limited single-move slots. Keeping suits at similar foundation levels prevents one suit from blocking another.
- Use empty columns sparingly. With twelve columns, spaces are easier to create than in narrower games, but wasting one on an unhelpful card slows progress significantly.
- Plan two moves ahead. Since only one card moves at a time and there is no stock, every decision is permanent. Identify which face-down card you most want revealed and work backward to expose it.
- Watch suit colour balance across all columns. Alternating-colour building limits where each card can go; scanning the full tableau before each move prevents accidental dead-ends.
Martha vs similar single-deck Napoleon games
Martha Solitaire FAQ
Why do the Aces start on the foundations in Martha?
In Martha, the Aces are extracted before the deal rather than appearing through play. This ensures the foundations can be built from the very first move and removes a common source of early losses: an Ace buried under multiple face-down cards that cannot be uncovered. It also means all 48 remaining cards fill the twelve tableau columns evenly with exactly four cards each.
Can you move sequences in Martha Solitaire?
No. Martha follows standard Forty Thieves single-move rules: only one card at a time may be moved from column to column or from column to foundation. This restriction, combined with the wide twelve-column layout and alternating face-down rows, is what gives the game its distinctive tactical feel.
Is there a stock or waste pile in Martha?
No. All 52 cards are in play from the start: four Aces on the foundations and 48 cards across the tableau. There is no stock to draw from. Every move must come from the tableau. This makes Martha a pure information-based puzzle once the initial layout is revealed.
What is the win rate for Martha Solitaire?
Martha has a win rate of approximately 65% with careful play. The combination of pre-placed Aces, the wide twelve-column layout, and alternating face-down rows gives more starting information than most Napoleon variants, but the single-card movement rule means every wasted move reduces your options significantly.