Play Shamrocks Solitaire Online for Free (Up-or-Down Fan Patience)
What is Shamrocks Solitaire?
Shamrocks is a fan solitaire game where the full 52-card deck is laid into 18 fans (17 of 3 cards and one single). Unlike other fan games, Shamrocks allows you to build fans one rank up OR down in any suit, but limits each fan to a maximum of 3 cards. Kings are terminal and cannot receive any card. There are no redeals. The win rate sits around 12 percent, making this one of the hardest no-redeal fan variants.
Shamrocks Solitaire history
Shamrocks takes its name from the three-card fans that resemble three- leaf clovers scattered across the table. It appeared in patience anthologies alongside La Belle Lucie as a contrast game that relaxes the suit-building restriction but tightens the fan-size cap. The three-card limit forces a spatial puzzle where managing fan capacity becomes as important as finding valid moves.
How to play Shamrocks Solitaire
All 52 cards are dealt face-up into fans at the start. Only the top card of each fan is available. Foundations build upward by suit from Ace to King.
- Scan all fan tops for Aces and move them to their foundation slots immediately.
- Look for cards that can extend any foundation (the next rank in the correct suit). Send those cards up.
- Move cards between fans to expose buried cards. A card may go onto any fan top that is exactly one rank higher or lower, regardless of suit, provided that fan has fewer than 3 cards.
- Kings are terminal. No card may be placed on a fan whose top card is a King (rank 13 has no next rank above, and the 3-card limit makes Kings dangerous blockers).
- There are no redeals. Win by moving all 52 cards to foundations before running out of valid moves.
Strategies to win Shamrocks Solitaire
- Avoid creating fans with a King at the top unless that fan is otherwise empty (empty fans stay empty). Kings block placement, so build toward getting Kings to foundations early.
- The 3-card maximum is a harder constraint than it sounds. Fans that already hold 3 cards cannot accept any new card, even a valid one. Keep fans short whenever possible.
- Because building is any-suit, focus on rank proximity rather than suit matching. A run of 6-7-8 in mixed suits is a valid fan sequence in Shamrocks.
- Prioritize suits where the foundation is furthest behind. Stalled suits lock up their own rank cards in fans, shrinking the available move set quickly.
Shamrocks Solitaire rules and objective
Objective: move all 52 cards to four foundations, each built A to K in suit. Fans may only receive the top card if it is one rank higher or one rank lower than the fan's top card (any suit). Maximum 3 cards per fan. Kings cannot receive cards. No redeals.
Game setup
| Element | Setup |
|---|---|
| Deck | 1 standard 52-card deck |
| Tableau | 17 fans of 3 + 1 single-card fan (52 cards) |
| Foundations | 4 piles, built A to K by suit |
| Build rule | Up or down one rank, any suit; max 3 cards per fan |
| Kings | Terminal; no card may be placed on a King-top fan |
| Redeals | None |
Shamrocks Solitaire variants and similar games
La Belle Lucie is the most direct relative, using the same fan size but with same-suit- down building and two redeals. Good Measure also uses any-suit-down building but with 10 larger fans of 5 and a much higher win rate. Cruel Solitaire takes the opposite approach with larger fans, stricter same-suit building, and unlimited ordered redeals.
How difficult is Shamrocks Solitaire?
Shamrocks is harder than it first appears. The any-suit build rule creates many possible moves, but the 3-card limit and King terminal rule rapidly reduce the effective move set as the game progresses. Most losses come from fans filling to 3 cards with useless sequences while needed foundation cards remain buried elsewhere.
What is Shamrocks Solitaire win percentage?
Skilled players win approximately 12 percent of Shamrocks deals. Without redeals, any layout where Kings block early and fans fill quickly becomes a loss even with perfect play. The apparent flexibility of any-suit building masks how quickly the capacity constraint tightens.
What is the difference between Shamrocks and La Belle Lucie?
La Belle Lucie builds fans down by same suit only, but allows unlimited fan depth and grants two redeals. Shamrocks removes the suit restriction (any-suit, up or down) but caps fans at 3 cards and offers no redeals. The trade feels even but is not: the 3-card cap creates hard blocks that no amount of creative building can solve, making Shamrocks harder in practice despite its looser build rule.
Shamrocks Solitaire FAQ
Why can't you place a card on a King in Shamrocks Solitaire?
Kings are rank 13, the highest rank. In Shamrocks, building is one step up or down with no wrapping, so there is no valid rank above King. Additionally, the 3-card maximum means a King sitting on top of a 2-card fan would allow only one more card (a Queen) to complete the fan. This combination makes Kings effective blockers in most layouts.
Does suit matter when building fans in Shamrocks?
No. Any card that is one rank higher or one rank lower than the fan top may be placed there, regardless of suit or color. For example, a 7 of spades, 7 of hearts, or 7 of clubs may all be placed on a fan topped by either an 8 or a 6 of any suit.
What happens when a fan reaches 3 cards in Shamrocks?
The fan is full and cannot accept any new cards, even if the top card would normally be a valid build target. Fans only free up space when their top card is moved to a foundation or to another fan.
Is there any redeal in Shamrocks Solitaire?
No. Shamrocks offers no redeals. Once all valid moves are exhausted, the game ends as a loss. This makes careful, long-range planning essential from the very first move.
What is the best opening move in Shamrocks Solitaire?
The best opening move is always to send an available Ace to its foundation and then look for the matching 2. After that, prioritize moves that either send cards to foundations or open full fans (3-card fans). Keeping fan capacity available is the core skill in Shamrocks.
Other solitaire games I recommend
- La Belle Lucie Solitaire - same fan layout, same-suit building, two redeals
- Trefoil Solitaire - aces out, fans of 3, shuffled redeals
- Cruel Solitaire - fans of 4, same-suit building, ordered redeals
- Good Measure Solitaire - larger fans, more room to maneuver
- Accordion Solitaire - rank or suit matching in a compressed line