Sir Tommy Solitaire (Old Patience)

Classic Solitaire

Sir Tommy Solitaire (Old Patience)

More Games
Sir Tommy Solitaire
Leaderboards Daily Challenge

Play Sir Tommy Solitaire (Old Patience) Online for Free

What is Sir Tommy Solitaire?

Sir Tommy, also known as Old Patience or Try Again, is one of the oldest known solitaire card games. It uses a single deck of 52 cards. Cards are dealt one at a time from the stock and must be placed on one of four foundation piles (building Ace to King regardless of suit) or one of four waste piles (no building rules). The top card of any waste pile can be moved to a foundation at any time. There are no redeals. The win rate is approximately 30 percent with skillful play.

Sir Tommy Solitaire history

Sir Tommy is often cited as the earliest form of patience card game, predating Klondike, Spider, and most other solitaire variants. The name "Old Patience" reflects this heritage. Historical sources trace it back to at least the 18th century. Its simplicity makes it an ideal starting point for understanding solitaire mechanics, and many more complex patience games evolved from its core concept of dealing cards one at a time and deciding where to place each one.

How to play Sir Tommy Solitaire

All 52 cards start in the stock. You deal one card at a time and decide where each card goes. The goal is to build four foundation piles from Ace to King.

  1. Tap the stock to deal one card face-up. This is the dealt card waiting to be placed.
  2. If the dealt card can go on a foundation (next rank in ascending order on any foundation), tap it to send it there automatically.
  3. If no foundation accepts the dealt card, tap one of the four waste piles to place it there. Choose carefully because cards on waste piles can block each other.
  4. At any time, tap the top card of a waste pile to move it to a foundation if it is the next card needed.
  5. Continue dealing and placing cards until all 52 cards are on foundations (win) or the stock is empty and no more moves are possible (loss).

Strategies to win Sir Tommy Solitaire

  • Keep your waste piles organized. Try to sort cards by rank within each waste pile, placing higher cards on one pile and lower cards on another so you can access them in order later.
  • Never bury a card you will need soon. Before placing a card on a waste pile, check if any waste pile top is close to being played to a foundation and avoid covering it.
  • Reserve one waste pile for Kings and high cards that will not be needed until the end of the game. This keeps the other three piles available for more active sorting.
  • Move cards from waste piles to foundations as soon as possible. Every card freed from a waste pile opens up that pile for future decisions.

Sir Tommy Solitaire rules and objective

Objective: move all 52 cards to four foundations, each built from Ace to King regardless of suit. Deal one card at a time from the stock. Each dealt card must go to a foundation or a waste pile. The top card of any waste pile can be moved to a foundation at any time. No redeals. No building rules on waste piles.

Game setup
ElementSetup
Deck1 standard 52-card deck
Stock52 cards face-down; deal one at a time
Foundations4 piles, built A to K regardless of suit
Waste piles4 piles, no building rules, any card accepted
RedealsNone
Win conditionAll 52 cards on foundations

Sir Tommy Solitaire variants and similar games

Canfield Solitaire is a more complex stock-driven game with a reserve pile and wrapping foundations. Golf Solitaire also deals cards one at a time but uses a different removal mechanic. Sir Tommy itself is the ancestor of many patience games. Calculation Solitaire is a direct descendant that adds specific foundation start cards and counting rules.

How difficult is Sir Tommy Solitaire?

Sir Tommy is a game of moderate difficulty. The rules are extremely simple, but winning requires good planning and waste pile management. With only four waste piles to work with and no redeals, poor placement decisions early in the game can make the deal unwinnable. The skill ceiling is lower than games like FreeCell but higher than purely mechanical games like Clock Solitaire.

What is Sir Tommy Solitaire win percentage?

Sir Tommy wins approximately 30 percent of the time with attentive play. The game depends heavily on card order from the stock, but strategic waste pile management significantly increases win chances. Players who carefully sort waste piles by rank range will win more often than those who place cards randomly.

What is the difference between Sir Tommy and Canfield Solitaire?

Sir Tommy and Canfield are both stock-driven games, but Canfield is significantly more complex. Sir Tommy has four unrestricted waste piles and foundations that build A to K regardless of suit. Canfield adds a 13-card reserve, suit-specific foundations that wrap around (for example, J-Q-K-A-2), tableau columns with alternating-color builds, and a draw mechanism (draw one or three cards). Canfield also allows unlimited redeals, while Sir Tommy offers no redeals at all.

Sir Tommy Solitaire FAQ

Can you put any card on a waste pile in Sir Tommy?

Yes. There are no building rules for waste piles. You can place any card on any of the four waste piles regardless of suit or rank. The strategy lies in choosing which pile to use so you can access buried cards later.

Does suit matter for foundations in Sir Tommy Solitaire?

No. Foundations in Sir Tommy build from Ace to King regardless of suit. Any Ace can start any foundation, and any 2 can be placed on any Ace, and so on. This is different from Klondike and FreeCell where foundations must follow suit.

How many waste piles are there in Sir Tommy Solitaire?

There are exactly four waste piles. Each pile can hold any number of cards, but only the top card of each pile is accessible. Managing four piles effectively is the core challenge of the game.

Is Sir Tommy the oldest solitaire game?

Sir Tommy is widely considered one of the oldest patience card games. It is often called "Old Patience" in historical references. While the exact origin is uncertain, records place it in the 18th century, predating Klondike, Spider, and most other well-known solitaire variants by at least a century.

What is the best waste pile strategy for Sir Tommy?

The most effective approach is to designate each waste pile for a range of ranks. For example, use one pile for Aces through 4s, another for 5s through 8s, a third for 9s through Queens, and the fourth for Kings. This keeps cards roughly sorted so you can find and play them to foundations in order.

Other solitaire games I recommend