Play Sixty Thieves Solitaire Online for Free
Sixty Thieves is the largest member of the Napoleon family: three complete decks, twelve tableau columns of five face-up cards each, and twelve foundation piles to fill. Same-suit building and single-card movement across 156 cards make it an epic strategic marathon. Win rate is around 10%, making it one of the most challenging solitaire games available.
What is Sixty Thieves Solitaire?
Sixty Thieves Solitaire scales the classic Forty Thieves formula to three decks (156 cards). Twelve tableau columns are dealt five cards each (all face-up), placing 60 cards in play at the start and leaving 96 in the stock. Tableau columns build down in the same suit only. Only one card at a time may be moved. Twelve foundations (three per suit, one per Ace) must each be built from Ace up to King. One card is drawn at a time from the stock; no redeals.
Sixty Thieves Solitaire layout explained
The name "Sixty Thieves" refers to the 60 cards in the starting tableau - the twelve columns of five cards each. With three copies of each rank and suit in play, the game requires twelve foundations (three per suit) and creates an environment where the same card identity appears three times. Three Kings of Spades must each be placed on a separate Spades foundation; three Aces of Hearts each start their own Hearts pile. The massive 96-card stock ensures draws are plentiful, but same-suit building makes every column a single-suit channel.
How to play Sixty Thieves Solitaire
Sixty Thieves Solitaire rules and objective
Move all 156 cards to the twelve foundation piles (three per suit), each built from Ace to King in a single suit. A card may be placed on a tableau column if it is one rank lower and the same suit as the current top card. Only one card at a time may be moved. Empty columns accept any single card. Draw one card at a time from the stock to the waste; no redeals.
Game setup
- Shuffle three standard 52-card decks together (156 cards total).
- Deal five rows of twelve, all face-up, into twelve columns.
- Reserve space above for twelve foundation slots (three per suit).
- Place the remaining 96 cards face-down as the stock.
Strategies to win Sixty Thieves Solitaire
- Dedicate columns to suits from the start. With twelve columns and only four suits, you have room to assign three columns to each suit. Keeping suits segregated from the opening moves creates clear same-suit building lanes.
- Get all twelve Aces to foundations as the top priority. Three Aces per suit means twelve Aces are distributed across the tableau and stock. Identify and free each one systematically before worrying about higher-rank building.
- Manage the 96-card stock carefully. With 96 undrawn cards and no redeal, each draw is valuable. The large stock means useful cards will appear - but drawing prematurely buries tactical options. Draw only when the tableau offers no productive moves.
- Track which Aces and 2s are still in the stock. Because three copies of each card exist, some Aces or 2s may still be unplayed even when other copies are on the foundations. Knowing this prevents premature despair.
- Use empty columns as suit buffers. With 156 cards flowing through the game, temporary staging of single cards in empty columns is essential for breaking column deadlocks.
Sixty Thieves vs other multi-deck Napoleon games
| Game | Decks | Columns | Build rule | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forty Thieves | 2 | 10 × 4 | Same suit | ~15% |
| Limited | 2 | 12 × 3 | Same suit | ~25% |
| Sixty Thieves | 3 | 12 × 5 | Same suit | ~10% |
| Josephine | 2 | 10 × 4 | Same suit | ~25% |
Sixty Thieves Solitaire FAQ
Why is it called Sixty Thieves Solitaire?
The name is a direct reference to the 60 cards dealt to the starting tableau (twelve columns of five cards each). It extends the "Forty Thieves" naming convention - Forty Thieves has 40 cards in its opening tableau (ten columns of four) - by scaling to three decks and twelve columns of five, hence "Sixty Thieves." The game is sometimes listed in patience collections as a three-deck version of Napoleon at St Helena.
How many foundation piles does Sixty Thieves have?
Sixty Thieves has twelve foundation piles: three per suit (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades). Each pile is built from an Ace up to a King, so the game requires twelve complete Ace-to-King sequences to win. With three copies of each card in the three- deck setup, three separate foundations of each suit are needed to receive all cards.
Is Sixty Thieves Solitaire beatable?
Yes, but it is one of the most difficult solitaire games available. The win rate is approximately 10% with careful play. The combination of three decks, same-suit-only building, single-card movement, and a 96-card stock with no redeal creates a very demanding puzzle. Deals where multiple Aces of the same suit cluster together in deep positions are nearly impossible to rescue.
How long does a game of Sixty Thieves take to play?
A full game of Sixty Thieves Solitaire typically takes 20 to 40 minutes. With 156 cards to move and a 96-card stock to exhaust, the game is significantly longer than a two-deck Napoleon game. Experienced players who recognise losing positions early may resign sooner; players who explore every possibility will find the game can be quite lengthy.