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Streets Solitaire is a two-deck patience game from the Napoleon at St Helena family that replaces the rigid same-suit build rule with alternating-colour building, giving you twice as many placement options on every turn. The result is a noticeably more fluid game than Forty Thieves while keeping the same ten-column layout.
What is Streets Solitaire?
Streets Solitaire deals two decks (104 cards) into ten columns of four face-up cards each, identical to the setup of Forty Thieves Solitaire. The difference is in how tableau columns are built: in Streets, each card must be placed on a card one rank higher and of the opposite colour. A black 7 goes on a red 8; a red Queen goes on a black King. Eight foundation piles are built up from Ace to King by suit. Only the top card of a column moves at a time; sequences do not travel as a unit.
Streets Solitaire history
Streets is catalogued as a direct variant of Napoleon at St Helena in David Parlett's authoritative reference, "The Penguin Book of Patience" (1979), and has appeared consistently in patience compilations since. The alternating-colour build rule it shares with Klondike makes it intuitive to players already familiar with standard solitaire, which likely accounts for its enduring presence in two-deck game collections.
How to play Streets Solitaire
Strategies to win Streets Solitaire
- Use the alternating-colour rule aggressively. A single card can land on either of two suits (e.g., a black 5 fits a red 6 of either hearts or diamonds), so scan all columns before drawing from stock.
- Prioritise moves that expose buried Aces and 2s. Foundation work is still the win condition, and every Ace remaining in the tableau delays that suit indefinitely.
- Keep at least one empty column in reserve if possible. In a ten-column game, an empty slot acts as temporary storage to help you sequence long chains of moves.
- Avoid stacking red on red or black on black. Unlike Forty Thieves, colour discipline is your primary constraint. Breaking it immediately blocks a column.
- Draw from stock only after exhausting all productive tableau moves. There are no redeals, so each stock card drawn past is permanently lost.
Streets Solitaire rules and objective
Move all 104 cards to eight foundations, each built up from Ace to King in a single suit. Tableau columns are built down by alternating colour (red on black, black on red). Only the top card of any column may be moved; you cannot lift a built sequence. An empty column accepts any single card. Draw one card at a time from the stock to the waste pile; the top waste card is always available. One pass through the stock only; no redeals.
Game setup
- Shuffle two standard 52-card decks together (104 cards total).
- Deal four rows of ten cards face-up to create ten tableau columns.
- Set aside space above the tableau for eight foundation piles.
- Place the remaining 64 cards face-down as the stock.
Streets Solitaire variants and similar games
Streets belongs to the Napoleon at St Helena family. The table below places it among its closest relatives by layout, build rule, and difficulty.
| Game | Build rule | Sequences move | Face-down rows | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Streets | Alt colour down | No | 0 | ~20% |
| Forty Thieves | Same suit down | No | 0 | ~10% |
| Deauville | Alt colour down | No | 3 | ~15% |
| Josephine | Same suit down | Yes | 0 | ~30% |
How difficult is Streets Solitaire?
Streets sits in the lower-middle of the Forty Thieves family difficulty range. Alternating-colour building creates roughly twice as many valid placement options as same-suit-only building in Forty Thieves, which is why Streets wins at around twice the rate. However, the inability to move sequences and the single pass through the stock keep the game genuinely challenging. You will regularly reach board states where the only moves left are suboptimal draws.
What is Streets Solitaire win percentage?
Streets Solitaire wins approximately 20% of games with competent play. This is roughly double the win rate of standard Forty Thieves, reflecting the looser build rule, but well below variants that also allow sequence movement, such as Number Ten or Rank and File.
What is the difference between Streets and Forty Thieves Solitaire?
The layout, deck count, and overall structure are identical: two decks, ten columns of four face-up cards, eight foundations, stock dealt one at a time with no redeal. The only difference is the tableau build rule. Forty Thieves requires that each card placed must match the suit of the card beneath it. Streets requires only that the colour alternates. This small change doubles the average number of valid moves available at any point in the game and raises the win rate from about 10% to about 20%.
Streets Solitaire FAQ
Can you move sequences in Streets Solitaire?
No. Only the top card of a tableau column may be moved in Streets. You cannot pick up an alternating-colour sequence built in the tableau and move it as a group to another column. If you want sequence movement with alternating-colour building, look at Number Ten or Rank and File, which share the same colour rule but permit sequence transfers.
Is Streets Solitaire easier than Forty Thieves?
Yes, Streets is noticeably easier. The alternating-colour rule gives each card two possible suits it can sit on (instead of one), which roughly doubles available moves at any moment. Win rates of around 20% versus 10% for Forty Thieves reflect this directly.
Does Streets Solitaire have a redeal?
No. Like all standard Napoleon at St Helena family games, Streets allows only one pass through the stock. Once the stock is exhausted, you are limited to whatever moves remain on the tableau. This is the main reason even Streets, with its more generous build rule, has a win rate of only around 20%.
What should I build toward in Streets Solitaire?
Focus on getting Aces and low cards onto their foundation piles as fast as possible. Every card sent to a foundation permanently reduces the tableau's card count, opening space and simplifying future decisions. Building long alternating-colour sequences in the tableau looks impressive but rarely advances you toward a win as efficiently as clearing low cards up to the foundations does.
How is Streets different from Klondike if both use alternating colour?
Both games use alternating-colour tableau building, but they differ significantly. Klondike uses one deck (52 cards) with seven columns and allows sequences to move as a unit. Streets uses two decks (104 cards) with ten columns and allows only single-card movement. The two-deck size and no-sequence rule make Streets substantially harder despite sharing Klondike's familiar colour pattern.