Play Thieves of Egypt Solitaire Online for Free
Thieves of Egypt Solitaire is a striking double-deck Napoleon family game that deals its ten tableau columns in a pyramid pattern: one card in the first column, two in the second, and so on up to ten. The result is a visually distinctive staircase of 55 face-up cards with 49 remaining in the stock. Any card may be placed on any other regardless of suit or color, so long as it is one rank lower.
What is Thieves of Egypt Solitaire?
Thieves of Egypt uses two standard 52-card decks (104 cards). Ten tableau columns receive a pyramid-shaped deal: column 1 gets one card, column 2 gets two, column 3 gets three, and so on through column 10. All 55 dealt cards are face-up. Eight foundation piles build from Ace to King in suit. Tableau building follows any-suit descending order, and you can move packed sequences of correctly ordered cards as a group. One card at a time is drawn from the stock with no redeals.
How does the pyramid deal work?
The pyramid deal creates a staircase: the leftmost column is short (one card) while the rightmost is tall (ten cards). This fan shape gives you many exposed cards early, but the columns grow deeper as you move right, making the final columns harder to uncover. The total cards dealt is 1+2+3+...+10 = 55.
How to play Thieves of Egypt Solitaire
Rules and objective
Move all 104 cards to the eight foundation piles, each built from Ace to King in suit. A card may be placed on a tableau column if it is exactly one rank lower than the top card, regardless of suit or color. Sequences of correctly descending cards may be moved as a group. Empty columns accept any card or sequence. Draw one card at a time from the stock; no redeals.
Game setup
- Shuffle two standard 52-card decks together (104 cards total).
- Deal cards in a pyramid pattern: 1 card to column 1, 2 to column 2, up to 10 in column 10 (55 cards total), all face-up.
- Reserve space above for eight foundation slots.
- Place the remaining 49 cards face-down as the stock.
Strategies to win Thieves of Egypt Solitaire
- Target the tall right-side columns first. Columns 8, 9, and 10 contain the most buried cards. Freeing these early prevents late-game blockages.
- Move Aces and 2s to foundations immediately. With any-suit building on the tableau, low cards are rarely useful for column work.
- Use short left-side columns as temporary storage. The 1-card and 2-card columns on the left are natural buffer spaces for rearranging deeper sequences.
- Move sequences as groups when possible. The ability to relocate entire ordered runs lets you uncover buried cards without emptying columns card by card.
- Preserve empty columns. They act as super cells, so avoid filling them casually. Each empty column roughly doubles your available moves.
Thieves of Egypt vs similar Napoleon family games
| Game | Columns | Deal pattern | Build rule | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forty Thieves | 10 | 4 per column | Same suit | ~15% |
| Thieves of Egypt | 10 | Pyramid (1-10) | Any suit | ~35% |
| Interchange | 10 | 4 per column | Alternating color | ~30% |
| Indian | 10 | 3 per column | Any suit but same | ~25% |
Winning odds and difficulty
Thieves of Egypt wins roughly 35% of the time with experienced play. The any-suit building rule is extremely generous, and the ability to move sequences as groups gives you much more flexibility than classic Forty Thieves. The pyramid deal adds a layer of visual interest without significantly increasing difficulty.
Thieves of Egypt Solitaire FAQ
How many cards are dealt in Thieves of Egypt?
Fifty-five. The pyramid deal places 1+2+3+...+10 = 55 cards across ten columns, all face-up. The remaining 49 cards form the stock.
Can I move multiple cards at once in Thieves of Egypt?
Yes. Unlike most Napoleon family games, Thieves of Egypt allows you to move properly descending sequences as a single unit. This makes it significantly more forgiving than games like Forty Thieves.
Does suit matter when building on the tableau?
No. You can place any card on any other as long as it is one rank lower. Suit only matters when building on foundations (each must be a single suit from Ace to King).
How many redeals are available in Thieves of Egypt?
None. The stock is dealt one card at a time with no redeal allowed. Plan your stock draws carefully, as each card is your only chance to use it.
Is Thieves of Egypt related to Pyramid Solitaire?
Only in the shape of the deal. Thieves of Egypt is a Napoleon family game (related to Forty Thieves) that happens to use a staircase-style deal. Pyramid Solitaire is a completely different game where you pair cards that sum to 13.