Play Forty Bandits Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)
Forty Thieves' friendlier cousin: same two-deck layout, but full same-suit runs move as one, and about a third of deals can be won.
Forty Bandits Solitaire is a friendlier cousin of the classic two-deck Forty Thieves. The layout is identical — ten tableau piles of four face-up cards, eight foundations, and a single trip through the stock — but the bandits get away with something the thieves never could: complete same-suit runs can be lifted and dropped as one unit rather than one card at a time. That single concession turns a famously stubborn game into a much more forgiving one.
Forty Thieves and its relatives grew out of the Napoleonic patience tradition, and the two-deck format has been a fixture of solitaire collections for well over a century. Because every card is face-up from the first deal, nothing is hidden — your odds of winning rest almost entirely on planning rather than luck, and roughly a third of deals can be brought home with careful play.
The single pass through the stock is the real constraint. Every card you send to the waste is a small commitment, so it pays to empty a tableau column early and keep at least one landing spot open for the cards you cannot yet place.
If you enjoy Forty Bandits, try Forty Thieves Solitaire, Rouge Forty Solitaire, or Big Forty Solitaire, three closely related two-deck games.
If you run into anything odd or have an idea that would make the game better, please contact me.
Enjoy playing!
How to play Forty Bandits Solitaire
Layout:
8 foundation piles: Build up by suit from Ace to King. Completed cards are moved to the foundations automatically when a move is available.
10 tableau piles: Ten piles are each dealt four face-up cards at the start. Build down in the same suit. A run of cards already in sequence and of the same suit may be moved together as a single unit.
Stock: Click to deal one card at a time to the waste. There is only one trip through the stock and no redeals.
Waste: The top card of the waste is available for play to the tableau or foundations.
Foundation:
There are eight foundation piles, all empty at the start.
A card can be added to a foundation pile only if it's one rank higher and the same suit as the pile's current top card, so the only card that fits on the 5 of clubs is the 6 of clubs. Each pile runs from Ace up to King.
The top card of each foundation can be moved back into play if another pile will accept it.
Tableau:
Ten tableau piles of four cards each, every card dealt face-up from the start.
A card can be added to a tableau pile only if it's one rank lower and the same suit as the pile's current top card, so the only card that fits on the 8 of spades is the 7 of spades. A sequence of cards that is already in descending same-suit order may be moved together.
Any single card, or any available card from the waste, may be placed on an empty tableau pile. Empty spaces are not filled automatically.
Stock and waste:
The remaining sixty-four cards make up the stock.
When you click on the stock, one card is dealt to the waste. There can only be one trip through the stock, so spend it thoughtfully.
The top card of the waste can be played to the tableau or foundations.
