Play Lower 48 Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)
Eight columns of five cards, all face-up, build down in alternating colors one card at a time, with one redeal if you stall. Every card is visible from the start.
Lower 48 Solitaire belongs to the sprawling Forty Thieves family, the two-deck tableau games named for their generous rows of columns. It is a close relative of Forty and Eight, and the two differ in a single rule: where Forty and Eight builds the tableau down in the same suit, Lower 48 lets you build down in alternating colors. That one change loosens the whole game, giving red and black cards far more places to land.
The setup is a broad, honest one. Eight columns are dealt five face-up cards each, so nothing is hidden from you at the start. Everything comes down to sequencing the moves cleanly, opening columns, and feeding eight foundations up in suit from the Aces. Cards that belong on the foundations are lifted there for you automatically, which keeps the pace flowing.
The stock deals one card at a time to a single waste pile, and you get one redeal, so a stalled position is not always the end. Still, only one card moves at a time and empty columns will take any card, so choosing when to spend that flexibility is the heart of the game.
If you enjoy Lower 48, try Forty and Eight Solitaire or the granddaddy of them all, Forty Thieves Solitaire.
If you run into anything odd or have an idea that would make the game better, please contact me.
Enjoy playing!
How to play Lower 48 Solitaire
Layout:
8 foundation piles: Build up in suit from Ace to King. Cards that can go here are moved to the foundations automatically.
8 tableau piles: Each pile is dealt five face-up cards to start. Build down in alternating colors. Any card may fill an empty pile.
Stock: Click to deal one card at a time to the waste. One redeal is allowed.
Waste: The top card is playable to the tableau or foundations.
Foundation:
There are eight foundation piles, two for each suit.
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 a 5 of clubs is a 6 of clubs. A completed pile runs from Ace up to King, and eligible cards are sent up automatically.
The top card of each foundation can be moved back into play if another pile will accept it.
Tableau:
Eight tableau piles of five cards each. Every card is dealt face-up.
A card can be added to a tableau pile only if it's one rank lower and the opposite color of the pile's current top card, so the only cards that fit on an 8 of spades are the 7 of hearts and 7 of diamonds. An empty tableau space may be filled with any single card.
Cards on the tableau that are not covered by another card can be played onto the foundation or another tableau pile.
Only one card may be moved at a time; sequences are not permitted.
Stock and waste:
There is one waste pile and the remaining cards make up the stock.
When you click the stock, one card from the stock is dealt to the waste. You may run through the stock twice, giving you a single redeal.
The top waste card can be played to the tableau or foundation.
