# How to Play Demon Solitaire

The game is a version of [Canfield Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/canfield) with two decks of cards, but with a different amount of reserve and tableau cards. Canfield is often called Demon in reference to the difficulty of the game.

### Objective

Your goal is to move 103 cards to the 8 foundation piles in ascending order by suit. 1 card is already placed in the foundation for you.

### The Setup and Play Area

**Foundation piles:** These are 8 piles where you aim to move all cards in ascending order. Each foundation pile will begin with a starting number, which is determined by a single card placed in the foundation at the beginning of the game. For example, if the starting card is a 7 of Hearts, it would be followed by an 8 of Hearts and so on until the final card is the 6 of Hearts. All other foundation piles would start with an 8 as well. Successfully placing all 104 cards in the foundation wins the game.

**Tableau piles:** These are the 8 face-up cards in the middle of the game.

**Reserve pile:** These are the 40 cards laid out in a column on the left, with the last card facing up. Whenever a tableau column opens up, the bottom reserve card is placed there.

**Stock pile:** The rest of the cards, or 54 cards, go into the stock pile. You can go through the stock pile unlimited times.

**Waste pile:** Cards are moved 3 at a time from the stock pile to the waste pile. The top card of the waste pile can be moved either to the foundation or the tableau if it is a legal move.

![Demon Solitaire setup](https://defbnszqe1hwm.cloudfront.net/images/Demon-Solitaire-setup2.png) 

### Available moves

* Foundations are built in ascending order based on the starting card.
* Tableau cards are sequenced in descending order, alternating between colors. For example, you can move a 7 of Clubs on top of an 8 of Hearts.
* You can move multiple cards at a time in the tableau. To move a group of cards, they must be sequenced, and the top card of that group must be placed on top of another card of the opposite suit and one rank higher.
* The bottom cards of the tableau that are not covered by other cards can be moved to the foundation.
* You dispense cards from the stock pile into the waste pile to introduce new cards in the game. They can then be played into the foundation or tableau.
* If a tableau column is empty, the face-up card from the reserve pile is moved there, and then the next card in the reserve is turned face-up.
* If the reserve pile is empty, any moveable card can be placed in an empty tableau column.
* You win when all the cards have been placed in the foundation.

## Strategy

* **Try to build the foundations evenly.** If one foundation is built immediately in the game, you now have fewer cards of that color to help you sequence.
* **Prioritize revealing and getting reserve cards into the game.** Focus on creating empty tableau columns to do this.
* **If you get stuck, use the undo button.** You may not always make the right moves, and you may need to reverse some to win the game.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What are the odds of winning?

When looking at 248 random games played, 71 were won, making the win rate 28.634%. This makes Demon Solitaire easier the Double Canfield, which has a win rate of 8.94%. This is because there are twice as many tableau columns in Demon Solitaire, giving you more opportunities to move cards.

### What are similar games?

[Canfield](https://solitaired.com/canfield) and [Double Canfield ](https://solitaired.com/doublecanfield)have similar rules, with differences in the number of reserve and tableau cards.

### What are other popular Solitaire games?

Be sure to check out these Solitaire games: 

* [Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/)
* [Mahjong](https://solitaired.com/mahjong)
* [Klondike](https://solitaired.com/klondike-solitaire)
* [Spider Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/spider-solitaire)
* [FreeCell Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/freecell)
* [Yukon Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/yukon-solitaire)
* [TriPeaks Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/tripeaks-solitaire)
* [Pyramid Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/pyramid-solitaire)
* [Golf Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/golf)