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How to Play Cruel Solitaire

Cruel Solitaire is a patience card game known for its distinctive redeal mechanic. When normal moves run out, you can gather all tableau cards and re-deal them into fresh groups of 4 — without shuffling. Mastering when and how to use redeals is the key to winning this challenging variant.

Setup

  1. Use a standard 52-card deck.
  2. Remove all four aces and place them on the four foundation piles (one per suit).
  3. Deal the remaining 48 cards face-up into 12 piles of 4 cards each.
  4. All cards are visible from the start — no hidden information.

Objective

Build all four foundation piles up by suit from Ace to King. Move all 48 remaining cards from the tableau to the foundations to win the game.

Rules

Foundation Building (Up by Suit)

Build foundations up by suit from Ace to King. Place 2♥ on A♥, then 3♥, and so on up to K♥. Aces are already in place at the start.

Tableau Building (Down by Same Suit)

Stack cards in descending order by same suit. Place a 5♠ on a 6♠, or a J♥ on a Q♥. Cards of different suits cannot be stacked together, even if they are the correct rank.

Single Card Moves

Only the top card of each pile can be moved. You cannot move groups of cards or sequences — each move involves exactly one card.

Empty Piles

Empty piles cannot be filled. Once a pile is cleared, it remains empty until the next redeal. This is a critical constraint that differentiates Cruel from many other solitaire games.

The Redeal

The redeal is Cruel's signature mechanic. When activated, all tableau cards are gathered from right to left (top card first from each pile), forming a single ordered collection. These cards are then re-dealt into groups of 4 starting from the first pile. The card order is preserved — only the grouping changes. You can redeal unlimited times.

Strategy Tips

1. Move to Foundations Before Redealing

Always move as many cards to foundations as possible before using the redeal. Each card on a foundation is one less card to deal with after the redeal. A redeal with no foundation progress is wasted.

2. Plan for the Regrouping

Before redealing, think about how the cards will be regrouped. Cards are gathered right-to-left, top-first. If you can position cards so that after regrouping, useful same-suit sequences form, the redeal becomes more productive.

3. Build Same-Suit Sequences

Whenever possible, create same-suit descending sequences on the tableau. These sequences survive redeals intact (since cards maintain their order) and create efficient access to lower cards.

4. Empty Piles Are Temporary

Remember that empty piles cannot be filled manually, but redeals will redistribute cards into them. Don't worry about emptying piles — focus on foundation progress. The redeal handles redistribution.

5. Watch the Foundation Order

Keep all four foundation piles advancing at a similar pace. If one suit falls behind, its cards may block progress for other suits on the tableau. Balanced advancement reduces deadlocks.

6. Use Undo to Explore

Don't hesitate to use undo to explore different move sequences. Sometimes the order in which you move cards to foundations before a redeal makes a significant difference in the resulting tableau layout.

Comparison: Cruel vs Related Games

FeatureCruelPerseveranceBeleaguered CastleFreeCell
Tableau piles121288
Tableau stackingDown, same suitDown, alternating colorDown, any suitDown, alternating color
Aces pre-placedYesYesYesNo
Empty pile fillNoNoAny cardAny card
RedealUnlimited2-3 redealsNoneNone
Free cells0004
Win rate~25-30%~35-40%~25%~82%

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Cruel Solitaire different from other solitaire games?

Cruel Solitaire is unique because of its redeal mechanic. When you get stuck, you can gather all tableau cards and re-deal them in groups of 4 without shuffling. The card order is preserved, only the grouping changes. Combined with same-suit building and 12 small piles, it creates a distinct strategic experience.

What is the win rate for Cruel Solitaire?

Expert players can win approximately 25-30% of Cruel Solitaire games. The same-suit building requirement limits available moves, but unlimited redeals provide opportunities to unblock positions that would be dead ends in other variants.

How many times can I redeal in Cruel?

You can redeal unlimited times in Cruel Solitaire. There is no restriction on the number of redeals. However, if no cards have moved to foundations between redeals, the positions will cycle and further redeals won't help.

Can I fill empty piles?

No. Empty piles cannot be filled with any card in Cruel Solitaire. Once you clear a pile, it stays empty until the next redeal redistributes cards. This is a critical rule that distinguishes Cruel from many other solitaire variants.

What happens to empty piles during a redeal?

During a redeal, all remaining tableau cards are gathered and re-dealt into groups of 4 from the first pile onward. If there are fewer than 48 cards (because some moved to foundations), the later piles will be empty or have fewer than 4 cards.

How is Cruel different from Perseverance?

Cruel and Perseverance are close relatives. The primary difference is that Cruel requires same-suit tableau building (e.g., 5♠ on 6♠), while Perseverance typically allows alternating-color building (e.g., 5♠ on 6♥). Some Perseverance variants also limit the number of redeals to 2 or 3.

Is Cruel Solitaire harder than FreeCell?

Cruel has a lower win rate (~25-30%) compared to FreeCell (~82%), making it statistically harder. However, the difficulty feels different: FreeCell requires deep tactical planning with visible information, while Cruel combines tactical play with strategic redeal timing. The unlimited redeals provide a safety net that FreeCell lacks.

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