How to Play Three Pirates Solitaire

A two-deck variant of Forty Thieves featuring three waste piles instead of one. Build cards to foundations while managing the tableau.

Setup

1. Use two decks (104 cards total).
2. Deal 4 cards to each of 10 tableau piles.
3. Set up 8 foundation piles (one per suit per deck) and 3 empty waste piles.
4. The remaining stock goes to the side.

How to play

• Click the stock to deal 1 card at a time to the waste piles.
• Move the top card from any tableau pile or waste pile to a foundation (building up in suit from Ace).
• In the tableau, build piles downward in the same suit (e.g., 5♠ on 6♠).
• Only the top card of each tableau pile can be moved.
• Empty tableau spaces accept any card.
• The app automatically moves a card to the foundation once no other card can be built on it; you can change this in Settings.
• When the stock runs out, you're done (no redeal).

How to win

Objective: Move every card to the 8 foundations, building each suit from Ace to King.

Win by moving all 104 cards to the 8 foundations. You lose when the stock is exhausted and no more moves are available.

Tips

• The three waste piles increase your options compared to single-waste variants—use this advantage.
• Only the top card of each tableau pile can move, so avoid burying cards you'll need again soon.
• Focus on exposing and moving Aces early to start your foundations.

Play Three Pirates free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Three Pirates alongside 300+ other games. It saves every move as you play, so you can close the window and pick the game up later, replay any deal, and take on a new Daily Challenge deal every day. Browse every game in the Game Gallery.

Related games

More games from the Forty Thieves family:

• Waxing Moon — A very challenging two-deck Forty Thieves variant with 12 tableau columns and a strict rule: only Kings can fill empty tableau spaces.
• Block — A challenging two-deck game where you build foundations by suit and must strategically work with just the cards on the table, with no second chances.
• Corona — A two-deck challenge from the Forty Thieves family.
• Double Limited — This big four-deck challenge spreads 208 cards over 16 tableau piles and 16 foundations, with same-suit building throughout and only the top card of each tableau pile ever movable.
• Famous Fifty — A challenging two-deck variant of Forty Thieves where you build foundations in suit and tableau sequences in the same suit, with flexible tableau spaces.