The Short Answer
Aces Up Solitaire is a one-deck patience (solitaire) card game where your goal is to discard all cards except the four aces. Cards are arranged in four columns, and you can discard any top card when a higher card of the same suit is visible in another column. Aces are always the highest and can never be discarded. You win when only four aces remain.
Alternate Names
Aces Up Solitaire goes by many names, all referring to the same or nearly identical game:
- Aces Up — the most common short name
- Idiot's Delight — a classic alternate name, reflecting how deceptively simple it looks
- Aces High — referring to aces being the highest-ranked card in each suit
- Four Aces — named after the winning state
- Firing Squad — a less common alternate name
How the Game Works
The game begins by dealing four cards face-up onto four columns. Players then discard any top card that is outranked by another top card of the same suit. When no discard is possible, one card is dealt from the stock to each column, and the process repeats.
The unique challenge is using empty columns strategically — when a column runs out of cards, you can move any top card there, potentially exposing a buried card that can then be discarded. This is the game's primary skill element.
Why Aces Up Is Special
Most solitaire games — Klondike, Spider, FreeCell — involve building sequences or suits. Aces Up is different: it is a pure discard game. Every move is either discarding a card or repositioning one to enable future discards. This makes it faster, more decisive, and more dependent on reading the board state.
The game is also unusually honest about its difficulty. With perfect play, you still win only about 1–2% of deals. This makes a win genuinely satisfying and rare.
Who Should Play Aces Up?
Aces Up Solitaire is ideal for:
- Players who want a quick game (most sessions last 5–15 minutes)
- Card game enthusiasts who appreciate strategic depth in a simple format
- People who enjoy challenge — the low win rate keeps things interesting
- Anyone who wants to play something classic without setup complexity
Aces Up vs. Other Solitaire Games
Compared to Klondike (standard Solitaire): Aces Up is simpler to learn, faster to play, and harder to win. There's no suit-building — just discarding.
Compared to FreeCell: FreeCell gives you free cells to store cards; Aces Up gives you empty columns. FreeCell has a much higher win rate. Aces Up is more luck-dependent.
Compared to Spider Solitaire: Spider uses multiple decks and involves suit sequencing. Aces Up is a single-deck game with a completely different discard mechanic.