Canfield

About Canfield

Canfield comes from an actual casino: in the 1890s, gamblers at Richard Canfield's Saratoga club bought a deck for $50 and won $5 back for every card they managed to play to the foundations. The house did famously well, which tells you what kind of game this is.

A dealt card fixes the starting rank for all four foundations, which build upwards in suit and wrap past the King. A thirteen-card reserve feeds the four tableau columns automatically as they empty, and the stock deals three at a time with unlimited redeals. Beating it feels like getting one over the house — because you are.

How to play Canfield

1. The first card dealt to a foundation sets the base rank — all four foundations start there and build up in suit, wrapping from King back to Ace.
2. The four tableau columns build down in alternating colours, also wrapping.
3. Empty columns refill automatically from the thirteen-card reserve.
4. The stock deals three cards at a time, with unlimited redeals.
5. All 52 cards on the foundations wins.

Tips for winning

• The reserve is your real opponent — every chance to play a reserve card is worth taking.
• Remember the wrap: with a base of 7, the Queen sits "below" the King, which changes which cards are urgent.
• Use the unlimited redeals — playing even one card out of the waste changes which cards surface on later passes.

Frequently asked questions

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