Welcome to the game of St. Helena!

In St. Helena, we play with two sets of playing cards, each containing 52 cards. But we remove one Ace and one King of each suit from each deck. These missing cards will form two special rows – one row of Aces and one row of Kings. These rows are called the foundation piles. The goal of the game is to build the Ace foundations up to Kings, and the King foundations down to Aces, keeping the suits in order.

Let’s start by dealing the remaining cards around the foundation rows. We’ll place twelve piles of cards, forming a circle around the Aces and Kings. Four piles will go on the top and bottom, and two piles will go on the left and right sides. Make sure to deal these cards face up.

The Play

Hey there! Let’s talk about how we play this game. You can move any top cards from one tableau pile to another, but there are some rules you need to follow when it comes to moving cards to the foundation piles. It all depends on which deal you’re in, so let me break it down for you.

First Deal

Alright, after the first deal, things start to get a little less restrictive. Now you can move top cards from one tableau pile to another, but remember, they have to be in sequential order. It doesn’t matter what suit they are, and you can build the piles up or down. But here’s the catch – you can’t keep building a pile forever starting from an Ace. You can only build up to a Queen or down to a 2.

Now, during this deal, there are some specific rules for moving cards to the foundation piles. The cards in the top row of the tableau can only be moved to the King foundation piles. And the cards in the bottom row? Well, they can only be moved to the Ace foundation piles. As for the side tableau piles, you’re free to move the top cards to any foundation pile you want.

DEALS YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS

Hey there! So, picture this: you’re playing a game, having a great time, and suddenly, you hit a roadblock. Don’t worry, though! I’ve got some fantastic deals for you to keep the fun going.

Here’s the deal – if the game gets blocked, you’ve got not one, but two redeemable chances. How do you go about it, you ask? Simple! Let’s collect the tableau for a redeal. Start with the top left pile, pick it up, and place it on the pile to its right. Exciting, isn’t it? Well, we’re not stopping there! Take that pile and place it on top of the pile to its right. And so we go, in a clockwise direction, collecting all those piles until they’re safely in your hands. Now, flip the deck over, so it’s face down, and let’s get dealing those tableau piles again. One card at a time, face up, around the foundations.

But wait, there’s more! After the redeal, the rules for card movement change. I know, things just got spiced up! Now, you can move those top tableau cards to any foundation for a legal play. How amazing is that?

IT’S A WINNER!

You’re probably wondering when you can claim victory, right? Well, let me tell you. The game is won when all eight foundation piles have been built. Now that’s what I call a triumphant moment! But, here’s the twist – if you get blocked after the second redeal, you lose. Yep, it’s a tough cookie, but I know you can handle it!