House on the Hill

House on the Hill spreads two decks across thirty-six three-card piles and asks you to assemble every suit from both ends at once — an Ace foundation climbing to King, a King foundation descending to Ace, for all four suits.

It is a game of breadth rather than depth. Nothing is buried more than two cards down, but with only thirty-six top cards available out of a hundred and four, most of the table is inert at any moment. Building up or down in suit within the piles is what keeps it moving, and the pleasure is in watching a very wide, very shallow layout slowly resolve into eight complete sequences.

Two decks laid out into thirty-six tiny piles of three cards each. Eight foundations form as they become available — an Ace and a King of every suit — with the Aces climbing to King and the Kings descending to Ace, so each suit is assembled from both ends. Piles build either up or down in sequence in suit, whichever you prefer, and only the top card of each pile is playable. There is no redeal.

Thirty-six piles of three means an enormous amount is visible and almost none of it is reachable — only thirty-six top cards out of 104. Being able to build up or down in suit is the tool that makes it workable, because it roughly doubles where any card can go. Because each suit builds from both ends simultaneously, most ranks are wanted somewhere at most times; the skill is spotting which of two possible destinations keeps more options open. Clearing piles entirely is the only way to reduce the clutter, so favour the piles closest to empty.