Play Monte Carlo Solitaire Online

Monte Carlo replaces foundations with a five-by-five grid of face-up cards. Remove two cards of the same rank when they touch, including diagonally. Then close the holes and deal new cards into the grid. Every close changes the neighborhood of the remaining cards. The name refers to a patience game, not to a casino wager. Choose a pair, watch the grid shift, and try to clear all 26 pairs.

1. Deal 25 cards face up in five rows of five. Keep the other 27 in a stock for refilling. All suits are equal in this game.
2. Select one card, then another card with the same rank immediately above, below, beside, or diagonally beside it. Both cards disappear.
3. After removing one or more pairs, press Close gaps and refill. Remaining cards slide toward the first square in reading order, from left to right and top to bottom. Stock cards then fill the open squares.
4. Examine the new neighbors before choosing another pair. When the stock runs out, keep matching cards from the shrinking grid.
5. Remove all 52 cards to win. Use Undo to compare different pairing orders when several equal-rank neighbors appear.

• Only cards with identical ranks form a pair; suit and color do not matter.
• Both cards must occupy neighboring squares in the current five-by-five grid. A diagonal contact counts.
• Press the refill button to compact the surviving cards in row-major order before adding stock cards.
• No card moves to a foundation, and you cannot remove a non-adjacent pair.
• A game ends in a win when all 26 pairs leave the board.

• Consider the next grid, not only the current pair. Removing cards early in reading order shifts more neighbors than removing cards at the bottom.
• Compare overlapping pairs of the same rank. One choice may leave a third matching card beside its fourth copy after compaction.
• Wait before pressing refill if another pair already exists. Removing it first can change where stock cards land.
• Remember that each rank appears four times. If you remove one pair, two cards of that rank remain somewhere in the deal.
• When the stock runs low, protect possible matches by studying which surviving cards will become neighbors after the next close.

• Monte Carlo Thirteens: This variation removes pairs totaling thirteen instead of matching ranks.
• Pyramid Solitaire: Pyramid also removes pairs, but its cards must sum to thirteen and become available as the pyramid clears.

• The whole initial grid is visible, so you can compare several pairs before committing to one. You do not need to wait for a hidden card to turn up.
• Diagonal matches reward careful scanning. A pair across the corner of two squares may be harder to spot than cards in the same row.
• Each compaction creates new possibilities because cards that used to sit far apart can become neighbors in the next layout.
• A short decision can change many later neighbors. Removing a pair near the beginning of the grid changes the reading-order position of every card behind it.
• The 26-pair goal gives progress a clear count. Once the stock empties, the shrinking grid makes each remaining choice easier to inspect.

Play Monte Carlo free in your browser. Select neighboring cards of equal rank, close the gaps, and work through the stock. Undo a choice to see how another pair rearranges the grid.

Monte Carlo turns each removal into a small placement puzzle. Look past the two cards you plan to remove and picture where the others will land. Start a new grid when you want another shot at clearing the deck.

• Monte Carlo, rules and variants
• The Success Rate of Monte Carlo, Fukuyama University