Play Penta Solitaire

About Penta Solitaire

Screen shot of the game Penta from Pretty Good Solitaire.

Warning! - Pretty Good Solitaire may be addictive. We are not responsible for lost productivity, neglected spouses, children, or pets. We are not responsible for lost sleep because you stay up to play "just one more game".

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Penta is a two deck game in the Busy Aces family of games.

How to Play

The eight Fives in the deck are dealt to the foundation piles, one of each suit on the left and on the right. The foundation piles on the left will be built up in suit from the Fives up to Kings, then to Aces up to Fours. The piles on the right are built down from the Fives to Aces, then to Kings down to Sixes.

One card each is dealt out to six tableau piles, divided into two sets of three piles. The remaining cards form a stock that will be turned over one card at a time to a waste pile.

Play proceeds by moving up any possible cards in the tableau piles to the foundations. The three tableau piles on the left are built down regardless of suit, wrapping from Ace to King if necessary. The three piles on the right are built up regardless of suit, wrapping from King to Ace if necessary.

Only one card at a time may be moved. Spaces in the tableau are filled by any card.

When there are no more possible moves within the tableau, turn over a card from the stock to the waste and continue play. The object is to move all of the cards up to the foundation piles. There is no redeal, so when the stock is empty and all the cards cannot be played up, the game is lost.

An average player wins about 60% of the time, although with good play somewhat higher scores are possible.

Penta is a member of the family of games that includes Busy Aces, Deuces, Three's Company, and Fours Up. Also similar is Fortune's Favor and The Spark. Penta was invented by Thomas Warfield for Pretty Good Solitaire.