How to play Crescent
Goal - Move all the cards to the Foundation
Decks
- 2 decks (104 cards)
Redeals
- 3
Foundation
- Aces and Kings start here
- Built up by suit from Ace to King
- Built down by suit from King to Ace
- The top card of each pile is available for move
Tableau
- Build up or down by suit
- A King can be placed on an Ace and An Ace can be placed on the King
- The top card of each pile is available for move
- An empty pile may not be filled
Stock
- Press to move the bottom card of each Tableau pile to the top
Strategy & tips
- Plan bidirectionally. A card you'd happily promote to the up-foundation might be the only bridge a down-foundation needs — and vice versa. Look at both directions before committing.
- Redeals are precious. Don't spend the first one until you've genuinely exhausted simple moves. Three is plenty for most deals if you read the board carefully.
- Watch for buried Aces and Kings. They start as foundations, but second-deck Aces and Kings buried in reserves can paralyse the meeting point. Free them early.
- Group moves multiply your power. A short same-suit sequence (e.g. 8♣-7♣) on one reserve can sometimes leapfrog onto another to bridge an awkward gap.
- If the classic game stumps you, try Crescent Relaxed: more redeals, looser group rules, perfect for learning the bidirectional flow.