Rules for Canfield

Family: Klondike
Categories: Popular
Variants: Chameleon,Rainbow,Storehouse
Also Known As: Fascination, Demon, Devil's Own, Thirteen; incorrectly called Klondike

In Richard Canfield’s thriving casinos of the 19th century, the dealers would “sell” you a game of Canfield for $52, then pay back $5 for every card played to the foundations. So if you can play up 11 cards, you’re beating the odds! (They also offered a payment of $500 for playing all the cards up!) Canfield is often incorrectly called Klondike, and vice-versa. Both are popular games. If this one isn’t the game you learned to call Canfield, check out Klondike. If you like Canfield but wish you could win more often, try Rainbow or Storehouse.

Layout

There are four foundations in a row, and four tableau piles below them. To the left of the tableaus is the stock, and to the right a wastepile. Count twelve cards into the stock, face down and squared, then add a thirteenth card face up. Deal one card face up onto each tableau pile. Deal one card face up onto the first foundation. Keep the rest of the deck in your hand.

Play

The foundations build up, following suit. The rank of the first card played onto any empty foundation pile must match the rank of the card placed on the first foundation in the initial layout. (For example, if the first card placed on a foundation pile is an eight, then eights must also be played onto the other empty foundations.) Building is circular, with Ace following King.

The tableaus build down, alternating red and black. Again building is circular, with King following Ace.

Top cards of stock and wastepile are available for building on either the tableaus or the foundations. Top cards of the tableaus are available for building on the foundations. Full builds in the tableaus are available for building on other tableau piles; partial builds may not be moved.

Empty piles in the tableau must be filled immediately with the top card of the stock. If the stock is empty, you may use the top card of the wastepile, but in this case, you need not fill empty piles until you are ready.

Dealing

You may deal at any time, by taking a three-card packet from the hand and turning it face-up onto the wastepile. You may redeal indefinitely: when the hand is empty, pick up the entire wastepile and turn it over to form a new hand.

Goal

The goal is to move all the cards onto the foundations.

Tips

Build the foundations evenly. If you play up a red 8 before you have found all the black sevens, you may find yourself unable to play one of those sevens later on. Also remember that you deal from the hand three cards at a time. Usually it’s a mistake to play all three cards, because then you won’t get any different cards in the next redeal.