How to Play Accordion Patience

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Accordion Patience is a solo card game for one player, played with a standard 52-card deck. Cards are laid out in a growing row and shifted left whenever they match a neighbour in suit or rank, gradually collapsing the layout into fewer and fewer piles. It is fast to set up, requires no equipment beyond a deck of cards, and a single hand takes roughly ten to twenty minutes.

Players return to it because it is genuinely difficult to beat yet always feels close. The rules are simple enough to learn in a minute, but the game rewards careful observation of what moves are available before committing, making it satisfying rather than purely luck-dependent. It is most often played on a table at home, though a clear floor or any flat surface works equally well.

A little history

The precise origins of Accordion Patience are unclear. It appears in late nineteenth and early twentieth century card-game compendiums under various names including Idle Year and Tower of Babel, and it has been documented in British and American patience collections throughout the twentieth century. Beyond its presence in printed rules collections of that era, its earlier history is not reliably recorded.

Setting up

1. Remove any jokers from the deck so you have exactly 52 cards.
2. Shuffle the deck thoroughly.
3. Hold the deck face down in one hand, ready to deal cards one at a time.

How to play

1. Deal the top card of the deck face up to the table to begin a row. This is pile 1.
2. Deal the next card face up immediately to the right of the first, creating pile 2. Continue dealing cards one at a time, each forming a new pile at the right-hand end of the row.
3. After placing each new card, check whether it matches the card immediately to its left (one place left) or the card three places to its left (three places left). A match means the two top cards share the same suit or the same rank.
4. If a match exists, move the newly placed card on top of the matching pile. Only the top card of any pile is ever moved; the cards beneath it stay in place.
5. After making a move, check the card that has just landed in its new position again: it may now match the card one place to its left or three places to its left from its new location. If so, move it again. Keep checking and moving until no further move is possible from the current top card.
6. If both a one-left move and a three-left move are available at the same time, you may choose either. Only one move is made per decision point before re-checking.
7. When no move is possible, deal the next card from the deck and repeat the process.
8. Continue until all 52 cards have been dealt and no further moves remain.
9. Count the number of piles remaining. One pile means the game is won. Fewer piles is always a better result.

Winning and scoring

The game is won outright if all 52 cards are compressed into a single pile. This is a rare outcome. Most players treat the final number of piles as their score, with one pile being a perfect game and fewer piles representing a better result than more. Some players set a personal target such as finishing with three piles or fewer as a benchmark for a successful hand.

The fine points

The most common dispute concerns whether you must take a move when one is available or whether you may decline it. The standard ruling in most published collections is that moves are optional: you are never obliged to move a card simply because a match exists. This choice is the main source of skill in the game. A related question is whether you may move a card from the middle of the row rather than only the most recently placed card. The correct rule is clear: only the top card of the rightmost newly placed pile is considered for movement after each deal, not any arbitrary card in the row.

A second point of confusion arises when a card lands in a new position after a move and the player is unsure whether to re-examine it from its old position or its new one. The standard ruling is straightforward: always measure one-left and three-left from the card's current position after each individual move. If the card moves again, measure again from the new position. Continue until the card cannot move further, then deal the next card from the deck.

How to win more often

• Before moving a card, look at both the one-left and three-left options. Prioritise the three-left move when possible, as it collapses the row more aggressively and opens up further chain moves.
• Avoid moving a card if doing so buries a useful top card beneath it. A buried card cannot be moved and may block future matches for many subsequent deals.
• Pay attention to suits as well as ranks. If several cards of the same suit are spread across the row, planning moves that consolidate them can create productive runs of chain moves later.
• Sometimes it is better to decline an available move. Leaving a card in place may set up a stronger three-left move on the very next deal, so always look one step ahead before committing.
• Keep the row as short as possible by taking moves whenever they genuinely compress the layout. A shorter row means more cards fall within the three-left window, which gives you more options as play continues.

Variations

Strict Accordion

In this stricter version, you must take a move whenever one is available rather than choosing to decline it. If both a one-left and a three-left move exist simultaneously, you must take the three-left move. This removes much of the decision-making and makes the outcome almost entirely luck-dependent, but it speeds the game up considerably and suits younger or more casual players.

One-Left Only

A simplified version sometimes used to introduce younger players to the game. Cards may only be moved onto the pile immediately to their left; the three-left rule is removed entirely. This makes winning far more common and reduces the complexity of each decision, though it also removes most of the strategic depth.

Three-Left Only

The mirror of the above: cards may only be moved three places to the left, never one. The one-left rule is dropped. This version is considerably harder than standard Accordion and results in longer rows and higher final pile counts on average, making it a good challenge for experienced players seeking a tougher game.

Limited Redeals

Once all 52 cards have been dealt and no moves remain, the player may gather the piles from right to left, turn the collected cards face down without shuffling, and deal again from the top. Most versions allow one or two such redeals. This significantly increases the chance of reaching a single pile and is a common house rule for players who find standard Accordion too punishing.

Accordion Patience: frequently asked questions