Keep the next needed rank on top.
Sir Tommy draws one card at a time. Each card goes to a foundation when legal or onto one of four waste piles. Only the top card of each waste pile can leave, and foundations build Ace through King without a suit restriction.
Last updated: September 2026
Read the pile from top to bottom
Putting a Jack on top of a 2 hides the 2 until the Jack can reach a foundation, which requires a foundation to reach 10 first. Putting the 2 on top of the Jack leaves the 2 available as soon as an Ace foundation exists. The order is what matters; a rank label assigned to a pile cannot override the cards already there.
Before placing a drawn card, ask which existing pile top it will cover and when that covered card can leave. If a drawn card already fits a foundation, playing it there removes a blocker from the waste system. You may also move an exposed waste top to a foundation before drawing again.
Preserve exits as the stock empties
Four foundations each require every rank from Ace to King, but a card of any suit can build on a matching preceding rank. Check the next needed ranks across all four foundations. A pile top at one of those ranks has a near-term exit; a higher card placed above it delays that exit.
A temporary empty waste pile can shelter a low card without covering another card. It may be worth using now if all occupied piles have an urgent top. The game can continue from exposed waste cards after the last stock draw, so stock exhaustion alone does not settle the result.
Related placement games
Lady Betty uses six waste piles and foundations starting at ranks 2 through 5. Once started, each foundation keeps its chosen suit and wraps King to Ace. Colours also starts at 2 through 5 but follows a red and black pairing scheme. Those rules change where a card can exit, so each has focused instruction. Strategy Solitaire delays most foundation play until after the deal.