Easthaven: moving whole runs makes the difference
Easthaven sets up like a small Klondike. There are seven columns, a few cards face down in each, and you build down in alternating colors. The stock works like Spider's: each click deals one card onto every column, and there is no waste pile and no second pass. Each deal adds a card to every column, so the order in which you do things matters a great deal.
We measured how winnable the game is with a "thoughtful" solver, one that knows the face-down cards and the stock order. On this site's rules it won 97.6% of 3,000 deals (95% range 97.0%–98.1%) and proved none impossible (95% range 0.0%–0.1%). That is a ceiling, since no player sees hidden cards. It shows the deal is almost never what beats you here.
We did not run a greedy player on Easthaven, so there is no greedy-versus-planner pair on this page. What we do have is a striking rule comparison. It shows how much the freedom to move whole runs is worth, and that freedom is exactly what a planning player uses.
At a glance: what run moves are worth
| Version (thoughtful solver) | Solved | Proven impossible | Undecided | Deals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| As played here: ordered runs move together | 97.6% (97.0%–98.1%) | 0.0% (0.0%–0.1%) | 2.4% (1.9%–3.0%) | 3,000 |
| Single-card moves only (not the site rule) | 14.0% (10.5%–18.4%) | 42.3% (36.9%–48.0%) | 43.7% (38.2%–49.3%) | 300 |
Take away run moves and 42.3% of deals become provably impossible, even for a solver that sees everything. With run moves, not one deal in 3,000 was. The lesson: the more you build long ordered runs and move them as blocks, the more of the game's winnable space you use.
Easthaven rules on this site
- Deck: one standard 52-card deck.
- Tableau: seven columns of three cards, top card face up.
- Stock: the other 31 cards. Each click deals one face-up card to every column, left to right. The last deal has three cards, which go on the first three columns.
- No waste and no redeal.
- Gaps: you may deal with an empty column on the table.
- Building: down in alternating colors.
- Runs: an ordered run moves as a unit.
- Empty columns: any card or run.
- Foundations: four, one per suit, Ace to King.
Thinking ahead in Easthaven
Finish the table before you deal
In 8.2% of deals (95% range 7.2%–9.2%) none of the seven visible cards can move at the start, and dealing is your only choice. In every other deal, make all useful moves first. Each click covers every column, and a greedy early deal buries cards you could have used.
Clear a column before a deal
This is the Easthaven version of the Spider habit of emptying a column before the next deal. Any card can fill a gap, so an empty column gives you somewhere to put an awkward card or a whole run when the new cards arrive.
Build long runs on purpose
The table above shows run moves are the heart of this game. Long alternating-color runs can be picked up and moved in one go. Break a run only to free a face-down card or reach a foundation.
Most Aces are not buried
On average only 1.06 of the four Aces start face down (95% range 1.03–1.09, 3,000 deals). The others are face up or in the stock, so your early work is mostly building down, not digging.
Plan the short last deal
The final deal gives only three cards, to the first three columns. After that there is no stock left, and you are solving a puzzle with nothing hidden. Undo lets you try different orders freely.
Easthaven on spidersolitaireonline.us
Easthaven is free in any modern browser on computer, tablet or phone, with no account. Unlimited Undo lets you deal, look, and take it back if the timing was wrong. Hint, Restart and Auto Play are there too, with zoom and fullscreen, drag or tap to move, a counter for wins, time and moves, and settings for sound and table color.
How we ran the study
The spidersolitaireonline.us team ran this test in September 2026 on this site's own Easthaven rules. The simulations are written in Python. An AI assistant, Claude by Anthropic, helped write and review the code and draft this page. Every figure comes from running the code.
- Rules traced in the site code: seven columns of three with only the top card showing, a 31-card stock dealt across every column with no recycle, dealing allowed over a gap, alternating colors, runs moving together, any card in a space.
- Two versions: the site rule and a single-card-move version for comparison.
- Numbered deals: seeds 1 to 3,000 for the site rule, 1 to 300 for the single-card version.
- A thoughtful solver. It knows the face-down cards and the stock order, so its result is an upper limit on what a person can win. It searches one line deeply, backs up when stuck, and never repeats a position, with up to 100,000 positions per deal.
- Published figure. Blake and Gent (2026) report 82.844% for East Haven, but under a stricter one-card rule. That is not this site's rule, so it cannot be compared directly. Our own single-card run did not match it either, which means our reading of that rule set differs from theirs in a way we have not pinned down. We rely on the site-rule result.
- Limits. This is a ceiling, and 2.4% of deals were undecided. We ran no greedy or no-peeking player on this game.
- Margins of error are 95% Wilson score intervals for percentages and normal intervals for averages.
Easthaven questions
Is every deal winnable?
A solver that sees every card won 97.6% and proved none impossible. You cannot see hidden cards, so expect to lose some.
Why do run moves matter so much?
Without them, 42.3% of deals were proven impossible in our test. With them, none were.
Can I deal with an empty column?
Yes. Unlike Spider on this site, Easthaven lets you deal over a gap.
What should I play next?
For the full Spider deal-and-plan experience, go to Spider. For another Klondike-style game, try Yukon. Everything else is on the home page.
By Admin, spidersolitaireonline.us (Solitairen OOD). Research run September 2026.