Six waste piles give more space — but suit-specific burial is harder to detect and more fatal than in Sir Tommy.
Lady Betty expands Sir Tommy’s four waste piles to six, giving more storage capacity. The added depth creates a new challenge: because foundations build by suit with King-to-Ace wraparound, a single suit’s critical rank buried under the wrong cards in a single pile can quietly end the game long before the stock runs out.
Last updated: June 2026
How Lady Betty works
Lady Betty uses one 52-card deck. Four foundations build up by suit from Ace to King, with wraparound from King back to Ace — but unlike most patience games, the foundations may start building from any rank once one of them begins. The first card played to any foundation sets the starting rank for all four, similar to Canfield-family games.
Cards are dealt one at a time from the stock. Each card either plays to a foundation (if it is the correct rank and suit for any foundation) or is placed on one of six face-up waste piles. Only the top card of each waste pile is playable to a foundation. There is no redeal — the single pass through the stock is all the material available.
The game is won when all 52 cards are on the four foundations. The game is lost when the stock is exhausted and no waste pile top can advance any foundation.
Suit-specific burial risk
In Sir Tommy, foundations build by rank regardless of suit. A 7 of any suit advances any foundation from 6. This means any buried 7 is replaceable by the next 7 drawn.
In Lady Betty, foundations build by suit. The 7 of hearts advances only the hearts foundation. If the 7 of hearts is buried under five cards in waste pile three, the hearts foundation cannot advance past 6 until those five cards are played to their own foundations — and those five cards advance only their own specific suits.
This suit-specificity creates a uniquely concentrated risk: a single card of one suit buried at the wrong time blocks that suit’s entire foundation progression. In a four-suit game, blocking one suit means one-quarter of the foundation work is stalled.
Every ten to fifteen stock draws, check each suit independently: where is the next needed card for this suit? If it is buried more than three cards deep in any pile, and the cards above it have no near-term foundation destinations in their own suits, this suit is at risk of stalling. Take corrective action (free the pile by playing the cards above it) before the block becomes unresolvable.
Six-pile waste allocation
With six waste piles and four suits, several allocation strategies work. The cleanest:
- One dedicated pile per suit(four piles). Cards of each suit go to their designated pile. The top card of each pile is always that suit, making it easy to track next-needed cards. The downside: one suit’s pile may grow very deep while another suit’s pile sits nearly empty.
- Two shared overflow piles (remaining two piles). Cards that would create dangerous burial in their suit pile go here as a temporary buffer. High-rank cards (that will not be needed until end-game) go here.
Maintain the suit-pile discipline strictly in the early game. Once foundations are advancing steadily (all four suits past the midpoint of their cycle), relax the allocation — fewer decisions remain and the suit-burial risk diminishes as needed ranks become accessible.
Wraparound foundation implications
Lady Betty’s foundations wrap from King back to Ace. If the starting rank is 7, the hearts foundation builds: 7→8→9→10→J→Q→K→A→2→3→4→5→6. The wrap means Kings are not final cards — Aces follow Kings, then low ranks.
The wraparound has two strategic implications:
- Kings are mid-game cards, not end-game. In standard patience, a King is the last card to play on a foundation. In Lady Betty with a high starting rank, the King arrives mid-cycle. Do not over-protect Kings in waste piles — they will be needed before Aces, low ranks, or the ranks just below the starting rank.
- Aces become urgent at the mid-game transition. When all four foundations approach King (having built from the start rank upward through high ranks), the next cards needed are Aces. If Aces are buried in suit piles under high-rank cards that have not yet played, the wrap transition stalls across all four suits simultaneously. Pre-emptive Ace tracking prevents this.
Starting rank was 8. All four foundations are at Queen, needing King next, then Ace. In the waste piles: Ace of hearts is on top of pile one. Ace of spades is buried two cards deep in pile three under a King and a 2. Ace of clubs and Ace of diamonds have not appeared yet (still in the undealt stock).
The Ace of hearts is ready to play the moment the hearts foundation reaches Ace. For spades: clear the two cards above the Ace of spades now (if they can play to their foundations). The King above the Ace of spades can play to the spades foundation once the spades foundation reaches King — which happens in one more step. Play the spades King to the spades foundation as soon as it reaches King, then immediately play the Ace of spades.
Frequently asked questions
How does Lady Betty differ from Sir Tommy?
Sir Tommy has four waste piles and suit-independent foundations (any suit plays to any foundation). Lady Betty has six waste piles but suit-specific foundations with wraparound. The larger pile count gives more flexibility; the suit requirement creates deeper strategic planning around suit-specific burial risk.
Can I move cards between waste piles?
No. Waste pile cards can only move to foundations, not to other waste piles. Once a card is placed in a pile, it stays until its foundation is ready for it.
What is the win rate?
Lady Betty is challenging. The single-pass stock, no-redeal constraint, and suit-specific burial risk combine to produce win rates around 30 to 50 percent for skilled play. The six waste piles provide more buffer than Sir Tommy, but the suit tracking requirement demands more attention.
Should I spread early stock cards across all six piles?
In the very early game (first 10 stock cards), spreading across piles is sensible — it prevents any single pile from accumulating depth before the foundation needs of each suit become clear. After the starting rank is established and several foundation cards have played, transition to the suit-allocation approach for the remaining piles.