Variant strategy

Sir Tommy is mostly about where not to place a card too early.

You only deal one card at a time, and every non-foundation card must be parked on one of four waste piles. That makes Sir Tommy a placement puzzle where small early mistakes can block several later ranks.

Play Sir Tommy Read general strategy

Core Sir Tommy tips

Play cards to foundations promptly when doing so cannot strand a needed lower rank in a waste pile.
Use waste piles to separate ranks and suits in a way that preserves future access, not just to empty your hand quickly.
Before placing a card on a waste pile, ask what card would need to sit on top of it later.
Try to keep at least one relatively flexible waste pile for awkward middle ranks.
Because cards only move from the top of waste piles, stacking order matters more than almost anything else.

Best early priority

The strongest Sir Tommy openings create organised waste piles rather than maximum immediate placements. Structure is what lets the deal finish cleanly.

Common mistake

The classic mistake is burying a low card under a rank sequence that can never move off in time to feed the foundations.

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Why players like it

Sir Tommy remains interesting because the rules are simple while the placement consequences are surprisingly strict.