How to play Bear River
Goal - Move all the cards to the Foundation
Decks
- A standard deck (52 cards)
Redeals
- No
Foundation
- A card will be the starter card of the foundation. The three other cards of the same rank are placed next to it during play as they become available.
- An Ace can be placed on the King
Tableau
- Build up or down by suit
- A King can be placed on an Ace and An Ace can be placed on the King
- The top card of each pile is available for move
- Each pile can contain a maximum of three cards
- An empty pile may not be filled
Hole
- Build up or down by suit
- A King can be placed on an Ace and An Ace can be placed on the King
- The top card of each pile is available for move
- Each pile can contain a maximum of three cards
- An empty pile can be filled with any card
Strategy & tips
- Free your aces first - every move that uncovers an ace is a move worth making.
- Use redeals sparingly: many variants allow only one or two.
- Keep an eye on suited blocks. Breaking them up to chase a single card often loses the game.
Bear River was invented by Bruce and Joel Levin.