Aces Up Strategy: 5 Tips

Aces Up has few decisions, so each one matters. New? See the rules.

1. Never deal early

Dealing buries every column under a new card. Make every discard and every useful move first; dealing with a discard still available is the most common mistake.

2. Empty columns are the whole game

An empty column lets you reach the card underneath a top card. Use it to free a card that can be discarded at once, or to park an ace.

3. Aces to the base

A column that starts with an ace discards every card of that suit that lands on top of another column. Get the aces to the bottom of columns early.

4. Dig for high cards

A king or ace buried under three low cards is useless until it shows. Prefer plays that uncover high cards of suits that are piling up elsewhere.

5. The last deal

With four cards left in the stock, think about which columns will receive them: the card dealt last onto a high card of its suit can be discarded, but only if the high card is still on top.

Last updated 2026-10-21