What is the win rate for Penguin Solitaire?
Typical win rate (and why it changes)
Penguin Solitaire is widely considered one of the most solvable solitaire games. Under common “standard” settings (often modeled with 6 depots, meaning 6 storage spaces), analyses of winnability are frequently reported as near 100% (around 99.94%). That puts it in a very different difficulty tier than games like FreeCell.
The catch is that Penguin’s win rate depends heavily on how much temporary storage you have and which move rules your version allows. If you cut down the number of depots or restrict sequence moves, the game becomes less forgiving because you have fewer ways to “park” key cards while you clear beak-minus-one starters.
- Standard settings (about 6 depots): nearly all deals are winnable (often cited around 99.94%).
- Fewer depots (4 or less): the game can become genuinely difficult, with winnability often cited as dropping below 43%.
Why Penguin is often winnable
- All cards are face up: you can plan from move one.
- 7 flippers: more temporary storage than classic FreeCell.
- Foundations unlock space: advancing foundations can clear key beak-minus-one starters.
What makes some deals hard
- Same-suit building: mistakes are harder to unwind than alternating-color variants.
- Empty-column restriction: only beak-minus-one can start an empty column.
- Beak pacing: if the beak rank is awkward, your early options can shrink fast.
How to improve your win rate
- Keep at least one flipper open whenever possible.
- Do not bury beak-minus-one cards under long suit stacks.
- Use empty columns intentionally and quickly, then refill them with the correct rank.