Carlton opens with a visible staircase of 36 cards across eight columns. The remaining 68 cards arrive from the stock in rows of eight, ending with a partial row.
A group can be carried before it is sorted
Place a lead card on the next higher rank of the opposite color. All cards resting on that face-up card travel with it, even if their order is mixed. Any card-led group may fill an empty column. Foundations build from ace to king by suit.
Plan where the carried cards will go next
A group move may free a low card immediately while bringing several new blockers onto its receiver. Check for a second move that separates those blockers. Before dealing another row, send reachable foundation cards home and use available space. There is no stock redeal; both decks must finish on the eight foundations.