Lucas is the friendly door into the Forty Thieves family. Before play begins, all eight aces are placed on their foundations; the remaining 96 cards deal into thirteen face-up columns of three over a 57-card stock. The tableau builds down by suit, one card at a time, any single card may fill an empty column, and the stock deals one card at a time to the waste with no redeal. The shallow columns - never more than three cards deep at the deal - are what make Lucas so much more open than its parent.
With the aces up and only three cards per column, your twos and threes are often playable immediately - but do not rush them. A two banked early can strand its three under an unmovable king. Empty a column or two first: with thirteen columns, spaces come cheap, and each one lets you re-park a blocker. Because there is no redeal, treat the stock as a one-way street; before each click, ask whether anything on the board still wants moving first.