The basics

How to play solitaire

Solitaire is a card game for one person. The most popular version is Klondike, and it is the one most people mean when they say solitaire. This guide teaches it from the first card.

The setup

Take one 52-card deck. Deal seven columns of cards: the first column gets 1 card, the second 2, and so on up to 7 in the seventh. That is 28 cards. Only the last card of each column is face up. The 24 cards left over are the stock, face down, in the top left. Next to it is the waste, where cards from the stock are turned over. At the top right are four empty spaces for the foundations.

The goal

Build the four foundation piles, one for each suit, in order from ace up to king. When all 52 cards are on the foundations, you have won.

How to move cards

• Build down in the columns. Place a card on a column whose last card is one rank higher and the opposite color. A red 6 goes on a black 7, a black 5 goes on a red 6.
• Move runs together. A face-up run that is already in order (for example 9, 8, 7) can move as one onto another column.
• Uncover hidden cards. When you move the last face-up card of a column, the face-down card under it turns over.
• Fill empty columns with kings. Only a king, or a run that starts with a king, can go in an empty column.
• Send cards to the foundations. Aces go up first. Then 2, 3 and so on of the same suit.

The stock and the waste

When you have no moves left, click the stock to turn over cards onto the waste. Only the top waste card can be played. In draw 1 you turn over one card at a time. In draw 3 you turn over three, and only the top one is playable. When the stock is empty, turn the waste over to make a new stock and go through it again. Read turn 1 versus turn 3 for the difference.

Winning and losing

You lose when no move is left, not even turning over the stock does anything, and the foundations are not full. Some deals cannot be won however you play. See is solitaire always winnable.

Try it now

Play a game in your browser. To get better, read the strategy guide, and the full rules if you want every detail.