The basics

Solitaire for beginners

Most new players lose for the same few reasons. These seven habits fix them, and you do not need to memorize anything.

1. Learn the rules once

Read how to play solitaire and then play a game. The rules are short. Cards build down in alternating colors, and the foundations build up by suit.

2. Start with draw 1

Draw 1 lets you reach every stock card, so more deals can be won. Switch to draw 3 when it starts to feel easy.

3. Uncover face-down cards first

A move that turns over a face-down card is usually better than one that does not. Every hidden card is unknown, and each one you reveal gives you new options. If two moves are possible, pick the one that opens a face-down card, and prefer columns with the most hidden cards.

4. Send aces and 2s up early

Aces and 2s are almost never needed in the columns, so move them to the foundations as soon as they are free. Be more careful with higher cards. See when to move cards to the foundations.

5. Use the stock last

Make every move you can on the table before you turn the stock over. Drawing gives you information you cannot take back, and in draw 3 it changes which cards you see next.

6. Keep empty columns for kings

An empty column is valuable only if you have a king to put in it. Do not empty a column unless a king is available. Read how to use empty columns.

7. Look before you move

Spend a few seconds scanning the whole table: which aces are close, which columns have the most hidden cards, and which moves are possible. The first legal move is rarely the best one.

Mistakes beginners make

• Moving a card to the foundation too soon, when it was needed to hold another card.
• Emptying a column with no king to fill it.
• Drawing from the stock while a useful move was still on the table.
• Giving up on a game early. Many games come back after a few cards are turned over.

When you are ready for more, the full strategy guide goes deeper.