How to Play Solitaire

Solitaire is a family of card games for one player. Each game has its own layout and its own way of moving cards, but they share a few ideas. Read the basics once, then jump to the game you want. Every game page starts with a table you can play right away and carries the full rules below it.

If solitaire is new to you, read the basics below and then try Klondike, the game most people mean by the word. If you like to plan before you move, start with FreeCell, where every card is visible from the first move. Each of the fifteen games further down has short rules here and the full step by step rules on its own page. The last two sections cover daily deals and sharing, and what to do when you are stuck. Terms such as tableau, stock and foundation are explained as they come up, and the glossary lists them all.

The basics

• The goal. Most games ask you to move every card to four foundation piles, one per suit, from ace up to king. Pyramid and TriPeaks are different: you win by clearing the cards from the table.
• Tableau, stock and waste. The tableau is the layout of cards you work with. The stock is the pile you draw from, and the waste is where drawn cards land.
• Face up and face down. In several games only some cards are visible. When you move away the last face-up card of a column, the hidden card under it turns up.
• Sequences. Many games build cards downward, from king toward ace, in alternating colors or in a single suit. That choice is what most sets the games apart.
• No time pressure. The timer only measures your game. It starts at your first move and pauses when you leave the tab.

Moving cards

On a phone, tap a card and then tap where it should go. You can also drag. A double tap, or a double click, sends a card to its foundation if it fits. On a keyboard, the arrow keys move between piles, and Enter or Space picks up and drops a card. The shortcut keys are Z for undo, Y for redo, H for a hint and N for a new deal.

Undo and redo are unlimited, so you can test an idea and step back. A hint shows a legal move, not necessarily a good one. Using a hint marks that game as played with help in your own stats.

Winnable deals

Each game is dealt from a pool of deals that an offline solver has checked. The solver sees every card and found at least one way to win. It does not mean that the win is easy, or that you will find it. A deal that does not come from the pool is random, and the page labels it as not checked.

Rules of each game

Klondike

Seven columns, built down in alternating colors, with a stock you turn one card at a time. Kings fill the empty columns. This is the game most people mean by “solitaire”. Read the Klondike rules.

Spider

Ten columns and two decks, with one, two and four suits. You build runs from king to ace, and each finished run leaves the table. A stock deal puts a card on every column and needs all columns filled. Read the Spider rules.

FreeCell

Eight cascades, four free cells and every card face up. Build down in alternating colors and plan carefully, since the number of cards you can move at once depends on the room you have. Read the FreeCell rules.

Pyramid

Twenty-eight cards in a pyramid. Remove a king alone, or two free cards that add up to 13. You get two passes through the stock. Read the Pyramid rules.

TriPeaks

Three peaks of cards. Play a free card that is one rank above or below the top of the waste, with aces and kings wrapping around, and draw when you are stuck. Read the TriPeaks rules.

Golf

Seven columns of five cards, all face up. Play the top card of a column onto the waste when it is one rank above or below the waste card. Draw from the stock when you are stuck. Read the Golf rules.

Yukon

Like Klondike, but there is no stock and you may move any face-up card together with every card on top of it, in order or not. Read the Yukon rules.

Russian Solitaire

The Yukon layout, with columns built down in a single suit instead of alternating colors. Read the Russian Solitaire rules.

Scorpion

Seven columns built down in suit, where any card can move with the cards on it. A small reserve of spare cards is placed on the columns when you run out of moves. Read the Scorpion rules.

Spiderette

A one-deck relative of Spider on a seven-column layout, with a stock that deals a card to each column. Read the Spiderette rules.

Forty Thieves

Two decks, ten columns, and columns built down in suit. You get one pass through the stock, so every draw counts. Read the Forty Thieves rules.

Canfield

A thirteen-card reserve, four columns, and a stock turned three cards at a time. The first foundation card sets the starting rank for all four piles. Read the Canfield rules.

Eight Off

A FreeCell-style game with eight free cells and columns built down in suit. Read the Eight Off rules.

Baker’s Game

FreeCell with one change: columns are built down in a single suit, not alternating colors. Read the Baker’s Game rules.

Seahaven Towers

Ten columns, four free cells and columns built down in suit. Only a king may fill an empty column. Read the Seahaven Towers rules.

There is also a list of all games grouped by family.

Daily deals and sharing

Every game has a daily deal that is the same for everyone. See the daily page. Any deal can also be shared by copying its web address. Settings, stats and saved games stay in your browser. There is no account to make.

Getting unstuck

If you cannot find a move, try the hint, undo the last few moves, or look at the strategy section of the game page. If you believe a deal has no solution, the contact page tells you how to report it, with the link to that deal.