Solitaire

How To Play Solitaire

Solitaire is a classic solo card game where you aim to stack cards into 4 foundation piles, beginning with the Ace and going to King. Klondike Solitaire is the most common, but there are tons of variations from Klondike Turn 3 to FreeCell. Solitaire go by "Patience," and takes thought and patience to win. 

On Solitrd, you can easily play online solitaire on any device without having to download software, and you can also enjoy an unlimited supply of solitaire games. 

 

Objective

The goal of the game is to stack all 52 cards into four piles for each of the suits; Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. Each foundation must be built in sequence, starting with Ace and ending with King. You will be able to accomplish this by making strategic moves with the face-up cards in the tableau and stockpile. You have finished the game when all of the cards have been properly stacked in their corresponding foundation piles.

Solitaire Objective :

• Tableau: 7 columns of alternating face-up and face-down cards.The tableau consists of 7 columns where cards are laid out alternately face-up and face-down, forming a face-up top-card stack. The object of the game is to build the cards in descending order and alternating colors. Only the top card can be played.

• Stockpile: 24 face-down cards drawn one at a time.The stockpile is a pile of 24 face-down cards. You will draw cards from the stockpile one by one adding them to the waste pile. When the waste pile is empty, you can reshuffle these face-up cards and create a new stockpile, but this is determined by the rules of play.

• Waste Pile: Face-up pile formed from stacking the face-down cards from the stockpile.The waste pile is a pile created from cards drawn from your stockpile. These face-up cards can be played on the tableau or moved to the foundation piles if the rules allow. Unplayable waste pile cards will remain in that pile.

• Foundation Piles: Each pile should be built by suit starting with the Ace and building to the King.Foundation piles must be built sequencially by suit, starting with the Ace and building to the King. The main objective of the game is to build all four foundation piles, while removing the cards from the tableau is how a player wins solitaire.

Solitaire Instructions

How to Play – Rules on Moving Cards in the Game:

• Move only face-up cards: Face-down cards remain that way on the tableau until the face-up card above it is taken away.
• Play from the waste pile: Moving a face-up card from the waste will flip the next card face-up for you to play to the tableau or foundation.
• Move cards between tableau columns: A card may be moved on top of another card if it is one rank higher and the opposite color. For example, the 6 of Clubs can be played on the 7 of Diamonds.
• Move like-rank cards: If the top card that you put down can be placed on a face-up card in the tableau inset of the tableau, you may move the entire sequence of face-up cards.
• Turn over face-down cards: When you take away the face-up card that is covering the face-down card in the tableau, that face down card will flip face-up and be available to play.
• Build foundations piles, by suit: You can only lay an Ace first, then build up in order either 2, 3,4... all the way to King. All must be in the same suit.
• Only place Kings in empty tableau columns: When moving a single King or group of sequenced cards that include a King, you can place them in any empty column.
• Use the stockpile when you're stuck: If you cannot make a move, AND do not want to click the stockpile, flip a card from the stockpile. Keep flipping cards until a move can be made.
• Read when needed: When the stockpile is empty, click the waste pile to reset the waste pile back into the stockpile to continue playing.

Tips for Winning Solitaire

If you're interested in winning more often, then learning how to Play Solitaire by using these strategic tips can help you make better decisions and create, advantage throughout the game. 

Focus on flipping face-down cards

Your first priority in the beginning, should always be to flip face-down cards, the more you flip, the more moves you can potentially make. Since a face face-up card is like a starting point for making new and better choices for the game. 

Look at the stockpile cards before your first move

Before you make your first move do not forget to turn over the first card in the stockpile. You never know if this first card, when turned over, could create a chain reaction, or open up better possibilities than only examining the tableau.

Take a quick look at the tableau

Before making a move, make sure visually scan, the layout of all the tableau cards, and over the top of shifting cards in your waste pile. A quick glance is important if you want to play the game more efficiently.

Move Aces and 2s to the foundation

As soon as you see an Ace or 2, remove any of them to the respective foundation, they are generally not good in the tableau and moving them something to foundation is creating new spaces.

Now to the best tips for optimizing your game.

Clear those long tableau stacks first

First clear those columns that have hidden cards that are blocking cards you’ll need later on! Typically, the most hidden cards are hidden in longer stacks. By clearing those stacks of cards, and lifting the hidden cards to your hand, you're giving yourself more options as well as clearing the column off for future opportunities. 

Don't rush cards up into the foundation.

It can be tempting to put every card that can go up on the foundation, but stop and think. That 4 of Hearts may have card opportunities that could lead to more (or some might be better than hitting the foundation).

If the game allows, reuse from the foundation cards

If your Solitaire game allows you to pull cards back from the foundation pile, take advantage of this. Sometimes simply putting a card back into play will help you unlock a game situation that is stuck.

Have empty columns ready for kings

When you have a empty tableau column, only kings (or a sequence opening with a king) can go into those spaces. Even if you may not have a king at the time, make space in the tabs so that when you do get a king you can move it into that empty column.

Use the hint buttons and undo tools

The hint buttons may help you see moves you may have missed and the undo button allows you a second chance to try better moves. Use the hint buttons and undo to help learn and adjust to these better moves.

Want to take your game to the next level even? See our full guide on ways to play Solitaire for even more tips and tricks!

How Hard is Solitaire?

Classic or Klondike Solitaire is considered to be easy, even with Turn 1 versus Turn 3 - with a win rate of 33.0 percent using Turn 1 - based on nearly 2.9 million games played. Turn 3, which can be Averaged win rate of 11.1%, is medium difficulty. There are alternatives if you are looking for some variation off of "classic" solitaire - FreeCell Solitaire Online offers more open strategy situations, while Spider Solitaire can be more complex.

Pyramid Solitaire is also another fun option, along with TriPeaks Solitaire, but both of these game types offer their own unique challenges to the online card game enthusiast, including pyramid solitaire. Overall, experimenting with the different modes can help you learn and get to the right comfort level for difficulty.

Play Solitaire Online at Solitrd

At Solitrd, you can play different solitaire games including free spider solitaire games and the best online solitaire for PC. Whether you love the classic solitaire card game or want something new, you can play online solitaire for free, on the web now, and with no downloads!

Play different variations of solitaire and improve your skills with daily challenges. Play now and experience only the best in solitaire fun online.

FAQ

What is the aim of Solitaire?

The aim of Solitaire is to get all cards to the foundation piles in suit from Ace to King. To win, the player must use strategy and patience to organize the tableau columns in descending order, alternating colors.

Can I play Solitaire online for free?

Yes, there are a ton of websites where you can play Solitaire online for free without needing to download anything such a Solitrd. You can play classic solitaire, spider solitaire, and other variations right in your browser.

What is the difference between Spider Solitaire and Classic Solitaire?

Classic Solitaire (also called Klondike Solitaire) uses one deck and includes building foundation piles by suit, whereas Spider does not include foundation piles and sporadically allows stacking by rank. Spider is more challenging than Classic Solitaire, and has its own unique game play rules.

Is Solitaire a chance or strategy game? 

Solitaire is a balance of chance and strategy. The card layout is random, so it is hard to say that chance does not play a role. But consistently winning requires players to make good choices, stack their cards and plan where they need to move next, and maximize uncovering hidden cards. 

Can I play Solitaire on mobile devices? 

Of course! The majority of online sites offer mobile-friendly versions, such as Solitrd, where you can play the game of solitaire on the device of your choice as long as it is iOS or Android, and many of them do not require you to install an app to play!