To set up solitaire, take one 52-card deck with the jokers out and deal seven piles from left to right: one card in the first pile, two in the second, and so on up to seven in the seventh. Turn only the top card of each pile face up, keep the 24 left-over cards face down as the stock, and leave space above for four foundation piles.
That layout is called Klondike, and it's the game most people mean when they say solitaire. In the UK it's often called Patience. Once the cards are laid out the right way, the game almost explains itself.
What you need before you deal
- One standard deck of 52 cards, with the jokers taken out.
- A flat surface with room for seven side-by-side piles. A kitchen table or a desk works well, and a tray on your lap is too small.
- A good shuffle. Spread the cards on the table and mix them, or do an ordinary overhand shuffle several times.
Picture the layout, left to right
Imagine your table as two rows. The bottom row is where the action happens. The top row is for storing cards you've finished with.
The bottom row: seven piles
These piles are called the tableau. Starting from your left, the first pile has one card, the second pile has two, the third has three, and the pattern continues until the seventh pile on your right holds seven cards. Fan them slightly downwards so you can see how many are in each pile.
In every pile, only the top card (the one at the bottom of the fan, nearest to you) is turned face up. All the other cards stay face down. That gives you 28 cards in the tableau.
The top row: stock and foundations
The cards left over are the stock. Put them face down in a single pile at the top left. That's 24 cards. Next to it, leave a blank space for the cards you turn over, which is often called the waste pile.
On the right of that row, leave room for four empty spaces. Those are the foundations, one for each suit: hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades. You'll build each one from Ace up to King.
How to deal, step by step
- Shuffle the deck and hold it face down.
- Lay one card face up for the first pile.
- Move to the second pile and give it two cards: one face down, with a second laid face up on top of it.
- Repeat for each pile, adding one more face-down card each time and finishing with one face-up card, until the seventh pile has seven cards.
- Put the remaining cards face down in the stock, top left.
- Check your count. Seven piles of one to seven cards makes 28, and 52 minus 28 leaves 24 in the stock.
If your count is off, one of the piles has too many or too few cards. Gather everything up, shuffle and deal again. It takes less than a minute.
The rules in brief
Once everything is laid out, your aim is to move all 52 cards to the four foundations, building each suit from Ace up to King.
- Build down in alternating colours. On the tableau, you can place a red 6 on a black 7, or a black 6 on a red 7.
- Move runs together. A face-up run of cards in order can be moved as one block onto another card that fits.
- Turn up hidden cards. When you move cards off a pile, turn the new top card face up.
- Empty columns take Kings. Only a King, or a run that starts with a King, can go into an empty space.
- Use the stock. Turn cards over one at a time, or three at a time for a tougher game, and play the top one if it fits somewhere.
- Go home early. Move an Ace to a foundation as soon as you can, then add the 2, 3 and so on in the same suit.
Turning the stock one card at a time is the friendlier way to start. Three at a time makes it much harder to get every card out, so save that for when you want a challenge.
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Common set-up mistakes
- Leaving the jokers in. They're not part of the game, so take them out first.
- Turning every card face up. Only the top card of each pile should show. The hidden cards are the puzzle.
- Dealing the piles the wrong way round. The shortest pile goes on the left, and the longest on the right.
- Forgetting space for the foundations. Leave room above the tableau before you start, or you'll end up shuffling everything along mid-game.
Where to play when you don't have a deck
No cards to hand? You can play on your phone or computer, where the game sets itself up. If you want to play without a connection, I've put together a list of free solitaire games you can play offline without downloading anything. There's also a broader guide to free offline card games on Android, including solitaire and rummy. Apps change their menus and options from time to time, so check the settings for the draw-one or draw-three choice.
Other solitaire games to try next
Once Klondike feels easy, there are plenty of cousins. Their set-ups differ, so each one has its own rules. Here's what each is known for.
| Game | What makes it different |
|---|---|
| Spider | You build sequences down on the tableau, and the aim is to clear whole columns. It's usually played with more than one deck. |
| FreeCell | Every card is dealt face up from the start, and a few free spaces let you park cards. Almost every deal can be won with careful planning. |
| Pyramid | Cards are laid in a pyramid shape and you remove them in pairs that add up to a target number. |
| Golf | You clear columns by playing cards that are one rank higher or lower than the card showing. |
Solitaire is a one-person game, but you don't need to play alone. If you want something to play with a friend using the same deck, take a look at these 2-player games with a deck of cards.
A tip for your first few games
Don't rush to move every card to a foundation. Look first at the piles with the most face-down cards, because turning those over gives you more options. Take your time, and you'll find the layout starts to feel natural after two or three games.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you deal in solitaire?
You deal 28 cards into seven piles, with one card in the first pile, two in the second, up to seven in the seventh. The other 24 cards form the stock.
Do you use the jokers in solitaire?
No. Take both jokers out and play with the standard 52 cards.
Is patience the same as solitaire?
Yes. In the UK, solitaire card games are often called patience. When people say it without naming a version, they usually mean Klondike.
Which cards go in the foundation piles?
The foundations are built by suit from Ace up to King. Start each one with the Ace of that suit and add cards in order.
