How to Play Solitaire: Complete Beginner Guide (2026)

How to Play Solitaire: The Complete Beginner’s Guide

Solitaire is the world’s most popular single-player card game. Whether you call it Solitaire, Patience, or Klondike, the classic game has been entertaining people for over 200 years — and it’s still the perfect way to relax, sharpen your mind, and pass the time.

This guide will teach you everything you need to know to start playing, from the initial deal to your first win. By the end, you’ll understand the setup, rules, legal moves, and strategies that separate beginners from experts.

Ready to play right now? Play free Solitaire online — no download or signup needed.

What You Need

For physical play:

• One standard 52-card deck (remove the jokers)
• A flat surface with enough room for 7 columns plus a stock pile

For online play:

• Any device with a web browser — desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone
• Visit Solitaire Wave for free, instant play with no account required

Step 1: Setting Up the Game

Solitaire’s setup is called the deal. Here’s how to create the playing area:

The Tableau (7 Columns)

The tableau is the main playing area. Deal seven columns of cards from left to right:

1. Column 1: 1 card, face-up
2. Column 2: 1 card face-down, 1 card face-up (2 cards total)
3. Column 3: 2 cards face-down, 1 card face-up (3 total)
4. Column 4: 3 face-down, 1 face-up (4 total)
5. Column 5: 4 face-down, 1 face-up (5 total)
6. Column 6: 5 face-down, 1 face-up (6 total)
7. Column 7: 6 face-down, 1 face-up (7 total)

After dealing, you’ll have used 28 cards with 7 face-up and 21 face-down across the seven columns.

The Stock Pile

Place the remaining 24 cards face-down in a single pile. This is your stock pile — the reserve deck you’ll draw from during the game.

The Waste Pile

An empty space next to the stock pile. When you draw cards from the stock, they go here face-up.

The Foundation Piles

Leave space for four empty piles above the tableau. These are the foundations — where you’ll build each suit from Ace to King to win the game.

Step 2: Understanding the Objective

The goal of Solitaire is simple: move all 52 cards to the four foundation piles.

Each foundation pile represents one suit (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades) and must be built in ascending order:

Ace → 2 → 3 → 4 → 5 → 6 → 7 → 8 → 9 → 10 → Jack → Queen → King

Once all four foundations are complete (13 cards each), you win!

Step 3: Learning the Moves

There are five types of moves in Solitaire:

Move 1: Build on the Tableau

Place a card on top of another tableau card that is one rank higher and an opposite color.

Examples of valid moves:

• Black 6 on Red 7 ✓
• Red Queen on Black King ✓
• Red 3 on Black 4 ✓

Examples of invalid moves:

• Red 6 on Red 7 ✗ (same color)
• Black 8 on Black 9 ✗ (same color)
• Black 6 on Red 5 ✗ (wrong direction — must go on higher card)

Move 2: Move Sequences

You can pick up an entire sequence of properly ordered face-up cards and move them together. For example, if you have a red 5 on a black 6, you can move both cards as a pair onto a red 7.

Move 3: Reveal Hidden Cards

Whenever you move a card that was sitting on top of a face-down card, the face-down card is automatically flipped over and becomes available to play. This is one of the most important actions in the game — every revealed card opens new possibilities.

Move 4: Draw from the Stock

Click (or flip) the stock pile to deal cards to the waste pile:

• Turn 1 mode: One card at a time (easier — access every card)
• Turn 3 mode: Three cards at a time (harder — only the top card is playable)

The top card of the waste pile is always available to play on the tableau or foundations.

When the stock pile is empty, you can recycle it — flip the waste pile over to create a new stock and continue drawing.

Move 5: Build the Foundations

Move cards to the foundation piles by suit in ascending order. Start with the Ace and build up to the King.

In most digital versions (including ours), you can double-click or tap a card to automatically move it to the foundation if a valid position exists.

Special Rule: Empty Columns

When a tableau column is completely emptied, only a King (or a sequence starting with a King) can be placed there. Empty columns are valuable — don’t waste them!

Step 4: Playing Your First Game

Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough of your first few moves:

1. Scan the tableau. Look at all 7 face-up cards. Are there any Aces? Move them to the foundations immediately.
2. Look for building opportunities. Can any face-up card be placed on another? Remember: descending rank, alternating colors.
3. Prioritize revealing hidden cards. If a move will flip a face-down card, do that first — even if another move seems more productive.
4. Draw from the stock when no tableau moves are available. Check if the drawn card can be played.
5. Repeat until you win or run out of moves.

Step 5: Winning Strategies

These tips will dramatically improve your win rate:

Strategy 1: Always Reveal Hidden Cards First

This is the single most important strategy in Solitaire. Every face-down card you reveal gives you more information and more options. If you have a choice between two valid moves, pick the one that uncovers a hidden card.

Strategy 2: Don’t Rush to the Foundations

It’s tempting to move every card to the foundations as soon as possible—but this is often a mistake. A 3 or 4 on the foundation can’t be moved back, and you might need it in the tableau to hold a sequence. Only move to foundations when:

• It’s an Ace or 2 (always safe)
• You’re confident the card isn’t needed in the tableau

Strategy 3: Use Empty Columns Wisely

Empty columns are powerful because only Kings can fill them. Before emptying a column, make sure you have a King ready — ideally one that will help you uncover more face-down cards.

Strategy 4: Build Evenly Across Foundations

Try to keep all four foundation piles at roughly the same height. If Hearts has 7 cards but Spades has only 2, you’re likely blocking yourself from moving Spade cards through the tableau.

Strategy 5: Think Before You Move

Before making a move, ask yourself:

• Does this reveal a hidden card?
• Does this create a useful empty column?
• Am I locking myself out of any important cards?

Strategy 6: Use Undo to Experiment

In our online version, unlimited undo lets you try different approaches without penalty. Experiment with different orders of operations to find the winning path.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

1. Moving cards to foundations too quickly. You might strand cards that need a lower-ranked support card still in the tableau.
2. Ignoring the stock pile. Always check the waste pile before making tableau moves — it’s a “free” card that doesn’t disrupt your columns.
3. Filling empty columns carelessly. Don’t just drop any King into an empty column. Choose the King that helps uncover the most hidden cards.
4. Giving up too early. About 79-82% of Solitaire deals are solvable. If you’re stuck, try cycling through the stock again or using undo to try a different path.
5. Playing only one way. There are often multiple valid moves. If your usual approach isn’t working, undo and try the alternative.

Turn 1 vs Turn 3: Which Should You Play?

Our recommendation: Start with Turn 1 to learn the game mechanics. Switch to Turn 3 once you’re winning consistently and want more challenge.

Solitaire Terminology

How Scoring Works

Our Solitaire scoring system rewards skillful play:

Your total score reflects both the moves you made and how efficiently you completed the game.

Ready to Play? Try These Variants Next

Once you’ve mastered Klondike Solitaire, branch out to these popular variants — each offers a unique twist on the classic:

• Klondike Solitaire – The classic game covered in this guide. Play with daily challenges and streak tracking.
• FreeCell Solitaire – All 52 cards visible from the start. Pure strategy with a ~99% win rate. The ultimate skill test.
• Spider Solitaire – Two decks, same-suit sequences. The most challenging mainstream variant with 1-suit, 2-suit, and 4-suit modes.
• Pyramid Solitaire – A math puzzle: pair cards that add up to 13 to clear the pyramid. Quick rounds, addictive gameplay.
• TriPeaks Solitaire – The fastest Solitaire variant. Chain cards ±1 rank to clear three peaks. Highest win rate of any variant (~90%).
• Yukon Solitaire – Like Klondike but harder. No stock pile, all cards dealt, and you can move any face-up card regardless of sequence.

For a quick reference of all the rules, see our Solitaire Rules guide.

Solitaire is a game of patience, strategy, and a little luck. The more you play, the better you’ll get at reading the board and making optimal moves. Start playing free Solitaire right now and see how quickly you improve!