How to Play Solitaire: Rules for Beginners
In Solitaire you try to move all 52 cards onto four foundation piles, one per suit, from Ace up to King. In the seven columns you build down in alternating colours (a red 6 on a black 7), turn over each face-down card you uncover, and fill an empty column only with a King. When you run out of moves, turn cards from the stock.
What you're trying to do
The card game most people call Solitaire is Klondike. You play it alone with one standard 52-card deck. You win when every card has been sorted onto the four foundations: all the spades from Ace to King on one pile, all the hearts on another, and so on.
At the start, 28 cards are dealt into seven columns (the tableau), with only the top card of each column face up, and the other 24 cards wait face down in the stock. If you're dealing real cards, how to set up Solitaire shows the deal step by step. This guide is about what happens next: the rules, and a first game played out move by move.
The rules of Solitaire
| Where | What you can do |
|---|---|
| Foundations | Start each pile with an Ace, then add the 2, 3, 4… of the same suit, up to the King. |
| Tableau columns | Put a card on a face-up card one rank higher and of the opposite colour: a black 9 on a red 10. |
| Runs | Move a run of face-up cards together, as long as its top card fits where it goes. |
| Face-down cards | When the last face-up card leaves a column, turn the card underneath face up. |
| Empty columns | Only a King, or a run that starts with a King, can go there. |
| Stock and waste | Turn cards from the stock onto the waste pile. Only the top waste card can be played. |
Two details catch out beginners. First, colour alternates, suit doesn't matter in the columns: the 8 of hearts and the 8 of diamonds can both go on the 9 of clubs. Second, the order is fixed: a Queen goes on a King, a Jack on a Queen, and nothing goes on an Ace in the columns. Aces belong on the foundations.
When the stock is empty, turn the waste pile over and it becomes the stock again. In the classic game, and on GameLake, you can go through the stock as many times as you like. Some scoring systems, such as Vegas scoring, limit the passes.
Your first game, move by move
Here is a real deal from GameLake's Easy level, which turns one card at a time from the stock. Every move below has been checked with the game's own rules, so you can follow it with a deck of cards or just read along.
- A♠ to a foundation. Aces always go up at once. Column 3 turns over a 5♥.
- A♣ to a foundation. Column 7 turns over an 8♦.
- Q♦ onto K♠. Red Queen on black King. Column 6 turns over a K♣.
- J♣ onto Q♦. Black Jack on red Queen, building the run in column 1. Column 5 turns over a 6♦.
- 7♠ onto 8♦. Column 2 loses its only face-down card and shows a 6♠.
- 6♦ onto 7♠. The run in column 7 grows to 8♦ 7♠ 6♦, and column 5 turns over a 6♣.
- 5♥ onto 6♠. Column 3 turns over its last hidden card, a J♠.
Seven moves, seven hidden cards turned over, and the stock hasn't been touched. That's the habit to build: look at the columns first, and only draw when they have nothing left to offer.
Now there's nothing useful left in the tableau (the Q♦ and J♣ could move onto the K♣, but that only shuffles them along), so it's time for the stock. The first card is the 7♥, which has nowhere to go: it needs a black 8, and none is showing. The next is the 5♠, which goes on the 6♦. Then the 2♥, which waits for its Ace, and the 4♠, which goes on the 5♥.
From here the game goes on the same way: keep turning stock cards, play what fits, and every time a hidden card turns up, look at the whole table again. This deal can be won, like every deal on GameLake.
How a game ends
- You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations. Once every card is face up and the stock is empty, the rest is a formality: on GameLake a Finish button appears and sends every card home for you.
- You're stuck when you've been through the whole stock without being able to play a single card. With real cards that game is over; on GameLake you can undo moves and try another path.
Moved a card to a foundation too soon? On GameLake you can drag it back down onto a column, which many beginners don't know. It's often the move that unlocks a stuck game.
Playing Solitaire with real cards by yourself
The rules are exactly the same with a paper deck. A few things make it smoother:
- Overlap the columns downwards so you can read every face-up card. Face-down cards can sit almost on top of each other.
- Hold the stock in your hand and turn cards onto the waste one at a time (or three at a time for the harder version).
- Agree on house rules with yourself before you start: draw 1 or draw 3, and how many passes through the stock you allow. Both are fine; just don't change them halfway.
- No undo. With real cards every move is final, so pause before moves that can't be taken back, like sending a card to a foundation.
Not every shuffled deal can be won, even with perfect play, so a lost game with real cards isn't always your fault. Online on GameLake each deal is checked by a solver first.
Beginner mistakes to avoid
- Drawing before checking the columns. Tableau moves first, stock second.
- Building in the same colour. A red 5 can't go on a red 6, however tempting.
- Emptying a column with no King to fill it. Only a King can use the space.
- Forgetting about the right-hand columns. They hide the most cards, up to six in column 7.
Ready for more? How to win Solitaire has ten strategies, from choosing the right King to when to hold cards back from the foundations. Prefer a harder card game? Try Spider Solitaire or FreeCell.
Frequently asked questions
How do you play Solitaire step by step?
Deal seven columns (1 to 7 cards, top card face up) and keep 24 cards as the stock. Move Aces to the foundations, build the columns down in alternating colours, turn over hidden cards as you free them, and draw from the stock when you run out of moves. Sort every suit from Ace to King to win.
Can you put any card in an empty column in Solitaire?
No. In classic Klondike only a King, or a run of cards starting with a King, can go into an empty column.
Does suit matter when building columns?
Only the colour does. You build down in alternating colours, so the 8 of hearts and the 8 of diamonds can both go on a black 9. Suits only matter on the foundations.
How many times can you go through the deck in Solitaire?
In classic Solitaire, and on GameLake, as many times as you like. Some scoring systems such as Vegas limit you to one or three passes.
Can you move cards back from the foundation?
Many versions allow it, including GameLake: drag the top card of a foundation back onto a column where it fits. Some strict house rules don't allow it with real cards.