How to Win Solitaire: 10 Strategies That Work
To win more Solitaire games, focus on uncovering face-down cards, especially in the longest columns. Prefer moves in the tableau over drawing from the stock, only empty a column when you have a King ready to fill it, and don't rush cards to the foundations while you still need them to hold other cards.
Why some games are lost before you start
Not every deal of Klondike Solitaire can be won. Sometimes the cards you need are buried under each other in a way no sequence of moves can untangle, even with perfect play. So don't judge yourself by every single game: judge yourself by how many winnable games you finish.
On GameLake that problem is gone: every deal has been checked by a computer solver before you see it, so there is always a way to win. If you're stuck, it's the strategy, not the cards.
New to the layout? Start with how to set up Solitaire, which covers the rules.
The 10 strategies
1. Uncover face-down cards first
The 21 face-down cards in the tableau are what make Solitaire hard. Every move that turns one over gives you new information and new options. When you have a choice between two moves, pick the one that reveals a hidden card.
2. Work on the biggest columns
The rightmost columns start with up to six hidden cards. Freeing them early matters more than clearing the short columns on the left, because those deep stacks are where the cards you need are most likely to be trapped.
3. Play from the tableau before the stock
Before you turn a card from the stock, make every useful move in the columns. The stock will still be there; a chance to rearrange the tableau can disappear once you've played a waste card onto the spot you needed.
4. Don't empty a column without a King to fill it
Only a King can go into an empty column. An empty space with no King available is wasted. Plan it the other way round: when a King turns up, clear a column for it.
5. Pick the right King
If you have a choice of Kings for an empty column, look at what's waiting. If there's a red Queen ready to move, a black King gives it a home; if the cards you need are black Queens, choose a red King.
6. Don't rush cards to the foundations
Aces and 2s should go up straight away. Above that, think before moving a card to a foundation: a red 5 in the tableau might be the only place to park a black 4 that's blocking a hidden card. A safe rule of thumb is to move a card up when both cards of the opposite colour one rank lower are already on the foundations, because then nothing will ever need to be placed on it.
7. Build runs that keep colours flexible
When you can put a card on either of two matching cards (say a black 9 on the 10 of hearts or the 10 of diamonds), choose the one whose move unlocks something, usually the 10 sitting on top of hidden cards.
8. Move partial runs when it helps
You don't have to move a whole run. Splitting one, for example moving just the 9 and 8 from a long run onto another 10, can free the card underneath them for a foundation or another column.
9. In draw 3, think about the stock order
With draw 3, playing one card from the waste shifts which cards come up on the next pass. If a card you need is stuck in the middle of a group of three, playing a waste card now changes the order and can bring it to the top next time round.
10. Use Undo and Hint to learn
On GameLake, Undo and Hint are always available. They're not cheating if you use them to learn: try a line, and if it goes nowhere, step back and compare. You'll soon spot the moves that matter without help.
A move checklist
When you're unsure what to do, go down this list and play the first thing that applies:
- Play any Ace or 2 to the foundations.
- Make a tableau move that turns over a face-down card (biggest column first).
- Move a King into an empty column, if it frees something.
- Make a tableau move that sets up one of the above next turn.
- Play a waste card to the tableau or foundations if it helps.
- Only then, turn the next card from the stock.
Common mistakes
- Drawing on autopilot. Turning stock cards before checking the tableau is the most common way to miss a winning move.
- Clearing a column for nothing. An empty column with no King to fill it doesn't help.
- Sending everything to the foundations. Cards on the foundations can't help you build anymore.
- Ignoring the right-hand columns. That's where most hidden cards are.
Start on Easy (draw 1) to practise these ideas, then try Medium and Hard (draw 3), or the Daily deal, which is the same for everyone that day and has its own leaderboard.
Frequently asked questions
Can every game of Solitaire be won?
No. Some random Klondike deals can't be won even with perfect play. On GameLake every deal is checked by a solver first, so every game you're given can be won.
Is Solitaire luck or skill?
Both. The deal decides whether a game is winnable, but good decisions win far more of the winnable games than random play does.
Should you always move cards to the foundation?
Aces and 2s, yes. Higher cards only when you won't need them in the tableau to hold a lower card of the opposite colour.
Is draw 1 or draw 3 easier?
Draw 1. You see every stock card on each pass. Draw 3 shows only every third card unless you play some of them.
What's the most important Solitaire tip?
Turn over face-down cards whenever you can, starting with the biggest columns. Hidden cards are what block most games.