To play solitaire (Klondike), deal 28 cards into seven columns, with only the top card of each column face up, and put the other 24 cards face down as the stock. Build the columns down in alternating colors, turn cards from the stock when you run out of moves, and move cards to four foundation piles that go up by suit from Ace to King. You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.
That is the whole game in one paragraph. The rest of this guide walks through the setup, every rule, a table of legal and illegal moves, and a simple routine for your first few minutes.
The setup
Klondike uses one standard 52-card deck. The layout has four areas:
| Area | Where | What it holds at the start |
|---|---|---|
| Tableau | The seven columns across the middle | 28 cards: 1 in the first column, 2 in the second, up to 7 in the seventh. Only the top card of each column is face up. |
| Stock | Top left | The remaining 24 cards, face down |
| Waste | Next to the stock | Empty. Cards you turn from the stock land here. |
| Foundations | Top right | Four empty spaces, one for each suit |
If you are dealing real cards, deal left to right in rows: one card face up on the first column and one face down on each of the other six, then one face up on the second column and face down on the rest, and so on. On a computer the game does this for you. On Poozee's Solitaire you can start a new deal with one tap.
The goal
Move every card to the foundations. Each foundation starts with an Ace and is built up in the same suit: Ace, 2, 3 and so on up to the King. Four finished piles means you have won.
The rules, one at a time
Building in the tableau
- A card can go on a card one rank higher and the opposite color. A red 7 (hearts or diamonds) goes on a black 8 (spades or clubs).
- You can move a run of correctly built cards as a group. If you have 8♠, 7♥, 6♣ stacked in order, you can move all three onto a red 9.
- When you move the last face-up card off a column, flip the face-down card underneath. It is now in play.
Empty columns
- Only a King can go into an empty column, or a run that starts with a King.
The foundations
- Each foundation starts with an Ace and then takes the next card of the same suit: A♥, 2♥, 3♥ and so on.
- Most versions, including Poozee, let you move a card back from a foundation to the tableau if you need it as a landing spot.
The stock and the waste
- When you want new cards, turn cards from the stock onto the waste. The top card of the waste is playable on the tableau or the foundations.
- In Draw 1 you turn one card at a time. In Draw 3 you turn three at a time and only the top one of the three is playable.
- When the stock is empty, turn the waste back over to form a new stock and go through it again. Some rule sets limit the number of passes. Poozee allows unlimited passes.
Pro tip: New to the game? Start with Draw 1. You get to see every card in the stock on every pass, which makes it much easier to learn what a good move looks like. Our Draw 1 vs Draw 3 guide explains exactly how the two modes differ.
Legal and illegal moves: a quick table
The rules are simple, but a few moves catch beginners out. Every example below was checked with the same rules engine that runs Poozee's Solitaire.
| Move | Legal? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Red 7 onto a black 8 | Yes | One rank lower, opposite color |
| Red 7 onto a red 8 | No | Same color |
| Red 7 onto a black 9 | No | Must be exactly one rank lower |
| King into an empty column | Yes | Only Kings can fill empty columns |
| Queen into an empty column | No | Not a King |
| Run 8♠, 7♥, 6♣ onto a red 9 | Yes | The whole run moves together, and the face-down card it was covering flips over |
Your first moves: a simple routine
When a fresh deal appears, work through these steps in order.
- Look for Aces and 2s. Any Ace that is face up goes straight to a foundation, followed by its 2 when you find it. A bit less than half of all deals (about 45%) show at least one Ace among the seven face-up cards, so don't worry if you see none.
- Make moves that flip face-down cards. Every hidden card you turn over gives you new options. A move that reveals a card is almost always better than one that doesn't.
- Start with the long columns. The seventh column hides six cards. Freeing those early gives you the most to work with.
- Only then turn cards from the stock. The stock is always there. A tableau move might create a home for the next card you draw.
- Keep an eye on empty columns. Clear a column only when you have a King ready to move into it.
Repeat the cycle: play what you can, flip what you can, then draw. Our strategy guide on how to win solitaire goes deeper into each of these habits, including when it pays to hold a card back from the foundations.
When the game is over
You win when all four foundations are complete. You are stuck when you have been all the way through the stock without finding a single playable card and there are no tableau moves left.
Getting stuck does not always mean you played badly. Some deals cannot be won no matter what you do, and Draw 3 games are lost more often than Draw 1 games. If you are curious about the numbers, see are all solitaire games winnable, which covers what computer searches have found.
Solitaire words you will hear
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Klondike | The classic version of solitaire described on this page |
| Tableau | The seven main columns |
| Foundation | One of the four piles you build up by suit, Ace to King |
| Stock | The face-down pile you draw from |
| Waste | The face-up pile of cards drawn from the stock |
| Run | Cards stacked correctly in descending, alternating-color order |
| Pass | One trip through the whole stock |
Keep playing
The best way to learn is to deal a hand. Play Solitaire on Poozee: tap a card to send it to the best spot, drag to choose yourself, and use Undo and Hint while you learn. Once you're comfortable, try FreeCell, where every card starts face up and almost every deal can be won, and read how to play FreeCell for its rules.
Frequently asked questions
What is the goal of solitaire?
To move all 52 cards onto the four foundation piles, one pile per suit, built up in order from Ace to King.
Can you put any card in an empty column in solitaire?
No. In Klondike only a King, or a run of cards that starts with a King, can go into an empty column.
Can you move a card back down from the foundation?
Most modern versions allow it, including Poozee. Taking a card back into the tableau can give another card somewhere to land.
How many cards do you use in solitaire?
One standard 52-card deck with the jokers removed. 28 cards go into the tableau and the other 24 form the stock.