How to Play Solitaire: Classic Klondike Rules, Setup and Scoring

If you want to know how to play solitaire with real cards, this is the place to start. The game most people simply call solitaire is Klondike, the patience game with seven columns of cards and four foundation piles. Below are the standard solitaire rules: the exact setup with a column by column table, the legal moves, draw one and draw three play, the common scoring system and a handful of tips that will help you win more often. All you need is one deck of cards and a bit of table space.

Quick rules

• Deal 28 cards into seven columns. Column one has one card, column seven has seven. Only the top card of each column is face up.
• The other 24 cards are the stock. Turn them over one at a time (or three at a time) onto a waste pile.
• On the columns, build down in rank and alternate colors: a red 6 goes on a black 7.
• Move aces to four foundation piles above the columns and build each one up by suit from ace to king.
• Only a king (or a run starting with a king) can fill an empty column.
• Turn face down cards face up whenever they are uncovered.
• You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.

What you need

• One standard 52-card deck with the jokers removed.
• A table with room for seven columns side by side plus a row of four foundation piles above them.
• Pencil and paper only if you want to keep score.

Setup

The layout is called the tableau. Shuffle well, then deal from left to right. Deal one card face up to the first column and one face down to each of the other six. Next round, skip the first column, deal one face up on the second column and one face down on columns three to seven. Keep going, each round starting one column further right and placing the first card of each round face up, until the seventh column gets its face up card. This is the standard solitaire setup:

Place the 24 remaining cards face down above or beside the tableau as the stock. Leave space above the columns for the four foundations, which start empty. The waste pile sits next to the stock.

How to play

Moves on the tableau

1. Look at the face up cards first. Any ace goes straight up to start a foundation. Twos of the same suit follow.
2. Build columns downward in alternating colors. A black 9 can go on a red 10, then a red 8 on the black 9, and so on.
3. You may move a whole face up run (for example red 8, black 7, red 6) as a unit onto a card that fits its top card.
4. When you move the last face up card off a column, turn the next face down card over. It is now in play.
5. When a column is empty, only a king, or a run headed by a king, may be placed there.

Using the stock

1. When you have no useful moves, turn cards from the stock onto the waste pile.
2. In draw one solitaire you turn one card at a time and the top card of the waste is always playable.
3. In draw three solitaire you turn three cards together, keeping their order, and only the top one is playable. Play it and the card beneath becomes available.
4. When the stock runs out, turn the waste pile over without shuffling to form a new stock. Classic rules allow unlimited passes in draw one; many players allow three passes in draw three. Agree this before you start.

Building the foundations

Each foundation belongs to one suit and is built up in order: ace, 2, 3 and so on up to king. You may play to the foundations from the waste pile or from the bottom (exposed) card of any column. In most versions you may also move a card back down from a foundation to the tableau if it helps, though scored games charge you for this.

Scoring

Played with cards, a win is a win and many people simply count wins. The scoring system used in most computer versions works like this:

Timed versions also deduct a couple of points every ten seconds and give a time bonus for a fast finish. Exact figures vary a little between versions, so treat this table as the common standard rather than a fixed law. A simple alternative for card players: score one point for every card you get onto the foundations, so a full win scores 52.

How to win

You win the moment all four foundations run from ace to king. Once every face down card has been turned over and the stock is empty, the game is solved and you can move the remaining cards up in order. If you go through the stock with no legal move left, the game is lost: shuffle and deal again.

Variations

• Draw one vs draw three: draw one wins far more often and suits beginners. Draw three is the traditional harder version.
• Limited passes: one pass through the stock in draw one, or three passes in draw three, makes the game tougher.
• Any card in an empty column: a friendly house rule that makes winning easier.
• Clock solitaire: a different game where you deal 13 piles of four in a clock shape and turn cards to their hour position. It is pure luck but fun for children.
• Speed solitaire for two: two players each run their own layout and race to clear it, which leads into games like Nertz and Speed.
• For a longer challenge try spider solitaire with two decks, or FreeCell, where nearly every deal can be won.

Tips and strategy

• Before turning the stock, make every move on the tableau that uncovers a face down card. Hidden cards are your biggest problem.
• Work on the longest columns first. Column seven hides six cards, so freeing it gives you the most options.
• Do not empty a column unless you have a king ready to go into it. An empty column with no king is wasted.
• When you have a choice of kings for an empty column, pick the one whose color fits the queen you can see.
• Do not rush low cards to the foundations if you still need them as resting places for cards of the other color. Aces and twos are always safe to move up.
• In draw three, think about which card will be on top next time through before playing from the waste.

Common mistakes

• Building same color on same color. Columns must alternate red and black.
• Putting a queen or lower card in an empty column. Only kings may start a new column.
• Shuffling the waste before turning it back into the stock. Keep the order.
• Forgetting to flip the face down card after you move the card covering it.

Want company at the table instead? Our list of card games for two has plenty of quick games to try next.