How to play Klondike Solitaire

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How to play Klondike Solitaire

Klondike is the solitaire most people simply call “solitaire”. You are dealt 28 cards into seven piles and your goal is to build all four suits, ace through king, on the foundations at the top of the table.

The layout

Seven tableau piles hold one to seven cards, with only the top card of each pile face up. The rest of the deck becomes the stock, which you turn one or three cards at a time.

Legal moves

In the tableau, cards stack downward in alternating colours — a red six goes on a black seven. Only a king may move into an empty column, and any face-up run can be moved as a group.

Foundations

Aces start the four foundation piles, then each suit is built upward in order. You may pull a card back off a foundation if you need it in the tableau.

Winning

The game is won when all 52 cards sit on the foundations. Roughly four in five random deals are winnable with careful play, so patience pays.

Tips from the table

  • Always turn a face-down card when you have the choice — hidden cards are the real obstacle.
  • Don't empty a column unless you have a king ready to fill it.
  • Play the aces and twos immediately, but hold higher cards back in case you need them to move a run.
  • Draw-one is a gentler game; draw-three is the traditional casino version and much harder.