Learn how to play Klondike Solitaire with clear examples and guided practice. Build down on the tableau, up on the foundations, and make a little room.
Four guided lessons, then a full shuffled game. Make space, reveal a card and build your way up.
Random deals are not guaranteed winnable.
Choose guided lessons or deal a shuffled game.
A new shuffled deal replaces your current game. Use the stock rule chosen above.
ACE TO KING · FOUR SUITSUNLIMITED STOCK PASSES
♧ Browser-based practice · No downloadFour lessons · One full pack
THE IDEA IN ONE MINUTE
A little order. One card at a time.
Klondike is the familiar seven-column game often called Solitaire or Patience. Move all 52 cards to four foundations, one for each suit, from ace to king.
On the tableau, a red six fits a black seven. Move a legal face-up run together.
02
Reveal the next card.
Uncover face-down cards. Only a king or a run starting with a king can fill an empty column.
03
Build up. Keep the suit.
Foundations start with aces and climb to kings. Complete all four suits to win.
SOLITAIRE RULES, MADE VISIBLE
Know what moves. See what comes next.
How to play Solitaire, from the first deal to the final king. These Klondike rules match the practice table above.
01
BEFORE THE FIRST MOVE
How do you set up Solitaire?
Use one standard 52-card pack without jokers. Deal seven tableau columns containing one to seven cards, 28 cards in total. Only the bottom card of each column is face up. The other 24 cards form the face-down stock, with space beside it for the waste and four suit foundations.
THE KLONDIKE LAYOUTSeven columns · one more card in each
11card
22cards
33cards
44cards
55cards
66cards
77cards
28 tableau cards, with seven face up. Keep 24 in the stock and leave four empty foundation spaces.
Deal the first row across all seven columns, with only the first card face up.
Deal the next row across columns two to seven, with only the first of those face up.
Continue until column seven contains seven cards.
Put the remaining cards in the stock. Choose draw one or draw three.
02
DOWN A RANK. CHANGE COLOUR.
How do you move cards in Solitaire?
Build downward on the tableau, alternating red and black. A red six can sit on a black seven. Hearts and diamonds are red; spades and clubs are black. Suits do not otherwise need to match here.
7♠Start with a black seven.
It can receive a red six, but not a black six or a red five.
6♥One lower. Opposite colour.
Red six on black seven is a legal tableau move.
5♣Keep the run in order.
A black five can follow the red six.
In the common Klondike variant used here, any ordered face-up run can move as a unit, including the tail of a longer run. Some printed rules require moving the whole face-up sequence; agree the version before a physical game. Face-down cards cannot move.
03
MAKE ROOM FOR THE NEXT CARD
Revealing cards and filling empty columns.
When a move uncovers a face-down card, turn it face up. Our practice table does this automatically. Exposing hidden cards gives you more options, so look for those moves when choosing between otherwise legal plays.
↳
Only a king fills an empty column. Move a king, or a legal face-up run beginning with a king, into the space. An ace starts a foundation instead.
Before clearing a column, check whether you have a king to use the space. You can use Undo to explore another route; a random deal is not necessarily winnable.
04
UP A RANK. KEEP THE SUIT.
How do the Solitaire foundations work?
Start each foundation with an ace. Add the two of the same suit, then the three, and continue through jack, queen and king. Only an exposed single card can move to a foundation.
A♥2♥3♥
This practice version allows a top foundation card to return to a legal tableau position. You do not have to send every available card upward immediately: a lower card may still help you build a tableau run.
05
ONE CARD. OR THREE.
Drawing from the stock and recycling the waste.
Draw one turns one stock card face up onto the waste. Draw three turns up to three at once. Only the top waste card is available; removing it exposes the card beneath.
When the stock is empty, turn the waste over without shuffling to form a new stock. This practice game allows unlimited passes in both draw modes. The stock selector takes effect when you start a new game.
↳
The waste is not a hand. You cannot choose a buried card. Play its top card first or wait until it becomes available on a later pass.
06
FOUR SUITS. ACE THROUGH KING.
Winning Solitaire and the rules used here.
You win when all 52 cards reach the foundations. When the stock and waste are empty and every tableau card is face up, “Finish available cards” moves legal cards upward for you.
RuleOur tableOther versions
StockDraw one or draw threeChoose before dealing
Stock passesUnlimited; no reshuffleLimited passes or penalties
Face-up runsMay split a legal runWhole face-up sequence only
FoundationsTop card can return to tableauReturn moves restricted
ScoringMove count; no timer or pointsTimed or points-based games
Each successful move, stock draw or recycle counts as one action. A failed move adds nothing. Undo restores the previous position and count; Restart keeps the same deal, while New deal reshuffles. Hints show legal immediate moves without looking at hidden cards or proving a deal solvable. Your game stays in page memory and resets when you leave.
Print the Solitaire reference or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print window.
SOLITAIRETHE TABLE-SIDE GUIDE · CARD GAME RULES
The aim: all four suits on the foundations, ace through king.
Deal
Seven columns, one to seven cards; only the bottom card of each is face up. The other 24 form the stock.
Tableau
Build down one rank in alternating colours. Move a legal face-up run together.
Reveal
Turn up the next hidden card after uncovering it. Our table does this automatically.
Space
Only a king, or a run starting with a king, can fill an empty column.
Foundation
Build ace to king, upward in the same suit. One foundation per suit.
Stock
Draw one or three; play only the top waste card. Recycle without shuffling.
Win
Move all 52 cards onto the four foundations.
Our version: draw one or three; unlimited passes; face-up runs may be split; top foundation cards may return to the tableau. No timer or points. Random deals are not checked for solvability.
LEARN IT. DEAL IT. ENJOY IT. ♣
GOOD QUESTIONS
A little patience. A few answers.
Is Solitaire the same as Patience?+
Patience is a common British name for single-player card games. Solitaire also names the wider family. This page teaches Klondike, the familiar seven-column version; Spider, FreeCell and other patience games have different rules.
How many cards do you deal in Solitaire?+
Use one 52-card pack without jokers. Deal seven tableau columns containing one to seven cards, 28 in total. Only the bottom card of each column is face up. The remaining 24 cards form the face-down stock.
Do you alternate colours in Solitaire?+
Yes, on the tableau: build downward one rank at a time, alternating red and black. For example, a red six can sit on a black seven. Foundations work differently: build upward in the same suit, starting with an ace.
What can go in an empty Solitaire column?+
Only a king, or a properly ordered face-up run beginning with a king. An empty foundation instead starts with an ace of its designated suit.
Can you move part of a face-up run?+
In the common Klondike variant used here, you can move any descending, alternating-colour face-up run as a unit, including a tail of a longer run. Some printed rules require moving the whole face-up sequence; agree your version before a physical game.
How does draw-three Solitaire work?+
Turn up to three stock cards onto the waste at a time. Only the top waste card is available. Playing it exposes the card beneath. This practice game allows unlimited stock passes, recycling the waste without shuffling.
Can you move a card back from a foundation?+
Yes, this practice version allows the top foundation card to return to a legal tableau position. Other variants restrict this. Undo restores the previous action, including stock draws and automatically revealed cards.
Is every game of Solitaire winnable?+
No. These deals are randomly shuffled and are not checked for solvability. A legal hint is one possible immediate move, not a guaranteed route to a win. If you become stuck, try undo, restart the same deal or choose a new deal.
