Many Solitaire games can be played on areas smaller than a card table. Others require a larger playing area, and these games are often played on the floor or on a bedspread. Alternatively, in order to play with large layouts on a card table, miniature playing cards are available. These are usually half the size of standard playing cards.
The Pack
Virtually all Solitaire games are played with one or more standard 52-card packs. Standard Solitaire uses one 52-card pack.
Object of the Game
The first objective is to release and play into position certain cards to build up each foundation, in sequence and in suit, from the ace through the king. The ultimate objective is to build the whole pack onto the foundations, and if that can be done, the Solitaire game is won.
Rank of Cards
The rank of cards in Solitaire games is: K (high), Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A (low).
The Deal
There are four different types of piles in Solitaire:
The Tableau: Seven piles that make up the main table.
The Foundations: Four piles on which a whole suit or sequence must be built up. In most Solitaire games, the four aces are the bottom card or base of the foundations. The foundation piles are hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs.
The Stock (or “Hand”) Pile: If the entire pack is not laid out in a tableau at the beginning of a game, the remaining cards form the stock pile from which additional cards are brought into play according to the rules.
The Talon (or “Waste”) Pile: Cards from the stock pile that have no place in the tableau or on foundations are laid face up in the waste pile.
To form the tableau, seven piles need to be created. Starting from left to right, place the first card face up to make the first pile, deal one card face down for the next six piles. Starting again from left to right, place one card face up on the second pile and deal one card face down on piles three through seven. Starting again from left to right, place one card face up on the third pile and deal one card face down on piles four through seven. Continue this pattern until pile seven has one card facing up on top of a pile of six cards facing down.
The remaining cards form the stock (or “hand”) pile and are placed above the tableau.
When starting out, the foundations and waste pile do not have any cards.
The Play
The initial array may be changed by "building" - transferring cards among the face-up cards in the tableau. Certain cards of the tableau can be played at once, while others may not be played until certain blocking cards are removed. For example, of the seven cards facing up in the tableau, if one is a nine and another is a ten, you may transfer the nine to on top of the ten to begin building that pile in sequence. Since you have moved the nine from one of the seven piles, you have now unblocked a face down card; this card can be turned over and now is in play.
As you transfer cards in the tableau and begin building sequences, if you uncover an ace, the ace should be placed in one of the foundation piles. The foundations get built by suit and in sequence from ace to king.
Continue to transfer cards on top of each other in the tableau in sequence. If you can’t move any more face up cards, you can utilize the stock pile by flipping over the first card. This card can be played in the foundations or tableau. If you cannot play the card in the tableau or the foundations piles, move the card to the waste pile and turn over another card in the stock pile.
If a vacancy in the tableau is created by the removal of cards elsewhere it is called a “space”, and it is of major importance in manipulating the tableau. If a space is created, it can only be filled in with a king. Filling a space with a king could potentially unblock one of the face down cards in another pile in the tableau.
Continue to transfer cards in the tableau and bring cards into play from the stock pile until all the cards are built in suit sequences in the foundation piles to win!
FAQs
Not all Solitaire games are winnable, but the great majority is. On average, around 80% of every Solitaire game is winnable. FreeCell is the variant with the best odds, as around 99% of all games are winnable, for instance.
Is there a trick to beating solitaire? ›
Try to arrange columns of matching suits
You can't win Solitaire without getting all cards of each suit stacked in the four foundation piles, ordered from ace to king. Trying to arrange columns in your tableau so that the same-colored cards in each pile are of matching suits makes it easier to play Solitaire.
Is there a solitaire solver? ›
All players can access Solitaire Solver FREE by watching an ad. Solitaire Premium Subscribers can access Solver as the newest benefit of Premium without watching an ad. Solver provides guidance, getting you to a place in the game where you can successfully solve the deck.
What percentage of solitaire games can be solved? ›
The majority of solitaire games, almost 80%, are winnable. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that players win 80% of the time. Some solitaire variations have higher odds of winning than others, with FreeCell having the highest chance and Pyramid Solitaire having the lowest.
Is it mathematically possible to win every game of solitaire? ›
What percent of Solitaire games are winnable? Scientists estimate that only about 80% of Solitaire Games are completable. A single deck with 52 cards has so many possible permutations that a decent percentage are unwinnable, and some are even unplayable.
Is solitaire skill or luck? ›
It's a game that requires strategy, patience, and a little luck. While solitaire may seem simple, it can be quite challenging to win. For many years, mathematicians have tried to come up with a 100% winning solitaire strategy using mathematical theories.
Is there an algorithm for Solitaire? ›
There's no one shuffling algorithm for Solitaire. All it needs is a shuffled deck: there's no constraints on how you shuffle it. How do computer games like solitaire "shuffle" the deck of cards?
Does Solitaire work your brain? ›
It is essential to keep in . Solitaire is a great way to speed up your thinking process and reaction time if you have a slow mind. Your brainpower is improved by playing . Engaging in solitaire games has the potential to induce a meditative state, thereby facilitating mental relaxation by diverting your attention.
How many Solitaire solutions are there? ›
There are 52! different starting arrangements for the cards. From Wikipedia: "For a 'standard' game of solitaire the number of solvable games (assuming all cards are known) is between 82-91.5%. The number of unplayable games is 0.25% and the number of games that cannot be won is between 8.5-18%."
Is every game of addiction solitaire winnable? ›
Tips: All deals are winnable in Addiction Solitaire. The helpful winrate tooltip will let you know how challenging the current puzzle may be!
For Solitaire or Klondike Turn 1, out of of 2,898,974 games played, 955,805 were won, making with win percentage 33.0%. For Solitaire or Klondike Turn 3, out of of 1,429,916 games played, 158,382 were won, making with win percentage 11.1%. This means Turn 3 is about 3 times more difficult than Turn 1!
What is considered a good score in solitaire? ›
For numerical scoring in solitaire, a 500+ score is a good starting point for an “impressive” score, because it's the threshold from which you're officially in the upper 50% of players.
Are all solitaire deals possible? ›
Q: Can you always win a game of Solitaire? A: If we calculate how many combinations can be created with the 52 standard cards, we arrive at the dizzyingly huge number of 80 unvigintillion, which is an 8 followed by 67 zeroes. In theory, a computer can win 79 percent of these.
How many solutions are there to solitaire? ›
From Wikipedia: "For a 'standard' game of solitaire the number of solvable games (assuming all cards are known) is between 82-91.5%. The number of unplayable games is 0.25% and the number of games that cannot be won is between 8.5-18%." But there are often multiple options of moves that could lead to a final solution.
What is the average number of moves to solve solitaire? ›
A more common range for efficient Solitaire games is between 70 to 120 moves, but this can vary widely based on the specific game and the luck . Minimize the number of moves needed to finish, by avoiding the useless (if not harmful!) ones. On average, it takes 120 moves and 5 minutes to win a game .
