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Universal Rules Across Solitaire Games

While solitaire encompasses hundreds of variations, most games share a common set of principles that form the backbone of the genre. Understanding these universal rules will help you pick up any new solitaire game quickly and confidently.

The first universal principle is that solitaire is a single-player game played with one or more standard 52-card decks. The objective in nearly every variation is to organize cards into a specific order, usually by building foundation piles sorted by suit from Ace to King. The game begins with a deal that creates a specific layout, and the player then makes moves according to the variation's rules until the game is won or no more moves are possible.

Card rank in solitaire follows the standard order: Ace is the lowest card, followed by 2 through 10, then Jack, Queen, and King as the highest. Suits are hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades, with hearts and diamonds being red and clubs and spades being black. These color groupings matter because many games require alternating colors during tableau building.

If you are brand new to solitaire, our complete beginner's guide provides a gentler introduction, and our solitaire card terminology glossary defines every term used in this article.

Klondike Solitaire Rules in Detail

Klondike is the most popular solitaire variation and the version most people mean when they say "solitaire." Here are the complete rules.

Setup: Deal seven tableau columns. Column one gets one card, column two gets two cards, and so on through column seven with seven cards. Only the top card in each column is face-up. The remaining 24 cards form the stock pile. Four empty foundation spaces are designated above the tableau.

Legal Tableau Moves: You may place a face-up card on another face-up card that is exactly one rank higher and of the opposite color. A red 5 goes on a black 6, a black Jack goes on a red Queen. You may move a properly ordered sequence of cards as a group. When all face-up cards are removed from a column, flip the top face-down card face-up. Only Kings may fill empty columns.

Foundation Building: Place Aces on empty foundation spaces to start a foundation pile for that suit. Build each foundation in ascending order within the same suit: Ace, 2, 3, through King.

Stock Pile: Draw one or three cards from the stock to the waste pile. Only the top waste card is playable. When the stock is empty, flip the waste pile to reform the stock. Some rule sets limit the number of times you can cycle through the stock.

Winning: All 52 cards are placed on the four foundations, each containing Ace through King of a single suit.

For step-by-step gameplay instructions, see our dedicated guide on how to play Klondike solitaire.

Spider Solitaire Rules

Spider Solitaire uses two standard decks shuffled together (104 cards) and is played across ten tableau columns. It is significantly more complex than Klondike and is available in one-suit, two-suit, and four-suit difficulty levels.

Setup: Deal 54 cards across ten columns. The first four columns receive six cards each, and the remaining six columns receive five cards each. Only the top card of each column is face-up. The remaining 50 cards form the stock, arranged in five groups of ten.

Legal Tableau Moves: You may place any card on another card that is exactly one rank higher, regardless of suit. However, only sequences built in the same suit can be moved as a group. This distinction is crucial: you can build mixed-suit sequences for convenience, but only same-suit sequences can be picked up and moved together.

Completing Sequences: When you build a complete sequence of thirteen cards from King down to Ace, all in the same suit, that sequence is automatically removed from the tableau. The goal is to remove all eight complete sequences (two per suit).

Dealing from Stock: When you have no more moves, deal one card face-up on top of each of the ten tableau columns from the stock pile. All columns must contain at least one card before you can deal. There are five deals from the stock in a game.

Winning: All eight complete suit sequences have been assembled and removed from the tableau. Read the complete strategy in our Spider Solitaire guide.

FreeCell Rules

FreeCell is unique among popular solitaire games because all 52 cards are dealt face-up from the start. There are no hidden cards, making it a game of pure strategy with no luck after the initial deal.

Setup: Deal all 52 cards into eight tableau columns. The first four columns receive seven cards each, and the last four columns receive six cards each. All cards are face-up. Four empty free cells are designated above the tableau on one side, and four empty foundation spaces on the other.

Legal Tableau Moves: Move one card at a time onto a tableau card that is one rank higher and of the opposite color. Empty free cells and empty columns can temporarily hold single cards, enabling complex moves.

Supermoves: While the formal rules allow moving only one card at a time, most digital implementations allow "supermoves," which let you move a sequence of cards automatically if enough free cells and empty columns exist to theoretically execute the move one card at a time.

Free Cell Usage: Each free cell can hold one card of any rank or suit. Cards in free cells can be moved back to the tableau or to foundations at any time. Managing free cells effectively is the core strategic challenge.

Foundation Building: Same as Klondike. Build each suit from Ace to King in ascending order.

Winning: All 52 cards are moved to the four foundations. Nearly 99.99% of FreeCell deals are solvable, making it one of the most completable solitaire games. See FreeCell Solitaire explained for strategies.

Pyramid Solitaire Rules

Pyramid Solitaire uses a fundamentally different mechanic from column-based solitaire games. Instead of building sequences, you remove pairs of cards that add up to thirteen.

Setup: Deal 28 cards in a pyramid shape with seven rows. Row one has one card, row two has two cards overlapping row one, row three has three cards overlapping row two, and so on. Only cards in the bottom row and any fully uncovered cards are available. The remaining 24 cards form the stock.

Card Values: Aces count as 1, numbered cards at face value, Jacks as 11, Queens as 12, and Kings as 13. Kings are removed individually since they already equal 13.

Removing Cards: Remove any two available cards whose values sum to 13. For example, a 6 and a 7, a 4 and a 9, or a Queen and an Ace. Kings are removed alone. When you remove cards from the pyramid, the cards they were covering may become available.

Stock Usage: Draw cards from the stock one at a time to a waste pile. The top waste card is available for pairing with pyramid cards or other waste cards.

Winning: Remove all cards from the pyramid. Explore the complete rules in our Pyramid Solitaire guide.

Rules for Additional Popular Variations

Beyond the four major variations above, several other solitaire games have dedicated followings and distinct rule sets.

Yukon is similar to Klondike but deals all remaining cards face-up on the tableau instead of creating a stock pile. The key difference is that you can move any face-up card and all cards on top of it, even if the group is not in proper sequence. This makes Yukon more open and strategic than Klondike. Full details are in our Yukon Solitaire guide.

TriPeaks arranges cards in three overlapping pyramids atop a row of ten cards. You remove cards one at a time by matching them to a card that is one rank higher or lower than the current card on the waste pile. It is a fast-paced game with a strong element of luck. See our TriPeaks Solitaire guide.

Golf Solitaire deals 35 cards in seven columns of five, all face-up. You remove cards to a waste pile by playing cards that are one rank higher or lower than the waste pile's top card, regardless of suit. The goal is to clear the tableau. Learn more in our Golf Solitaire rules article.

Forty Thieves uses two decks and deals 40 cards in ten columns of four, all face-up. Only the top card of each column can be moved, and tableau building must be in suit and descending order. It is one of the most challenging popular solitaire games. Read our Forty Thieves guide.

How Rules Affect Strategy

The specific rules of each solitaire variation dramatically affect optimal strategy. In Klondike, where many cards start face-down, the priority is uncovering hidden cards. In FreeCell, where all cards are visible, the focus shifts to planning complex sequences of moves. In Spider, managing suit purity within sequences is the central challenge.

Understanding the rules deeply is the first step toward developing effective strategies. Once you have the rules mastered, explore our strategies silo for game-winning techniques, or learn about common mistakes that trip up players who do not fully grasp the rules they are playing by.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are solitaire rules the same everywhere?

The core rules for each named variation are generally consistent, but minor differences exist between platforms and rule sets. For example, Klondike may be played with draw-one or draw-three stock rules, and some implementations limit the number of stock passes. Always check which specific rules are in effect before you play.

Q: What is the easiest solitaire variation for beginners?

Klondike draw-one is the easiest mainstream variation because every stock card is individually accessible. FreeCell is also beginner-friendly in terms of rules, since all cards are visible, though the strategy can be deep. For a full comparison, see our guide to different types of solitaire games.

Q: Can I move cards back from the foundation to the tableau?

In most traditional rule sets, yes, you can move the top card of a foundation pile back to the tableau if it fits legally. Some digital implementations disable this option. Moving cards back from foundations is an advanced technique covered in our advanced strategies guide.

Q: What happens when the stock pile runs out?

In most variations, when the stock pile is exhausted, you turn the waste pile over to reform the stock. Some rule sets allow unlimited passes through the stock, while others limit you to one, two, or three passes. The strictest versions allow only a single pass, significantly increasing difficulty.

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💡 Gameplay Rule Clarification (2026)

Remember that low-value cards (Aces and Twos) should always be moved to the foundations immediately as they serve no strategic building purpose on the tableau. Pace your draws to prevent early card congestion.