How to Play Klondike Solitaire

How to Play Solitaire: Step-by-Step Guide

Ready to learn Solitaire? This guide will walk you through the classic Klondike Solitaire rules, setup, and gameplay—perfect for beginners!

Create the Tableau: Deal seven piles from left to right. The first pile gets one card, the second gets two, and so on up to seven. Only the top card in each pile is face-up; the rest are face-down.
Stock Pile: Place the remaining cards face-down in a single pile (the stock).
Foundation Piles: Leave space for four foundation piles, one for each suit.

Move all cards to the foundation piles, building each suit from Ace to King.

Move Cards in the Tableau:
- Build down in alternating colors (e.g., red 7 on black 8).
- Only face-up cards can be moved. You can move a sequence if it follows descending order and alternating colors.
Reveal Face-Down Cards:
- When you move a face-up card and expose a face-down card, flip it over.
Use the Stock Pile:
- Click or draw from the stock to deal one card at a time to the waste pile.
- When the stock is empty, you may recycle the waste back to the stock (depending on your game’s rules).
Move Cards to Foundations:
- Build up by suit from Ace to King.
- Double-clicking a card may auto-move it to a foundation if allowed.
Empty Tableau Spaces:
- Only Kings (or a valid sequence starting with a King) can be moved to an empty tableau pile.

The game is won when all cards are sorted into the four foundation piles by suit, from Ace to King.

Focus on uncovering face-down cards in the tableau.
Don’t rush to move cards to the foundation—sometimes you’ll need them in the tableau.
Use empty tableau spaces wisely for Kings and sequences.

Solitaire is a game of patience, strategy, and a little luck. Practice makes perfect — play Klondike Solitaire free online right now!

Once you’ve mastered Klondike, explore these popular Solitaire variants — each with unique rules and strategies:

Klondike Solitaire – The classic game described in this guide. Build foundations by suit from Ace to King.
FreeCell Solitaire – All cards are dealt face-up with four free cells for temporary storage. Nearly every game is winnable with the right strategy.
Spider Solitaire – A two-deck challenge where you build same-suit sequences from King to Ace. Choose from 1-suit (easy), 2-suit (medium), or 4-suit (hard) modes.
Pyramid Solitaire – Clear a pyramid of 28 cards by pairing exposed cards that add up to 13. Quick rounds with a puzzle-like feel.
TriPeaks Solitaire – The fastest Solitaire variant. Clear three peaks by playing cards ±1 rank from the waste pile. High win rate and addictive chain combos.
Yukon Solitaire – A harder Klondike variant with no stock pile. All cards are visible, and you can move groups of face-up cards regardless of sequence.

For a quick rules refresher, see our Solitaire Rules reference card.