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How Many Rows Are in Solitaire?
Seven, in the classic game. Here is how that adds up, and how the count changes in the other popular versions.
If you came here with one question, the answer is short. Classic solitaire has seven rows. They are really columns of cards that run down the table, set side by side, and the first one holds a single card while the last one holds seven.
The Klondike layout, step by step
Klondike is the game most people mean when they say solitaire. Count the cards and it all fits together:
- The columns hold 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 = 28 cards.
- The other 24 cards form the stock, the face-down pile you draw from.
- Only the last card in each column is face up: 7 cards face up, 21 face down.
- Four empty spaces wait for the foundations, one for each suit.
Each column starts with one more card than the one to its left. The cream card at the end of each column is the face-up card.
Rows or columns?
The cards in the main area are stacked top to bottom, so strictly speaking they are columns. Many people say rows because the seven stacks line up side by side across the table, and the question “how many rows” is really “how many piles across”. Either way the number is seven.
The strip above the columns is a second line of seven places. From the left it holds the stock, the waste, one empty gap and the four foundations. So you can think of the whole table as seven across.
Layout of the popular versions
| Game | Columns | Cards dealt to the columns | Stock | Other piles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Klondike | 7 | 28 (1 to 7 cards, last one face up) | 24 cards | 4 foundations |
| Yukon | 7 | All 52. The first column has 1 card; the others each have 5 face-up cards on top of 1 to 6 face-down ones | None | 4 foundations |
| Russian | 7 | All 52, dealt like Yukon | None | 4 foundations |
| FreeCell | 8 | All 52 face up: four columns of 7, four of 6 | None | 4 foundations, 4 free cells |
| Double Klondike | 9 | 45 (1 to 9 cards, last one face up) | 59 cards | 8 foundations |
| Triple Klondike | 13 | 91 (1 to 13 cards, last one face up) | 65 cards | 12 foundations |
| Eight Off | 8 | 48 face up (six in each column) | None | 4 foundations, 8 free cells (4 full at the start) |
| Spiderette | 7 | 28 (1 to 7 cards, last one face up) | 24 cards, dealt 7 at a time | Finished runs leave the table |
| Spider | 10 | 54 (four columns of 6, six of 5, last card face up) | 50 cards, dealt 10 at a time | Finished runs leave the table |
Solitaire games that really do use rows
A few other solitaire games are laid out in rows rather than columns, which is probably where the question comes from. Pyramid builds a triangle of 28 cards in seven rows of 1 to 7. TriPeaks lays 28 cards in three overlapping peaks. Golf deals seven columns of five cards. None of them are on this site, but the counting is the same kind of sum.
What to do next
Want to see the layout in action? Play Klondike and watch the seven columns appear. To lay it out with a real deck, follow the steps in how to set up solitaire. The goal and the moves are covered in how to play, and the whole family of games is in types of solitaire.
Frequently asked questions
How many rows are in solitaire?
Classic solitaire (Klondike) has seven columns of cards in the main playing area. People often call them rows. The first column holds 1 card, the second 2, and so on up to 7, which makes 28 cards.
How many cards go across in solitaire?
Seven. The seven columns sit side by side. The row above them has the stock, the waste pile, a gap and the four foundation piles, which is also seven positions wide.
How many cards are dealt at the start of solitaire?
In Klondike, 28 cards go into the seven columns and the other 24 stay in the stock. Only the bottom card of each column is face up, so 7 cards are face up and 21 face down.
How many cards are left in the stock after the deal?
24. That is 52 minus the 28 cards dealt to the columns.
How many columns does Spider solitaire have?
Ten. Four columns start with 6 cards and six columns start with 5, so 54 cards are dealt and 50 stay in the stock.
How many columns does FreeCell have?
Eight, with all 52 cards dealt face up: four columns of 7 cards and four columns of 6. There are also four free cells and four foundations.