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Solitaire Rules

What you are trying to do, which moves are allowed, and what the words on the table mean, for each version.

Every solitaire game is a variation on one idea: put the deck in order. The goal, the layout and the building rule change from game to game. This page gives the rules for each version we have, in a few lines each, and links to the full guide.

Klondike (the classic)

• Goal: move all 52 cards to four foundation piles, each built from Ace to King in one suit.
• Layout: seven columns holding 1 to 7 cards, last card face up. The other 24 cards are the stock.
• Building: down in alternating colours. A red 7 goes on a black 8.
• Moving: a face-up run can move together. Only a King (or a run starting with a King) goes into an empty column.
• Drawing: one card at a time, or three at a time with only the top card playable.

Full Klondike rules and scoring · Setting up with real cards · Draw 3

Spider

• Goal: build eight complete runs from King down to Ace, each in one suit. Finished runs leave the table.
• Layout: two decks, ten columns, 54 cards dealt. The other 50 are the stock.
• Building: down by rank, any suit. But only a same-suit run can be picked up and moved.
• Stock: each click puts one card on every column. You cannot deal while a column is empty.

Full Spider rules and strategy · Play 1 suit, 2 suits or 4 suits

FreeCell

• Goal: the same four foundations, Ace to King in each suit.
• Layout: all 52 cards face up in eight columns, four free cells and four foundations. No stock.
• Building: down in alternating colours, like Klondike.
• Free cells: each holds one card. They are your parking spaces.

Full FreeCell rules and strategy · Play FreeCell

Yukon and Russian

• Goal: the four foundations again.
• Layout: seven columns, all 52 cards dealt, no stock. 21 of the 52 cards start face down.
• Moving: any face-up card can move, together with every card on top of it, as long as the card you pick up fits on its new column. The cards you move along with it do not need to be in order.
• Building: Yukon builds down in alternating colours. Russian builds down in the same suit.

Play Yukon · Play Russian

Spiderette

• Goal: build four King-to-Ace runs, each in one suit. Finished runs leave the table.
• Layout: one deck, seven columns of 1 to 7 cards, a 24-card stock.
• Moving: build down in any suit, but only same-suit runs can be picked up. The stock deals one card to each column and needs every column filled.

Play Spiderette

Eight Off

• Goal: the four foundations, Ace to King in each suit.
• Layout: eight columns of six cards face up, eight free cells with four cards already in them.
• Moving: build down in the same suit. Only a King goes into an empty column. A run can be as long as your empty cells plus one.

Play Eight Off

Double and Triple Klondike

• Goal: the same as Klondike, with eight (Double) or twelve (Triple) foundation piles.
• Layout: two decks and nine columns, or three decks and thirteen columns. Last card of each column face up.
• Moving: exactly as Klondike: build down in alternating colours, Kings into empty columns.

Play Double Klondike · Play Triple Klondike

The words on the table

Not sure which game to pick?

Read types of solitaire games for a side-by-side comparison, or just start with Klondike. It takes a minute to learn.