What the word "solitaire" actually covers
Solitaire is a family, not a single game. The name simply means a card game for one player, and dozens of layouts qualify. When someone says "I play solitaire", they almost always mean Klondike — the seven-column arrangement that shipped with early home computers. But the family runs from the deep, brain-bending end (Spider with four suits) to games you can finish in three minutes (Golf).
That range is why the rules below are grouped rather than listed as one block. Learn the shared logic once, then only the layout changes.
The goal every solitaire game shares
Strip away the layout and most solitaire games ask the same three things of you: sort the deck into order, use the limited space you are given, and never bury a card you will need later.
- You start with one shuffled deck (or two) dealt into a fixed pattern.
- You move cards between the tableau — the face-up working area — and the foundations or goal piles.
- You win when every card has been sorted into place, with nothing stranded.
No variant needs an opponent. That is the whole appeal: solitaire is the classic way to fill ten spare minutes with something that still engages your head.
Klondike — the one most people picture
Klondike deals seven columns. The first column has one card, the second has two, and so on to seven, with only the top card of each column face-up. The remaining cards form the stock, which you flip through to reach the cards you need.
- Build the four foundations from Ace up to King, one suit per pile.
- On the tableau, stack cards in descending order and alternating colours — a red 7 goes on a black 8.
- Move a face-up run of correctly sequenced cards together as a single block.
- When a column empties, only a King (or a run starting with a King) may be placed there.
- Turn the stock one card at a time, or three at a time, depending on the variant you pick.
Playing one card at a time gives you far more control than flipping three, which is the trade-off we break down in Klondike turn 1 vs turn 3. Ready to try it? Open Klondike Solitaire and play a round before you read further.
Spider Solitaire — one, two, or four suits
Spider uses two full decks and ten columns. The twist is the suit count: the game is the same shape whether you play one suit, two, or all four, but the difficulty jumps sharply each time you add a suit. You only ever place a card on the next-highest rank, and runs of the same suit move together.
- One suit: a good place to learn the flow, and winnable most of the time.
- Two suits: the balance point — real planning, still winnable with care.
- Four suits: the demanding version, where most deals are lost on sequencing mistakes.
The full move rules live in Spider Solitaire rules, and the thinking that separates wins from near-misses is in Spider Solitaire strategy. Play the version that matches your patience: one suit, two suits, or four suits.
FreeCell — the variant almost every deal can be won
FreeCell deals all 52 cards face-up into eight columns before you make a single move. Nothing is hidden, so nothing is down to luck of the draw — the game is pure calculation. Four free cells hold one card each, and four foundations build from Ace up.
Because you can see everything, FreeCell rewards planning over speed. The winning habits are covered in depth in FreeCell strategy, and you can test them on FreeCell.
TriPeaks, Golf and Pyramid — the fast solitaire games
Not every solitaire game is a long build. These three trade depth for pace, and they are the ones people reach for on a phone.
TriPeaks
Cards sit in three overlapping peaks. You clear them by playing a card one rank above or below the card on your waste pile — 7 can take a 6 or an 8, and Aces wrap around to Kings. There is no foundation to build; you simply try to clear the peaks. The full rules and the trick to keeping streaks alive are in TriPeaks Solitaire rules, or jump straight into TriPeaks Solitaire.
Golf
Golf lays seven columns of five cards, all face-up. You clear them in rank order, one above or below the current card, and the King and Ace connect so the sequence never dead-ends. It is the most approachable solitaire on this page — see Golf Solitaire rules or play Golf Solitaire.
Pyramid
Pyramid spreads 28 cards into a triangle. You remove pairs that add up to 13 — a 6 with a 7, a Queen with an Ace, a King on its own. Clear every card and you win. Learn the counting in the guide, or try Pyramid Solitaire.
Which variant should you play first?
| Variant | Difficulty | A round takes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golf | Easy | 2–3 min | Learning the feel of solitaire |
| TriPeaks | Easy | 2–4 min | Quick breaks, streak chasing |
| Klondike | Medium | 4–8 min | The classic experience |
| Pyramid | Medium | 3–5 min | Simple rules, real thinking |
| FreeCell | Medium–Hard | 6–12 min | Players who like to plan |
| Spider (4 suits) | Hard | 10–20 min | A genuine challenge |
A few habits that lift your win rate
- Free the Aces early — every foundation starts there, and an Ace still buried is a pile you cannot build.
- Move a King to an empty column only when you have a reason. Filling a space early often costs you a space you need later.
- Prefer moves that uncover face-down cards. A move that reveals new information is almost always worth more than one that just tidies the table.
- Before flipping the stock, look for any tableau move you have missed. Runs you can shift are usually hiding a better option.
- Treat each game as winnable until you can prove it is not. Giving up early is the most common way to lose a game you could have finished.
