Card Game 101 #1: Solitaire

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Introduction

Solitaire, as its name suggests, is a card game that can be enjoyed by one person. The game requires strategy, analysis, and some luck to win. Read on to learn the basics of the card game Solitaire.

Needed

✔ A standard 52-card deck (no jokers)

✔ 1 player (that's you)

Setup

Set up the game by creating seven piles of cards. Piles can be fanned down (i.e. cards are stacked in a way that the cards buried in a pile are still partially visible, and the top card of a pile is closest to you) if you want to know how many cards are left in each pile. Or, you can elect to stack all the cards in a pile together for a more challenging game. Nevertheless, all face-up cards in a pile must be fanned down at all times.

First, deal one card face-up and six cards face-down. Next, deal one card face-up and five cards face-down, skipping the first pile. Then, deal one card face-up and four cards face-down, skipping the first two piles. Continue dealing cards like this, with one fewer face-down card dealt each time, and skipping all piles already with a face-up card.

Alternatively, deal one card to the first pile, two cards to the second pile, three cards to the third pile, all the way to seven cards to the seventh pile. Flip up the top card of each pile.

Finally, place the remaining deck (of 24 cards) on the top-left corner of the playing area, leaving space for a waste pile on its right and four foundation piles on the top-right corner.

Note: The playing area and the top-left deck are hereinafter referred to as the "tableau" and the "stock" respectively.

Object of the Game

The objective of Solitaire is to create four foundation piles, one for each suit. Each foundation pile starts with the ace of any suit and is built up to the king of that suit.

Gameplay

During gameplay, the player can move cards in three ways: between tableau piles, from waste to tableau, and from waste or tableau to foundation.

When moving between tableau piles, a card can be moved if it is one rank lower and a different color than the card it is being moved onto. For example, a red 8 can be placed on top of a black 9. You can also move a sequence of cards (called a "run") from one pile to another, as long as the highest ranking card of the run satisfies the aforementioned requirement. If a face-down card becomes open (no cards are on top of it), it can be flipped up.

When no more moves can be made on the tableau, the stock is used to bring new cards into play. Flip up one card from the stock. If this card can be placed on the tableau, you are free to do so. If not, it is discarded to the waste pile.

If an ace is revealed, it should go directly to one of the foundation piles. Then, cards of the same suit can be moved to that foundation pile in sequential order.

Winning

If all cards end up in the foundation piles, the game is won.

If you can no longer make any meaningful moves with the cards available, the game is lost.

Rules

✔ If the stock runs out of cards, the waste pile is turned over to form a new stock.

✔ Never shuffle the stock or waste pile.

✔ A card on top of a foundation pile can be moved back to the tableau if needed. This is known as "worrying back".

✔ If a tableau pile becomes empty, only a king or a run with a king can be moved to the empty pile.

✔ The game can be played with the "draw three" rule for more of a challenge. Under this rule, you must turn over three cards from the stock at a time and only the top card can be moved if possible. If the top card is moved, the next card is revealed and thus can be moved if possible.

Tips

Not every game of Solitaire can be won, but these tips will most likely increase your chances of winning:

✔ Do not create long runs of cards. Long runs ending with a low ranking card can make it hard to move between tableau piles.

✔ When a card that can go to a foundation pile is flipped up from the stock, look around the tableau first instead of moving it to its foundation pile straight away. You may be able to flip up a face-down card after placing the stock card on the tableau. Remember, you need to turn over all face-down cards in order to get all cards to their foundation piles.

✔ Although it sets you back at first glance, occasionally, worrying back can change the whole game.

✔ If a king is flipped up from the tableau, try to empty a tableau pile as soon as possible.

Up Next

The next blog in this series will be about Spider Solitaire. Expect it to come in a few days.

Thanks for reading!

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Level 43
Dec 27, 2021
I used to play Solitaire on my phone, but I’ve deleted it. Your blogs are surprising me!
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Level 73
Dec 27, 2021
Interesting blog and nice formatting! Haven't played Solitaire since a long time. I really liked playing Pyramid and TriPeaks. I played Spider as well. I should restart playing those gems! :)

Are those different things or a part of Solitaire?

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Level 50
Dec 27, 2021
Those card games are classed as "solitaires" by some sources, but in this context the term "Solitaire" refers specifically to the game Klondike.
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Level 73
Dec 27, 2021
OK.. got it. Microsoft Solitaire Collection lumped them all together. That was the reason for confusion. Haven't played Klondike much. Maybe I should give it a try.
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Level 45
Mar 23, 2022
Yes. I play Microsoft Solitare, and it has Freecell,spider,Klondike(this one!:D), Pyramid, and TriPeaks.
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Level 68
Dec 28, 2021
Very nice! Quite useful for me, given that I have no friends I often have a lot of time alone, so I can play Solitaire instead of wallowing around in self-pity!
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Level 43
Dec 28, 2021
I’m a ghost