Play Solitaire Online
The classic 52-card patience game: build the four foundations from Ace to King. Drag cards with mouse or finger, tap a card and then its target, or play with the keyboard – your game survives a page reload.
How it is calculated
How to play Solitaire (Klondike)
Klondike is the best-known patience game: you play alone with a standard 52-card deck without jokers. The goal is to move all cards onto the four foundations at the top right, sorted by suit from Ace to King.
Setup
- Seven tableau columns: the first holds 1 card, the second 2 … the seventh 7 cards. Only the top card of each column is face up. That makes 28 cards.
- Stock: the remaining 24 cards lie face down at the top left.
Rules
- In the tableau you build down in alternating colours: a red 7 on a black 8, a black 6 on the red 7 and so on.
- Face-up sequences can be moved as a unit to another column if their highest card fits.
- An empty column can only be filled with a King (or a sequence headed by a King).
- When you remove the last face-up card of a column, the face-down card below is turned over.
- Foundations are built up by suit: Ace, 2, 3 … up to King.
- When you are stuck, draw from the stock – 1 or 3 cards at a time. Only the top card of the waste is playable. When the stock is empty, the waste is turned over again.
Controls
- Drag and drop: drag a card with mouse or finger onto its target.
- Tap to tap: tap the card first, then the target. Tapping a higher card in a column selects the whole sequence from that card.
- Double-click or double-tap sends a card to a matching foundation.
- Keyboard: Tab or arrow keys choose a pile, Enter or Space pick the card and drop it on the target, F sends it to a foundation, U undoes the last move.
- Undo works for many steps in a row (the last 60 moves).
- Once every card is face up and the stock is empty, the game finishes automatically.
Scoring
Besides moves and time, the game keeps score with the widely used standard Klondike scoring (without time bonus):
| Move | Points |
|---|---|
| Waste → tableau | +5 |
| Waste → foundation | +10 |
| Tableau → foundation | +10 |
| Turn over a tableau card | +5 |
| Foundation → tableau | −15 |
| Recycle the waste (draw 1 only) | −100 |
The score never drops below 0. Moving a card from the waste to the tableau first and then to a foundation earns 15 instead of 10 points.
Tips
- Uncover the long columns first – they hide the most face-down cards.
- Only empty a column when you have a King to put there.
- Play Aces and 2s to the foundations right away; hold back higher cards while you still need them for building.
- “Draw 1” is much easier than “Draw 3” because every stock card becomes reachable.
Privacy
Your current game, setting and statistics (wins, best time, best score) are stored only in your browser’s localStorage. Nothing is sent to a server. Shuffling uses the browser’s cryptography interface.
More games: Tic-tac-toe, Sudoku or Hangman.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards do you need for solitaire?
Klondike uses a standard 52-card deck without jokers. 28 cards are dealt into seven tableau columns (1 to 7 cards), the other 24 form the stock.
How do you play solitaire for beginners?
Build the tableau down in alternating colours (red on black, black on red) and the four foundations up by suit from Ace to King. Only a King may go into an empty column. You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.
Solitaire draw 1 or draw 3 – what is the difference?
With “Draw 1” you turn the stock one card at a time and can reach every card. With “Draw 3” three cards are turned at once and only the top one is playable, which makes it harder. Here you may go through the stock as often as you like in both modes.
Is every solitaire game winnable?
No. Some deals cannot be won even with perfect play. The exact share of winnable games is not known; even if all cards were visible, only about 82% of draw-3 deals would be solvable according to an estimate by Blake and Gent (2019).
How is solitaire scored?
This game uses the common standard scoring: +5 for waste to tableau and for turning over a card, +10 for every card played to a foundation, −15 for foundation to tableau and −100 for recycling the waste in draw 1. The score never goes below 0.
What can go in an empty space in solitaire?
Only a King – on its own or together with the face-up sequence on top of it. No other card may be placed in an empty column.
Can I undo moves?
Yes, with “Undo” or the U key, several steps in a row (up to 60 moves). After a win the game is closed.
Sources and legal basis
- Wikipedia: Klondike (solitaire) – Regeln und Standard-Wertung
- Blake & Gent (2019): The Winnability of Klondike Solitaire and Many Other Patience Games
- MDN: Crypto.getRandomValues()
As of:
Related tools
- Play Mahjong Solitaire OnlineFree mahjong solitaire in your browser: classic 144-tile turtle, pyramid or a mini board for phones. Every deal is solvable, with hints, shuffle and best times.
- Play the mines game onlineFree mine puzzle in your browser: beginner, intermediate and expert, first click always safe, flags by long press or right click, best times. No app or sign-up.
- Play the 2048 game onlinePlay 2048 free in your browser: swipe or use the arrow keys to merge tiles until you reach 2048. With best score, one-step undo and your game saved.
- Sudoku solver and online sudokuPlay sudoku online free in 4 levels or solve any puzzle: the sudoku solver explains every step. Notes, mistake check, hints and a printable grid.
- Play tic tac toe onlineFree tic tac toe in your browser: play against the computer (easy, medium, unbeatable) or two players on one device, with a running score. No sign-up.
- Play hangman onlineFree hangman game in your browser: 3,000 common English words in three levels, or enter your own secret word for a friend. Keyboard and touch, no sign-up.