How to Play Solitaire: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

Last Updated on August 10, 2026 by admin

Solitaire is one of the most recognizable card games in the world — and also one of the most commonly mis-set-up. If you’ve ever dealt out a tableau that didn’t quite look right, or wondered whether you’re supposed to draw one card or three from the stock pile, you’re not alone. This guide covers everything: how to set up the board card-by-card, the full rulebook, a step-by-step walkthrough, and answers to the exact questions beginners ask most.

What is Solitaire?

Solitaire — also called Klondike Solitaire, its most widely played version — is a single-player card game played with one standard 52-card deck (no jokers). The objective is simple to state and satisfying to chase: move every card into four foundation piles, sorted by suit, from Ace up to King.

It’s a game of patience and light strategy rather than pure luck. Not every shuffle is winnable, but skilled play meaningfully improves your odds — which is exactly why so many people search for tips on how to set it up and play it correctly.

What You Need to Play Solitaire

A standard 52-card deck — remove the jokers before you start.
A flat surface with enough room for seven columns plus space above them.
Optional: a digital version — if you’d rather skip the physical dealing, you can play Solitaire online through platforms like Durabet, which handles the shuffle and layout for you automatically.

Related read: Simple Guide to 3-Player Card Games if you’re looking for something to play with others once you’ve got Solitaire down.

How to Set Up Solitaire (Step-by-Step Dealing Guide)

This is the part most guides rush through — and where most beginners get stuck. Here’s exactly how to deal the cards, one step at a time.

Step 1: Shuffle the deck thoroughly. A well-shuffled deck matters more in Solitaire than almost any other card game, since the entire game depends on random distribution.

Step 2: Deal the tableau — seven columns, one card at a time. Working left to right, deal one card face-down to each of seven columns, then go back and deal a second card to columns 2 through 7, then a third card to columns 3 through 7, and so on. The result:

Column	Total cards	Face-up cards
1	1	1
2	2	1
3	3	1
4	4	1
5	5	1
6	6	1
7	7	1

That’s 28 cards total dealt into the tableau. Flip the top card of every column face-up. Everything underneath stays face-down until uncovered during play.

Step 3: Set the stock pile. The remaining 24 cards (52 − 28) go face-down in a single pile to one side. This is your stock pile — you’ll draw from it throughout the game.

Step 4: Leave room for the foundations. Above the tableau, leave four empty spaces. These are your foundation piles, where you’ll eventually build each suit from Ace to King. They start empty — don’t deal anything into them yet.

That’s the entire setup. If you count your cards and don’t get 28 in the tableau and 24 in the stock, re-check your dealing — a common beginner mistake is dealing all seven columns to full length before moving to the next column, instead of dealing diagonally as described above.

One-card draw vs. three-card draw

Before you start playing, decide which stock-pile variation you’re using:

Draw-one (easier, better for beginners): flip one card at a time from the stock pile.
Draw-three (the standard/harder version): flip three cards at a time, but only the top card of the three is playable.

If you’re new to the game, start with draw-one — it’s far more winnable while you’re learning the tableau logic.

Solitaire Rules Explained

Objective

Move all 52 cards into the four foundation piles, each built in ascending order (Ace → King) within a single suit.

Tableau rules

Tableau cards are built in descending order and must alternate colors — for example, a black 8 can hold a red 7, and a red Queen can hold a black Jack.
You can move a full valid sequence of cards at once, as long as the sequence itself follows the alternating-color, descending-order rule.
An empty tableau column can only be filled by a King (or a valid sequence starting with a King).

Foundation rules

Each foundation pile starts with an Ace and builds upward in the same suit: A, 2, 3 … up to King.
Cards moved to a foundation pile cannot be moved back to the tableau — plan ahead before sending a card up.

Stock and waste pile rules

Draw from the stock pile (one or three cards at a time, per your chosen variation).
Cards you can’t immediately use go to the waste pile, face-up.
Only the top card of the waste pile is available to play at any time.
Once the stock pile runs out, you can typically flip the waste pile back over to reuse it (rules on how many times you can redo this vary — some versions allow unlimited redeals, others limit it to one or two).

How to Play Solitaire: Step-by-Step

Once your setup is complete, here’s the actual flow of play:

Scan the tableau for Aces or low cards. Any Ace visible on top of a column goes straight to a foundation pile.
Build sequences in the tableau. Move face-up cards between columns to uncover the face-down cards beneath them — this is the core skill of the game.
Draw from the stock pile whenever you’re out of tableau moves. Play any usable card to the tableau or a foundation.
Fill empty columns with Kings. An empty column is valuable — only use it once you have a King (or King-led sequence) ready to place there.
Keep building foundations until every card is sorted, or until you run out of legal moves.

Tips and Strategies for Winning Solitaire

Think two moves ahead, not just one — a move that looks good now can block a better one later.
Prioritize uncovering face-down cards over moving cards that don’t reveal anything new.
Don’t rush cards to the foundation. Sometimes keeping a low card in the tableau (like a red 2) gives you more flexibility for building sequences.
Empty columns are gold — don’t fill one with a King unless you’re confident it’s the best use of that space.
Use the undo feature if you’re playing digitally — it’s a legitimate way to learn from mistakes while you’re still building intuition for the game.

Solitaire Variations Worth Trying

Spider Solitaire — played with two decks, no foundation piles; you clear the tableau by building full same-suit sequences.
FreeCell Solitaire — all cards dealt face-up from the start, with a few “free cells” to temporarily hold cards.
Pyramid Solitaire — match pairs of cards that add up to 13 to clear the pyramid layout.
TriPeaks Solitaire — clear three peaks of cards by selecting cards one rank higher or lower than the current waste card.

Benefits of Playing Solitaire

Sharpens concentration — every move requires scanning the whole board.
Builds problem-solving skills through sequencing and planning ahead.
Genuinely relaxing — a low-stakes way to unwind without needing an opponent.
Exercises memory, especially in versions where face-down cards must be tracked mentally.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many cards do you deal in Solitaire?

You deal 28 cards into the tableau (across seven columns of 1–7 cards each) and leave the remaining 24 cards as your stock pile.

How do you set up Solitaire step by step?

Shuffle the deck, deal seven columns with 1 to 7 cards each (flipping only the top card of each column face-up), place the remaining 24 cards face-down as the stock pile, and leave four open spaces above the tableau for the foundation piles.

How is Solitaire dealt exactly?

Deal one card to each of the seven columns first, then go back and add a second card to columns 2–7, a third to columns 3–7, and so on, until column 7 has seven cards. Only the last card dealt to each column is flipped face-up.

Can you play Solitaire with one deck of cards?

Yes — standard Klondike Solitaire uses exactly one 52-card deck with the jokers removed. (Spider Solitaire is the main variation that uses two decks.)

What’s the difference between draw-one and draw-three Solitaire?

Draw-one flips a single card from the stock pile at a time and is easier to win. Draw-three flips three cards at once, but only the top card is playable, making it noticeably harder.

What happens when you run out of moves in Solitaire?

If no tableau, foundation, or stock-pile moves are available, the game ends — this happens in roughly a third of shuffles even with optimal play, which is part of what makes Solitaire replayable rather than frustrating.

Is Solitaire a game of luck or skill?

Both. The initial shuffle limits what’s possible, but skilled sequencing and planning meaningfully change your win rate within any given deal.

Ready to Play?

Now that you know exactly how to set up, deal, and play Solitaire, all that’s left is to shuffle a deck and give it a go. Prefer to skip the physical setup? You can play Solitaire and other classic card games directly through DuraGaming — the layout, shuffle, and rules are handled for you, so you can jump straight into play.

If you enjoyed this guide, you might also like A Brief History of Card Games: From Origins to Modern Classics or How to Play Concentration Card Game for another quick, low-pressure solo card game.