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How to Play Klondike Solitaire
Klondike is the most popular version of solitaire and the game most people simply call "Solitaire." It is a single-player card game played with a standard 52-card deck. The objective is to build four foundation piles, one for each suit, in ascending order from Ace to King.
The Layout
A Klondike game consists of four areas:
- Tableau — Seven columns of cards form the main playing area. Column one has one card, column two has two cards, and so on up to column seven with seven cards. Only the top card of each column is dealt face-up; the rest are face-down.
- Foundations — Four empty piles, one for each suit (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades). Cards are built here in ascending order from Ace through King.
- Stock (Draw Pile) — The remaining 24 cards after dealing the tableau. Cards are drawn from the stock when no other moves are available.
- Waste (Talon) — Cards drawn from the stock are placed here face-up. Only the top card of the waste pile is available for play.
Dealing the Cards
- Shuffle a standard 52-card deck thoroughly.
- Deal cards into seven tableau columns from left to right. Place one card in the first column, two in the second, three in the third, and so on until the seventh column has seven cards.
- Turn the top card of each tableau column face-up.
- Place the remaining 24 cards face-down to form the stock pile in the upper-left corner.
Moving Cards
Cards can be moved according to these rules:
Tableau Moves
- Cards on the tableau are built in descending order with alternating colors. For example, a black 6 can be placed on a red 7.
- You may move a single face-up card or a properly sequenced group of face-up cards (descending, alternating colors) from one tableau column to another.
- When a face-down card is exposed, turn it face-up.
- Only a King (or a sequence starting with a King) may be placed in an empty tableau column.
Foundation Moves
- Move Aces to the foundation piles as they become available. Each foundation pile is built by suit in ascending order: Ace, 2, 3, ... Queen, King.
- Cards can be moved to the foundation from the tableau or the waste pile.
Stock and Waste
- Click the stock pile to draw cards. In Draw 1 mode, one card is flipped to the waste pile at a time. In Draw 3 mode, three cards are flipped at once, but only the top card is playable.
- When the stock is empty, turn the waste pile over to reform the stock (without shuffling).
Winning the Game
You win Klondike Solitaire when all 52 cards have been moved to the four foundation piles, each built from Ace to King by suit. Not every deal is winnable — statistical analysis suggests that roughly 79% of Klondike deals using Draw 1 rules are theoretically solvable with perfect play, though in practice the win rate for most players is considerably lower.
Quick Reference
| Rule | Details |
|---|---|
| Deck | Standard 52 cards |
| Tableau columns | 7 columns (1 to 7 cards each) |
| Foundation piles | 4 (one per suit, Ace to King) |
| Tableau building | Descending rank, alternating colors |
| Empty columns | Kings only |
| Stock redeals | Unlimited (standard rules) |
Quick Answers
How do you set up Klondike Solitaire?
Shuffle a standard 52-card deck and deal cards into 7 tableau columns. Place 1 card in the first column, 2 in the second, 3 in the third, and so on up to 7 cards in the seventh column. Turn the top card of each column face-up. The remaining 24 cards form the stock pile, placed face-down in the upper-left corner.
What happens when you run out of stock cards in Klondike Solitaire?
When the stock pile is empty, turn the entire waste pile face-down (without shuffling) to reform the stock. In standard rules, you can cycle through the stock an unlimited number of times. Some variations limit stock redeals to 1 or 3 passes.
Can you move cards back from the foundation in Klondike Solitaire?
In most standard rules, yes — you can move a card from the foundation back to the tableau if it creates a valid sequence. This can be strategically useful when you need a card for tableau building. However, some computer versions and house rules do not allow foundation-to-tableau moves.
What can go in an empty column in Klondike Solitaire?
Only a King (or a sequence of cards starting with a King) can be placed in an empty tableau column in Klondike Solitaire. This is one of the most important rules to remember, as empty columns are valuable strategic resources.
Klondike Solitaire Quick Facts
- Klondike Solitaire has been included in every version of Microsoft Windows since Windows 3.0 in 1990, making it the most widely distributed card game in computing history.
- Approximately 79% of all Klondike Solitaire deals are mathematically solvable when played with perfect strategy, according to computer analysis of millions of random deals.
- Klondike Solitaire is the most-played single-player card game in the world, with an estimated 35 million players in the United States alone.
- The name 'Klondike' comes from the Klondike region of Canada's Yukon Territory, where prospectors played the game during the 1896 Gold Rush.
- A standard Klondike Solitaire game uses one 52-card deck and deals 28 cards into 7 tableau columns, leaving 24 cards in the stock pile.
- In Draw-3 Klondike Solitaire, the win rate drops to roughly 10-15% compared to 30-40% in the easier Draw-1 variant, even with optimal play.
- Klondike Solitaire was originally created by Microsoft intern Wes Cherry in 1989 as a way to teach users how to drag and drop with a mouse.