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Free Online Classic Solitaire Card Video Game

Play Classic Solitaire Online for Free

Starting Your Game

Our Classic Solitaire game automatically deals your cards to the tableau.

If you do not like a particular deal or are stuck on a game you can click the new button near the top center of the screen to deal another hand.

The game is timed, however the timer does not start until after you move your first card.

Your gameplay stats include your win loss ratio. If you get a new deal you do not like you can click on the new button to deal again without impacting your stats.

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Game Features

If you make a particular move you dislike click the undo button.

The top right corner of the game shows your current score. Left of the undo button is the time played on the hand.

This game has a menu available via a hamburger menu button in the upper left corner.

This menu offers the following features: restart new game, turn sound on or off, switch between turn 3 & turn 1 play, and your overall play statistics.

Clicking on the statistics button reveals how many games you played, how many games you won, what your win percentage is, the shortest game time to win, the longest game time to win, your high score, and your lowest score. You can also reset the game at any time.

This game allows you to shuffle through the reserve pile an unlimited number of times. If you wanted to limit yourself to a set number of passes you can, just remember what pass number you are on.

Your gameplay statistics are stored in your web browser. Our website does not track your play in any way whatsoever.

In fact, this game is a progressive web app which will even work offline.

Compete Against Other Players!

Expand Your Play

This game saves your high score on your local computer. We also offer multiple other versions of Klondike Solitaire where you can submit your score to the high score board and see how well you rank among millions of players around the world!

More Free Online Klondike Solitaire Games

The above games allow you to submit your high score.

Game Design / How to Set Up Solitaire

There are hundreds of unique types of Solitaire, though if people refer to the word without any modifier or qualifier they typically mean the game which is also called Klondike Solitaire in the United States or Patience in the UK. The playing field is organized with 7 columns on the Tableau. The first having only one card and the rest having progressively one more card in each column until the seventh and final column has 7. This means 28 of the 52 cards are on the Tableau and the other 24 cards are left in the reserve or stock pile.

A picture of the game layout (which was created from our above game) is shown.

How to Set Up Classic Solitaire.

Game Scoring

Note that this game penalizes removal of a card from the foundation if you physically remove the card, however your score remains unaffected (other than time!) if you instead use the undo button.

Switching Between Turn 3 and Turn 1

Deal 1 vs Deal 3

Playing in turn 3 mode is significantly harder than playing in turn 1 mode, as you only get a chance to lay 1 in 3 cards on each shuffle through the reserve. Turn 3 is considered the standard form of the game.

In turn 1 when all cards on the tableau are face up the game autocompletes since there is nothing left to do but place the cards across to the foundation. Autocomplete has been turned off in turn 3 mode because how you lay cards to the foundations and use the remaining cards in the reserve impacts if the game is possible to beat.

Sometimes the card you need is in-between the third card shuffle and never ends atop the waste pile.

Switching Play Modes

This game scores turn three and turn one games using the same point system. If you have recordbreaking speed and are stuck late in a turn three game, in the middle of a game you can switch it to turn one to get to that missing card.

Learn the Basics of Solitaire

So, none of your friends are up for a game? No problem! 

Solitaire is an old school, challenging card game of concentration and skill that can be played alone. The most popular form of this game today is Classic Solitaire. 

In this article, we'll look at: 

The History Of Solitaire

Solitaire emerged in the 1700s in northern Europe

In Germany, Sweden, France and Russia there were references in literature to a game called “Patience”, the earliest recorded name for Solitaire. Although English, the word “patience” is of French origin and indicates that the game required a patient temperament in order to play it well. 

By the mid-19th century, Solitaire was popular in French high society, whilst in England, Prince Albert was known to be an enthusiast. The game didn't make its way across the Atlantic to the USA until 1870 where it became known as Solitaire. 

Solitaire grew in popularity amongst card players of all walks of life, but was given an immense boost following the advent of desktop computers. Microsoft Windows, a leading operating system, included a free version of Solitaire in 1990. 

Many work hours were lost to this challenging game. Office workers the world over played the game, no doubt switching surreptitiously between active windows to hide their game playing from supervisors!

Fun fact. As the cards are laid out, you may notice a similarity to the way Fortune Tellers lay out their Tarot cards, revealing hidden secrets with each turn. An early version of Tarot emerged in Italy in the 1425. Solitaire was most likely influenced by fortune telling. 

How To Play Classic Solitaire

The goal of the game is to stack cards into sequences. These sequences are based on suits and rank.  For example, the cards will be stacked K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A with no mixed suits. 

Sounds easy. 

But…

Beginners often find themselves blocked. 

Let's take a closer look. 

The Classic Solitaire game space consists of these elements: 

The Table

The Table is formed by seven piles of cards. The piles are built from left to right. 

After the desk has been shuffled, a card is placed face up on the first pile. Next, a card is placed face down on the second pile.  They are then placed face down on each subsequent pile. 

On the next deal,  one card is placed face up on the second pile, followed by five cards face down on the next five piles.

And so on. 

The deal continues until each pile has a single card placed face up.

The object of the game is place all cards, in order, onto the Ace foundations. 

The Foundations

The Foundations are four piles. Each Foundation starts with an Ace, and builds towards a King. In Classic Solitaire, the foundations begin empty.

Arrange these Foundations stacks above the Table stacks. 

Each Foundation will consist of one suit. One foundation for hearts, one for diamonds, one for spades and one for clubs. 

Once a sequence of a suit is complete, it is removed from play. 

The Draw Pile

The draw pile is the pile of remaining cards after all cards are dealt onto the Table. These cards can be drawn and brought into play. 

The Waste Pile

These cards will be laid face up, below the table. This is also known as The Talon.

How To Move Cards

Once the board is set, the aim of the game is to move cards from the Table to the Foundations. 

As you can only begin a Foundation with an Ace, if an Ace is available on the beginning board, they can be moved onto the Foundations.

To move cards, you move lower ranked cards to higher ranked cards but only if the cards are of a different colour. For example, if there is a six of clubs and a five of clubs on different piles on the Table, you cannot move the five card to the six pile because they are the same colour. You can move a five of hearts onto a six of clubs, however. 

Another example of play is if a three of hearts becomes available and a two of hearts is showing on a Foundation pile, you can move the card from the Table to the Foundation stack. 

You're now one step closer to winning the game. 

Drawing Cards

The last way a card can be moved is by using the Draw pile. The top card of the draw pile is unturned over. If the card cannot be played, then it remains in the discard pile. Only the top card of the discard pile can be played. If it can be played, then it is moved onto either a Table or Foundation pile. 

Winning

The goal of Classic Solitaire is to transfer all cards from the Table to the Foundation. The game will end if no moves are possible, or if all cards are cleared.

When one of the seven piles is gone, because all cards have been moved up onto a Foundation, only a King can be moved into the open space. 

The top card of a Foundation pile can be moved back onto a Table space or pile, if necessary. 

If there are no more moves that can be made, then the game is lost. 

Summary 

The rules of Classic Solitaire are:

Here's an example of a Classic Solitaire game being played: 

Scoring 

Time. 

The faster you complete the game, the better your “score”. This isn't important for the single player game as your aim is simply to clear the Table, however if you're playing against others in an online tournament, the fastest time is how the winner is decided. 

Single player computer solitaire games often use a point system like this:

Scoring Variations

There can be variations to the above point system with different values and other minor nuances. For example, laying a card from the waste pile to the foundation can be worth 10 points, but first laying it to the tableau then over to the foundation can be worth 15. Some games count the initial aces laid to the foundations as 15 points automatically and do not reward the extra 5 points for laying them on a 2.

Classic Solitaire Strategy

Deal with your face down cards first. Face down cards limit your options. If you have the option of freeing a face down card or playing a card from the Draw pile, play the card on the Table first. 

Give yourself options. Always turn over a card from the Draw pile before making a move. The more options you have, the better. 

If an Ace comes up, always move it to a Foundation if possible. This will reveal more cards than if you were to leave it in place in the Table. 

If you don't have a King, do not empty a pile. You won't be able to create a new one unless you have a King. 

Alternate red and black to give yourself more options. For example, if you already have a red King on the Table and have the option of placing the second red King or a black King, go for the black King. 

Aim to maintain suits. If you mix them up, you will limit your possibilities. 

Winning Your Hand

Most, but not all, games of Classic Solitaire are winnable. It is estimated that 79% of all possible games are winnable. If a game looks lost, don't beat yourself up! Accept the loss and start again.

Classic Solitaire FAQ

What is the goal of the game? 

The goal is to move a shuffled deck of cards into four Foundation stacks in ascending order from Ace to King. If you can do this, you win the game. If you're blocked from making a move, you lose. 

What happens if you get stuck? 

You lose the game. Always try to keep your as many options open as you can. Maintaining options is the key to winning Solitaire. 

What is the probability of winning?

Thoughtful Solitaire is a version of the game where players play with all cards face up, knowing where every card is at in advance and can play all cards optimally. In draw three mode the probability of winning Thoughtful Solitaire is 81.956%. That number represents a hard upper boundary on winning in Solitaire.

While a player does not know where all cards are in advance, one can sort of emulate that to a high degree through extensive use of the undo button as needed.

Hoye's Rules of Games suggests without using any undo moves players should be able to win roughly 1 in 30 turn 3 games.

How many cards are used? 

Classic Solitaire uses a standard 52 deck of playing cards. Many other Solitaire games use 2 or more decks.

What is the difference between turn 1 and turn 3?

Turn 3 is broadly considered the default version of Classic Solitaire. It has 3 cards at a time laid down from the reserve onto the waste pile. This means only 1 in 3 cards is playable off the start on each turn through the reserve. In turn 1 every single card can be laid, making it easier to beat the game.

Are Aces high or low? 

The Ace is low in Classic Solitaire. The King is high. 

What are alternative names for Solitaire?

There are hundreds of different names and versions of Solitaire. 

Some variations are regional. In the US what is called Classic Solitaire is called Patience in the UK. Other variations are more than name, with significant differences in the game based on the number of decks used, how the cards are dealt, how cards can be organized on the tableau, how the reserves are used, and how foundations are built.

Whate are the most popular versions of solitaire?

The most popular solitaire games are the core 5 games (plus golf as #6):

Are You a Solitaire Legend?

The above games (and the game on this page) allow you to save your score data in your local web browser, however they do not allow you to see how you compare against other players. Most of the other games on our site do allow you to submit your high score to a high score list to see how you compare against millions of other players around the world.

Here is a full listing of other versions we offer:

As extensive as our collection is, we are still expanding it. Other names and versions include: Patience, Success, Kabal, Kabala, Accordion, Bristol, Deuces, Fourteen Out, Gate, Joker Solitaire, Loser Solitaire, Octave, The Herring-Bone & Three Blind Mice.

New versions of the game are created every year with there being thousands of variations on the core half dozen game types.

While solitaire is primarily known as a card game, the use of the word has expanded to mean single player games. There are versions of games using tiles (mahjong) or pegs (resta um).

Do you offer any other fun online games?

Yes. We offer a collection of card games, mahjong tile games, hidden object games, and a bunch of other fun online games you can play directly in your web browser.

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