Hello there! 😊 I’m a Solitaire enthusiast who has been flipping cards for over 20 years – from the days of real cards on a coffee table, through the era of Windows Solitaire in the 20s, and now into the world of modern online Solitaire. In this guide, I’ll walk you through exactly how to play classic Klondike Solitaire online. I’ll blend clear, step-by-step instructions with personal tips and a bit of storytelling from my decades of play. By the end, you’ll not only know the rules and how to move the cards, but also some veteran strategies to boost your winning chances. Let’s deal out the cards and get started!
Understanding the Solitaire Layout
Before you make your first move, it helps to know the names of the areas on the Solitaire board. The classic Klondike Solitaire layout has four main components: the tableau, the stock, the waste, and the foundations. Let’s break those down:
Tableau: This is the main play area – the seven columns of cards in the middle. At the start of a game, 28 cards are dealt into these columns: one card in the first column, two in the second, three in the third, and so on up to seven cards in the seventh column. In each column, only the top card is face-up, and all cards beneath it are face-down (hidden) until you free them. The tableau is where you’ll do most of your maneuvering, building sequences of cards to eventually reveal every hidden card.
Stock (Draw Pile): This is the pile of cards leftover after setting up the tableau. In Klondike, 28 cards go to the tableau, so the remaining 24 cards form the stock pile, which sits face-down, usually in the top left corner of the screen. You’ll draw from this pile when you run out of moves with the tableau cards.
Waste (Discard Pile): When you click to draw from the stock, a card is flipped face-up and put onto the waste pile (also called the discard pile or talon). Only the top card of the waste is available for play. Think of the waste as the holding area for cards you’ve drawn but not yet moved to the tableau or foundations. It’s basically the card you are “looking at” from the deck.
Foundations: These are the four target piles (usually on the top right) where you aim to build up all the cards to win the game. Foundations start empty. Each foundation pile is dedicated to one suit (♠️ Spades, ♥️ Hearts, ♦️ Diamonds, ♣️ Clubs) and you’ll build them in ascending order starting with Ace, then 2, 3, and so on up to King. By game’s end, you want all 52 cards moved here in four neat, sorted stacks. Initially, you might see four outline spaces or labels for each foundation.
A typical Klondike Solitaire layout with the key areas labeled: the seven tableau columns spread across the bottom, the stock and waste piles at the upper left, and the four foundation piles at the upper right. Understanding this layout is the first step toward playing like a pro.
The Goal: In case it’s not clear yet, the objective of Solitaire is to move all cards from the tableau and stock onto those four foundation piles in order from Ace through King, separated by suit. Once you manage to get every card of all four suits up to the foundations, you win! 🎉 (Don’t worry – I’ll walk you through how to actually do that. It’s challenging but incredibly satisfying, even after decades of playing.)
Now that you know the lay of the land, let’s dive into actual gameplay, step by step.
How to Play: Step-by-Step Guide
Playing Solitaire is like a solo puzzle – you uncover cards and strategically move them until you either win or get stuck. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of a typical game, with my personal advice woven in.
Step 1: Reveal Aces and Start the Foundations
First things first: scan the tableau for any Aces showing, and move them up to start your foundation piles. In the example above, an Ace of Diamonds was found in one column and moved to an empty foundation spot. Moving an Ace to the foundation clears it from the tableau, and the face-down card underneath (if any) is automatically flipped face-up, potentially giving you a new card to play.
In every game, Aces are the critical starters for your foundations – you can’t build anything without getting the Aces up. So look for any Aces that are already face-up on the tableau at the start (sometimes you’re lucky and there are one or two visible). If you spot one, immediately drag it to the foundation area (or double-click it, depending on the interface, and it will auto-move). Each Ace creates a new foundation pile labeled with its suit. As a 20-year player, I still find it satisfying to move an Ace to an empty foundation – it’s like unlocking a new goal pile and feels like progress! If no Aces are showing, don’t worry – we’ll try to uncover them in the next steps.
Veteran insight: Always move Aces to the foundation as soon as possible when they become available. It frees up space in the tableau and you know they belong there. Similarly, if a Two of a suit becomes available and its Ace is already in the foundation, you should move that 2 up as well, since 2s are the next in sequence and don’t help you in the tableau much. (We’ll talk more about such strategy tips later, but keep this in mind: low cards like Aces and 2s generally can go straight to the foundations when you find them.)
Step 2: Uncover Hidden Cards by Building on the Tableau
Next, focus on the tableau. Begin moving cards on the tableau columns to uncover those face-down cards. You can place a card on another column’s card if it is one rank lower and of the opposite color (red on black, or black on red). For example, in the image, a black 2 (♣️ Two of Clubs) can be moved onto a red 3 (♥️ Three of Hearts). This frees up the card beneath the 2 (turning it face-up), which could be another useful card. Keep stacking cards in alternating colors, in descending order (King → Queen → Jack … down to Ace) to gradually reveal all the face-down cards in the tableau.
After dealing with any Aces, your main task is to free up hidden cards in the tableau. Look at each column and see what face-up cards can be moved. According to Klondike rules, you can only place a card onto a card that is one rank higher and opposite color. So you form descending sequences with alternating colors. For instance, if you have a red 9 showing, you can move any black 8 onto it (♠️8 of Spades or ♣️8 of Clubs onto ♥️9 or ♦️9). Likewise, a red Jack can accept any black 10 beneath it, and so on.
The goal of making these moves is to expose the face-down cards hiding in the tableau columns. Whenever you move the top face-up card away from a pile, the card directly underneath flips face-up (the game does this automatically for you). Each newly revealed card might open up new moves – perhaps it’s an Ace you can send to foundation, or a card that can be moved onto another pile.
Always prioritize moves that reveal a face-down card. As an experienced player, I can’t stress this enough: it’s usually better to move a card that frees a hidden card, rather than a move that doesn’t reveal anything new. For example, say you have a choice between moving a red 5 onto a black 6 in one column (which uncovers a face-down card), or moving a different red 5 onto a black 6 that’s currently in the waste pile. Choose the move that uncovers a card in the tableau – new cards give you more options and bring you closer to winning.
Moving entire sequences: You’re not limited to moving single cards. If you have an existing run of face-up cards in a tableau column, you can pick up and move the whole sequence as a unit, provided it’s in proper descending order and alternating colors. For example, imagine a column that has ♥️10, ♣️9, ♥️8 face-up in sequence (10 on top of 9 on top of 8). If there’s an empty spot or another column with a ♣️J (black Jack) face-up, you can drag the whole group (10-9-8) and move it onto that ♣️J in one go. All those cards will move together, maintaining their order. This is a powerful maneuver for reorganizing the tableau quickly. (If you ever played Solitaire with real cards, you know how tedious moving multiple cards one-by-one can be – online, thankfully, the game will move stacked sequences for you when legal.)
By systematically building sequences and moving cards around, you’ll start turning over all those face-down cards. It’s like digging for hidden treasure – every card you flip might be an Ace, a useful low card, or at least one step closer to exposing an Ace. Take your time and plan your moves; Solitaire is often about thinking ahead a bit and choosing the move that opens the most possibilities.
Step 3: Draw From the Stock When You Get Stuck
If you run out of moves to make on the tableau, it’s time to use the stock pile. Click the stock to flip one card face-up onto the waste pile. In the example above, a card (the ♦️8 of Diamonds) was drawn from the stock and placed on the waste. That card was then playable onto a tableau column (it fits nicely on a ♣️9 in one of the columns). After playing the ♦️8, the space it left on the waste is now filled by the next card underneath (if any). Always flip through the stock pile when you can’t make any immediate moves on the tableau – it gives you new cards to work with.
Even the best players reach a point where no moves are available on the tableau. When that happens, turn to the stock pile:
- Flip one card (in 1-card draw mode) or three cards (in 3-card draw mode) from the stock onto the waste pile by clicking the stock. The top card of the waste is now in play.
- Check if that waste card can be placed somewhere. Can it go onto one of the tableau piles? Or even directly to a foundation? If yes, go ahead and drag it there. For example, if you flip over an ♠️Ace of Spades from the stock, lucky you – move it straight to foundation! Or if you draw a ♦️8 and you have a ♣️9 showing in the tableau, you can move that 8 onto the 9.
- If the card from the stock can’t be used immediately, don’t fret. It will sit in the waste. You might flip another card (in 1-card mode, that means the previous waste card gets covered by the new one; in 3-card mode, you’ll see up to three waste cards but can only play the topmost).
Continue flipping through the stock one card at a time until you find something you can play. In a 3-card draw game, you’ll flip three at a time and try to use the top one; if you can use it and remove it, the next card becomes accessible. If you reach the end of the stock pile and still have cards in the waste that you haven’t played, many games allow you to recycle the waste back into the stock by clicking on an empty stock spot (in online versions, this often happens automatically when you click where the stock was). This lets you go through the deck again to find missed opportunities. (Keep in mind, some versions put a limit on how many times you can cycle through the deck, especially in scoring mode or timed games – but most free-play online solitaires let you reuse the stock endlessly, which is great for practice.)
Note: Each time you draw from the stock, try to use that card if possible before drawing again. A common mistake for newbies is to flip through the entire stock rapidly. Take it slow – after each flip, scan the tableau and foundations to see if that new card enabled any move. With experience, you’ll also learn to anticipate upcoming stock cards (especially in 3-card draw) to plan your moves. Personally, I like to imagine the stock as a reserve – drawing from it is like “asking for help” when I’ve exhausted what’s visible. Use it wisely and it will often provide just the card you need.
Step 4: Use Empty Spaces for Kings
As you play, you may clear a whole tableau column (by moving all its cards elsewhere). When a column is empty, only a King can be placed in that space. In the image above, moving the last card from a pile left an empty spot, which we promptly filled with a King (in this case, the ♥️King of Hearts was moved over). Kings are the highest rank, so they can start a new sequence on a blank tableau column. This move is crucial for opening up your tableau and making use of all columns.
Creating an empty column in the tableau is a big opportunity. According to the rules, an empty tableau pile can be filled only by a King (or a sequence of cards starting with a King). Here’s how to make the most of this:
Move a King into an empty column whenever possible. If you have a King face-up in the tableau or sitting in the waste, and a column becomes empty, move that King into the slot. This becomes the start of a new descending sequence. For example, let’s say you cleared a column and you have a ♣️King of Clubs available. Drag the King to the empty space; now you essentially have a new tableau pile where you can build a sequence under that King (Queen beneath it, Jack under the Queen, etc., alternating colors as always).
Why only Kings? In Klondike Solitaire, Kings are the highest card, so they can’t be placed on anything else except an empty space. It makes sense: nothing can go on top of a King in descending sequence, so the only way to play a King that’s not already in play is to put it in a blank column. In practice, opening a space and filling it with a King is often a turning point in the game. It allows you to relocate a whole sequence of cards under that King (remember, you can move grouped sequences as discussed). For instance, maybe you have a Queen and some cards on it in one column, and a King becomes available – you can move that whole Queen sequence onto the King once the King is in a new column. This frees up the original column’s hidden cards sooner.
Sometimes, you might have multiple Kings available and an empty column – which King should you choose to move? Generally, move whichever King will free up or allow access to more cards. For example, if one King is covering a face-down card and another is in the waste, play the King from the tableau first so you can flip a new card. There is some strategy involved in deciding which King to place if you have options (more on strategy soon). But as a rule of thumb, getting a King into an empty spot sooner rather than later is usually beneficial, because it expands your tableau’s capacity and gives you a new avenue to maneuver cards.
Step 5: Build Up the Foundations to Win
At every step of the game, keep your eyes on those foundation piles – that’s where every card ultimately needs to go. As you uncover cards or draw them from the stock, move cards to the foundations whenever you can follow the ascending sequence in suit. You started by moving Aces in Step 1. After that, if you uncover a Two and the Ace of that suit is already in foundation, move the Two up. Then any available Three can go on the Two, and so forth. For example, if ♦️Ace of Diamonds is in foundation and later you free the ♦️2 of Diamonds, send it up on the Ace, then ♦️3 on ♦️2, etc., continuing that suit in order.
Here are a few pointers about foundation building as you play toward the win:
Keep foundations growing: It’s often safe and good to move cards to the foundation as soon as they fit. If you have a choice of moves, though, remember that moving a card to foundation is usually permanent (most games won’t let you pull it back down). So make sure that card isn’t needed to maneuver something in the tableau. For instance, imagine you have a ♥️7 of Hearts that could go to the foundation (hearts foundation is up to 6 so far). But that ♥️7 could also be placed on a ♣️8 in the tableau to reveal a face-down card beneath it. In that case, it might be wise to hold off moving the 7 to foundation until you use it to uncover the hidden card. The general beginner strategy is: play cards to the foundation whenever possible, especially low cards (Aces, 2s, 3s) that aren’t useful in sequencing. However, don’t rush to clear out every card to the foundation if it can serve an immediate purpose in the tableau. (I’ll talk more about this in the strategy section – it’s a subtle point that becomes important in tough deals.)
When the game is nearly won: In the late stages, it becomes obvious – you might have just a few cards left face-down or in the stock. At this point, you’re mostly just moving cards onto foundations as they appear. If you’ve followed the rules and made smart moves, eventually you’ll reach a cascade where every remaining card can be placed on its foundation pile in order. There’s a wonderful feeling of satisfaction as you place the last King on the last foundation. Most online games will celebrate with a victory message or even fun animations (like the classic bouncing cards in old Windows Solitaire).
Victory condition: The game is won when all 52 cards are on the foundations, sorted into four piles by suit from Ace through King. Sometimes the game will auto-finish the last few moves for you once it’s inevitable (some have an “auto-finish” feature that, once all cards are visible and just need to go up to foundations, a single click will move them all). If you’ve never seen a completed Solitaire layout, it’s quite neat – each foundation has a full stack of thirteen cards (Ace to King). Take a moment to savor the win, and maybe do a little victory dance – I’ve been known to pump my fist in the air when a tough game finally comes out!
Strategies and Tips from a Seasoned Solitaire Player
Winning Solitaire isn’t just about following the basic rules – it’s about making the right choices when there are several possible moves. Over 20 years, I’ve picked up a lot of tips (often the hard way!) that can help improve your success rate. Here are some strategic pointers and personal advice to boost your Solitaire game:
Prioritize revealing hidden cards: “Focus on flipping those face-down cards.” The more cards you flip face-up, the more moves become available – simple as that. So if you have a choice, make the move that uncovers a hidden card in the tableau before a move that doesn’t. For example, say you can either play a card from the waste onto the tableau, or play a tableau card onto another column which will flip a card – do the latter first. Each newly revealed card could be an Ace or another key card that opens up future moves.
Flip through the stock sooner rather than later: Don’t be afraid to draw from the stock pile to see new cards, especially at the start of a game. In fact, many experts suggest flipping the first stock card immediately, before making any moves, just to have more information about what’s available. While you don’t want to recklessly cycle through the deck, flipping one or two cards early on can give you ideas for moves. Just remember to use what you flip if you can; otherwise those cards will be waiting in the waste for when you do clear a spot for them.
Start your foundations early (Aces and 2s): We covered this in the how-to, but it’s worth repeating as a tip: get those Aces up as soon as possible, and follow them with 2s when available. This clears low cards out of your way (freeing spaces in the tableau) and starts building toward the goal. It’s almost never a bad idea to move an Ace or Two to the foundation immediately. In my experience, a quick start on foundation piles sets a positive tempo for the game.
Don’t rush to move every card to the foundation: This sounds counter-intuitive, but one advanced strategy is to hold off moving cards to the foundation if they are still useful in the tableau. For example, you have a ♦️6 of Diamonds face-up in the tableau and the foundations have ♥️6 and ♣️6 already, with ♦️5 in place; you could move that ♦️6 up. But check first: could that ♦️6 be used to place a ♣️5 or ♥️5 underneath in the tableau? If moving it up would leave a gap that slows down your ability to uncover cards, better to leave it until you’ve moved other cards. In short, never automatically move a card to foundation without considering the consequences. I’ve lost games by being over-eager to clear cards away, only to realize I needed, say, that 7 of Clubs back on the tableau to free a hidden card underneath a red 6. A good rule: move cards to foundation when it helps you or when you’re certain you don’t need them for tableau maneuvering.
Keep the foundation piles “balanced”: This is a related expert tip I’ve learned. Try to advance all the foundation piles somewhat evenly. If one suit is piled up to the Queen while another suit’s Ace is still buried in the stock, you might find yourself stuck. Sometimes you might avoid moving a card to foundation because it would prevent you from moving a lower card of another suit. For instance, if you’ve built Spades up to Jack and Hearts only up to 4, and a black 10 is sitting on a red Jack in the tableau, you might hold off moving that red Jack to foundation until you uncover the 10. Balance prevents high cards from trapping lower ones.
Clear out columns to open spaces (for Kings): Whenever possible, try to empty a tableau column entirely, especially one of the leftmost columns (which started with fewer cards). An empty column is your ticket to moving a King out of the way and creating a new pile. As noted, you can only place Kings in an empty column, so creating those vacancies is crucial. Early in the game, if you see a chance to clear a whole pile (maybe you can move each card onto other piles systematically), go for it – but only if you actually have a King ready to drop in. An empty space with no King to fill it is wasted potential until a King shows up. I often prioritize moves on the shorter columns first; freeing one up can give a home to a King that’s maybe stuck in the back of the stock or lurking in the tableau.
Use the Undo button to explore alternatives: One wonderful thing about digital Solitaire is that you can undo moves (in most versions) without penalty. If you’re not sure whether a certain move is wise, try it out, then undo it if it leads to a dead end. In fact, you can even use undo as a way to “peek” under cards. For example, suppose you have two different black 9s that could both be moved onto a red 10. Move one of them and see what the face-down card beneath it is – if it’s not immediately helpful, hit Undo and then move the other black 9 instead. This way, you gain knowledge of what’s under each without committing to a move. In a physical game you can’t do that (it’d be cheating!), but online, I consider it a learning tool. Similarly, if you made a move and then realize it’s causing trouble, don’t be too proud to undo it and try a different sequence of moves. Some of my most satisfying wins happened because I backtracked and tried a creative alternative.
Think ahead and plan sequences: This comes with practice, but always survey your tableau and even the waste before committing to a move. If you see, for example, that moving a certain card will expose a useful one, work toward that. Conversely, if moving a card might block another important move, maybe delay it. Solitaire is partly a game of planning, not just reacting. I often pause after the initial flurry of moves and think, “If I do this, what will happen? Do I have a red six for that black seven?” and so on. This kind of forward-thinking separates casual luck-based play from more skillful play.
Stay patient and don’t lose hope: They don’t call it “Patience” (the British name for Solitaire) for nothing. Some games will seem hopeless, only for one stock flip or one clever move to break it open. I’ve had games where I felt completely stuck, then found a move I overlooked and eventually won. And if it truly is stuck, that’s okay – not every deal is winnable (in fact, about 10-20% of well-shuffled Solitaire games cannot be won no matter what). So if you’ve exhausted every option, don’t beat yourself up. Shuffle up and deal a new game, and try again with a fresh layout. The important thing is to enjoy the process. Every loss teaches you a little more about the game.
Make it enjoyable: Lastly, remember that Solitaire is meant to be fun and relaxing. Customize the card backs or background if the site allows, turn on some music if you like, and play at your own pace. When I play online, I sometimes imagine I’m back at my old kitchen table, laying out cards on a lazy Sunday afternoon – it brings a bit of nostalgia and personal joy to the experience. Enjoy the quiet satisfaction of each small victory (like flipping that stubborn face-down card or finally freeing up that King). Each move is a step toward victory, and even if you don’t win every time, you’ll find yourself getting better and faster with practice.
Final Thoughts
Classic Solitaire is a game that has stood the test of time – simple to learn, but continually interesting even after decades. Playing it online gives you the convenience of instant deals, unlimited Undos, and fun visuals, but the core game is the same one I fell in love with 20 years ago. I hope this guide has made you feel comfortable accessing an online Solitaire game and confident in playing it on your own.
Now it’s your turn to put the cards in play. 😊 Go ahead and start a game on solitaire.io or your chosen site, follow the steps, and enjoy the process. With a bit of practice, you’ll develop an intuitive feel for the game. And who knows – maybe in a few years you’ll be the passionate expert sharing tips with new players!
Good luck, have fun, and happy card stacking! 👍
