How to Win at Solitaire (Klondike): Strategy and Tips

A game starts with 28 cards in seven columns, called the tableau. The first column has one card, the second has two, and so on up to seven. Only the bottom card of each column is face up. The other 24 cards form the stock.

• In the tableau, build down in alternating colors: a red 6 goes on a black 7. You can move a whole face-up run at once, as long as it is in order.
• When you move the last face-up card off a column, turn over the card beneath it.
• Only a king, or a run that starts with a king, can fill an empty column.
• Build the four foundations up by suit, from ace to king. Fill all four and you win.
• Tap the stock to turn cards onto the waste pile. The top waste card can be played. When the stock runs out, turn the waste back over and go again.

Draw 1 or draw 3?

Our game offers both. In draw 1 you turn one card at a time, so every stock card is reachable on every pass. In draw 3 you turn three at a time and can only play the top one, which hides two out of three cards on each pass. Draw 3 takes more planning and is lost far more often. Start with draw 1 while you learn the habits below.

1. Always play aces and twos

Aces and twos do almost nothing in the tableau, since only an ace can sit on a two. Send them to the foundations as soon as you see them.

2. Free the columns with the most face-down cards

The face-down cards are the real puzzle. The longest columns hold the most of them, and they are the hardest to dig out. When you have a choice between two moves, pick the one that uncovers a card in the bigger column.

3. Play from the tableau before the stock

Look for tableau moves first, every time. A tableau move can turn over a hidden card, while a stock card only adds to what you can see. The waste will still be there afterwards, and it may fit somewhere new.

4. Don't empty a column without a king ready

An empty column only takes a king. If no king is waiting, emptying a column gives you nothing and may cost you a spot to park cards. Clear a column when a king, ideally one with cards under it still face down, is ready to move in.

5. Keep the colors balanced

When you have a choice of king for an empty column, look at the queens. If a red queen is stuck somewhere, place a black king so the queen has a home, and the other way round. The same idea applies further down: before you commit a card, check that the cards you need next still have a spot of the right color.

6. Know when to hold back from the foundation

Moving cards to the foundations feels like progress, but a card on a foundation can no longer hold anything in the tableau. A red 5 might be the only place a black 4 can land.

A simple safe rule: a card can go to the foundation without risk when both cards of the opposite color one rank lower are already up there. A 5 of hearts is safe once both black 4s are on the foundations, because nothing will ever need to sit on it. If a card does go up too early, you can move it back down, at a small cost in points.

7. Cycle the stock with a plan in draw 3

• In draw 3 you only see every third card on a pass. Playing one card from the waste shifts the grouping, so different cards come up next time.
• On your first pass, note which useful cards are buried in the groups. Sometimes playing a single waste card early is worth it just to bring a needed card to the top later.
• If two passes in a row show the same cards and you have no new moves, the stock is frozen. Look for any waste or tableau move, even a small one, to shift it.
• Our game lets you go through the stock as many times as you like, but each pass costs points (20 in draw 3, 100 in draw 1). Make every useful tableau move before you recycle.

• Playing the first move you see. Scan all seven columns and the waste before you move. The best move is often not the obvious one.
• Draining the stock first. Clicking through the stock before looking at the tableau wastes passes and points.
• Rushing cards to the foundation. Low cards are safe to send up. Middle cards often do more good in the tableau for a while.
• Filling an empty column with the wrong king. Check which queens and jacks are waiting before you choose.

Not every deal can be won. Computer studies of a version where every card is visible suggest that most Klondike deals are winnable with perfect play, but a real game keeps most cards hidden, so players win far fewer than that. Draw 3 is much harder than draw 1.

Exact numbers vary with the rules, so treat any single figure with caution. A good rule of thumb: if you win most draw 1 games you are playing well, and a third or so of draw 3 games is a strong result. Our game has unlimited undo, which is a great way to learn: back up when a move goes wrong and try the other choice.

Once Klondike clicks, try Spider Solitaire, which uses two decks and builds runs in one suit, or FreeCell, which deals every card face up and rewards careful planning. Golf Solitaire suits a short break.