How to Play Solitaire

The deck for playing solo

Travel Deck — $14.99

World landmarks on every card. A game of Solitaire on a tray table beats another hour on your phone.

Players: 1 · Deck: standard 52 cards · Goal: move all 52 cards onto four foundation piles, Ace to King by suit.

Want to play right now? Play Solitaire online.

Setup

Deal seven piles left to right to form the tableau. The first pile gets 1 card, the second 2, up to 7 in the last pile.
Only the top card of each pile is face up.
The remaining 24 cards go face down as the stock.
Leave space above the tableau for four foundation piles.

Foundations: start each one with an Ace, then build up in the same suit: A, 2, 3 ... K.
Tableau: build down in alternating colors (a red 6 on a black 7).
You can move a single face-up card or a whole properly ordered run between tableau piles.
When you uncover a face-down card, flip it face up.
Only a King (or a run starting with a King) can fill an empty tableau pile.
Stock: flip cards onto a waste pile, either one at a time (easier) or three at a time (classic). The top waste card is playable. When the stock runs out, flip the waste pile back over and go again.

You win when all four foundations are built up to Kings. If you can't make any more moves, the game is lost. Shuffle and deal again.

Always play Aces and 2s to the foundations right away.
Prioritize moves that uncover face-down cards in the largest piles.
Don't empty a column unless you have a King ready to fill it.
Don't rush cards to the foundations if you still need them to build on the tableau.