This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see our disclosures here.
Official Patience Rules
Patience, also widely known as Solitaire in North America, is an umbrella term for a variety of single-player card games played with a standard deck of cards. There are many different Patience variations, each with its own unique layout, objective, and set of rules. Here's a breakdown of the most popular Patience variation:
Objective
Arrange all cards in the deck into four foundation piles, sorted by suit and in ascending order from Ace to King.
Setup
Shuffle the Deck:Thoroughly shuffle the deck of cards.
Deal the Cards:
Deal the cards into seven tableau columns:Column 1: 1 card
Column 2: 2 cards
Column 3: 3 cards
Column 4: 4 cards
Column 5: 5 cards
Column 6: 6 cards
Column 7: 7 cards
Place the remaining cards in a face-down stock pile.
Expose the Top Card:Turn the top card of each column face up.
Gameplay
Building the Tableau:
Move cards within the tableau by placing a card of one rank lower and the opposite color (e.g., a red 6 can be placed on a black 7).
Move groups of cards as long as they form a valid descending sequence with alternating colors.
Empty Columns:
If a tableau column is emptied, it can only be filled with a King or a sequence starting with a King.
Foundations:
Create foundation piles for each suit, starting with Aces. Cards are added to these piles in ascending order (Ace, 2, 3, ..., King).
Stock and Waste Pile:
Draw cards from the stock pile one at a time. If the drawn card can be played to the tableau or foundations, place it accordingly.
If it cannot be played immediately, place it in a face-up waste pile.
Once the stock pile is empty, turn over the waste pile to form a new stock pile (without shuffling).
Winning the Game
The game is won when all cards are moved to the foundation piles.
Notes/Strategy
Additional Rules:
Recycling the Waste Pile:
You may only go through the stock pile a limited number of times (commonly once or three times) depending on the variation you're playing.
Undoing Moves:
Depending on your preference, you can allow undoing moves to correct mistakes or make the game more forgiving.
Tips for Playing:
Expose Hidden Cards:
Prioritize moves that expose hidden cards in the tableau.
Foundation First:
Whenever possible, move cards to the foundations to free up tableau columns.
Plan Moves:
Think ahead to avoid blocking potential moves by locking valuable cards.
So shuffle up a deck, choose your Patience variation, and embark on a journey of card-sorting fun!
