Last Updated on July 26, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

“Patience,” commonly known as Solitaire, is a classic single-player card game that requires strategy and careful planning. The objective is to move all cards to foundation piles in ascending order by suit, starting with Aces. Players organize cards in a tableau, alternating colors in descending order, while drawing from a stockpile for additional moves. Different variations introduce unique rules and challenges, but the goal remains the same—clear the tableau and complete the foundations. Learn the rules, strategies, and variations to master this timeless game!

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How to Play Patience

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Objective

Arrange all cards in the deck into four foundation piles, sorted by suit and in ascending order from Ace to King.

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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.

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Gameplay

1. 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.
2. Empty Columns:
   • If a tableau column is emptied, it can only be filled with a King or a sequence starting with a King.
3. Foundations:
   • Create foundation piles for each suit, starting with Aces. Cards are added to these piles in ascending order (Ace, 2, 3, …, King).
4. 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).

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Winning the Game

The game is won when all cards are moved to the foundation piles.

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Common Variations of Solitaire

1. Spider Solitaire

• Decks: 2 standard decks (104 cards)
• Goal: Build sequences in descending order from King to Ace in the same suit.
• Key Feature: Multiple difficulty levels based on number of suits used (1-suit, 2-suit, 4-suit).

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2. FreeCell

• Decks: 1 standard deck
• Goal: Move all cards to foundation piles in ascending order by suit.
• Key Feature: All cards are dealt face up; four “free cells” are used to temporarily hold cards.

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3. TriPeaks (or Tri-Towers)

• Decks: 1 standard deck
• Goal: Clear three overlapping pyramids by playing cards that are one rank higher or lower than the current card.
• Key Feature: Fast-paced and more luck-based.

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4. Pyramid Solitaire

• Decks: 1 standard deck
• Goal: Remove pairs of cards that add up to 13 (King = 13, Queen = 12, etc.).
• Key Feature: Cards are arranged in a pyramid and only exposed cards can be removed.

Notes/Strategy

Additional Rules:

1. 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.
2. Undoing Moves:
   • Depending on your preference, you can allow undoing moves to correct mistakes or make the game more forgiving.

Tips for Playing:

1. Expose Hidden Cards:
   • Prioritize moves that expose hidden cards in the tableau.
2. Foundation First:
   • Whenever possible, move cards to the foundations to free up tableau columns.
3. 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!