Solitaire, also known as Patience, is a family of card games played by one player. There are dozens of different variations of Solitaire, each with its own set of rules and gameplay. Here are some introductions to a few popular Solitaire games:
- Klondike Solitaire: Klondike Solitaire is perhaps the most well-known and widely played version of Solitaire. It is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and the goal is to move all the cards to the four foundations in ascending order by suit.
- Spider Solitaire: Spider Solitaire is a challenging version of Solitaire that is played with two decks of cards. The goal is to create eight stacks of cards in descending order by suit. However, cards can only be moved if they are in a sequence of the same suit.
- Pyramid Solitaire: Pyramid Solitaire is played with a unique pyramid-shaped tableau of cards. The goal is to remove all the cards from the pyramid by creating pairs of cards that add up to 13. The game can be won by removing all the cards from the pyramid, or it can end in a stalemate if there are no more moves to be made.
- FreeCell Solitaire: FreeCell Solitaire is a challenging game that is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The goal is to move all the cards to the four foundations in ascending order by suit. The catch is that each card is dealt face up, and players can only move one card at a time.
- Yukon Solitaire: Yukon Solitaire is similar to Klondike Solitaire, but with a few key differences. The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards, and the cards are dealt into seven columns instead of the traditional Klondike layout. The goal is to move all the cards to the four foundations in ascending order by suit.
These are just a few examples of the many variations of Solitaire that exist. Each game has its own unique set of rules and challenges, making Solitaire a fun and engaging way to pass the time and improve your card-playing skills.
5 most popular Solitaire games
Below are the rules of Solitaire games.
Klondike Solitaire
Klondike Solitaire is a popular version of Solitaire played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The goal of the game is to move all the cards to the four foundations in ascending order by suit. If you want to know more about this game, click over to Klondike Solitaire learn and play! Here are the basic rules of Klondike Solitaire:
- Setup: To set up the game, shuffle the deck and deal seven tableau piles of cards, with the first pile containing one card, the second pile containing two cards, the third pile containing three cards, and so on. The last pile should contain seven cards. Place the remaining cards face-down in a draw pile.
- Foundations: The four foundations are located in the upper right corner of the playing area. These are where you will move the cards to in ascending order by suit, starting with the Ace and ending with the King.
- Tableau: The seven tableau piles are located in the playing area. Cards in the tableau piles must be arranged in descending order and alternating colors (e.g. red/black, red/black). The bottom card of each pile is face down, and the rest are face up.
- Stock pile: The draw pile is located in the upper left corner of the playing area. Draw one card at a time from the stock pile to the waste pile.
- Waste pile: The waste pile is located next to the stock pile. Cards from the stock pile are placed face-up in the waste pile. You can play any card from the waste pile or the tableau piles, as long as it follows the descending order and alternating color rule.
- Moving cards: You can move a card from the waste pile or a tableau pile to a foundation pile if it follows the ascending order and is the same suit as the top card of the foundation pile. You can also move a card from one tableau pile to another if it follows the descending order and alternating color rule.
- Empty tableau pile: You can move any King to an empty tableau pile. Only a King can occupy an empty tableau pile.
- Winning the game: The game is won when all cards have been moved to the four foundation piles in ascending order by suit.

Spider Solitaire
Spider Solitaire is a popular version of Solitaire that is played with two decks of cards. The goal of the game is to create eight stacks of cards in descending order by suit. You can also play Spider Solitaire 2 suits and Spider Solitaire 4 suits. Here are the basic rules of Spider Solitaire:
- Setup: To set up the game, shuffle two standard decks of cards and deal ten tableau piles of cards, with the first four piles containing six cards each, and the remaining six piles containing five cards each. Place the remaining cards face-down in a draw pile.
- Foundations: The eight foundations are located in the upper right corner of the playing area. These are where you will move the cards to in descending order by suit, starting with the King and ending with the Ace.
- Tableau: The ten tableau piles are located in the playing area. The top card of each pile is face-up, and the rest are face-down. Cards in the tableau piles must be arranged in descending order by suit (e.g. King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace).
- Stock pile: The draw pile is located in the upper left corner of the playing area. Draw one card at a time from the stock pile to the waste pile.
- Waste pile: The waste pile is located next to the stock pile. Cards from the stock pile are placed face-up in the waste pile. You can play any card from the waste pile or the tableau piles, as long as it follows the descending order by suit rule.
- Moving cards: You can move a group of cards from one tableau pile to another if the bottom card of the group is one rank lower and of a different color than the top card of the destination tableau pile. For example, you can move a group of cards containing a red Queen, black Jack, and red 10 to a tableau pile containing a black King. You can also move any single card to an empty tableau pile.
- Winning the game: The game is won when all cards have been moved to the eight foundation piles in descending order by suit.

Pyramid Solitaire
Pyramid Solitaire is a popular version of Solitaire that is played with a single deck of cards. The goal of the game is to clear the pyramid of cards by pairing them up to a total of 13 points. Here are the basic rules of Pyramid Solitaire:
- Setup: To set up the game, shuffle a standard deck of cards and deal 28 cards face-up in the shape of a pyramid. The first row has one card, the second row has two cards, and so on until the seventh row has seven cards. The remaining cards are placed in a draw pile.
- Pairing cards: To pair up cards, you can only select two cards that add up to 13 points. For example, you can pair an Ace (which is worth one point) with a Queen (which is worth 12 points). You can pair cards that are both in the pyramid or one card from the pyramid and one card from the draw pile or waste pile.
- Kings: Kings are worth 13 points and can be removed from the pyramid without pairing them up with another card.
- Drawing cards: If there are no more possible pairs to make, draw a card from the draw pile. You can only go through the draw pile once.
- Winning the game: The game is won when all cards from the pyramid have been removed or paired up, and only the four Kings remain.

FreeCell Solitaire
FreeCell Solitaire is a popular version of Solitaire that is played with a single deck of cards. The goal of the game is to move all the cards to the four foundation piles in ascending order by suit, starting with the Ace and ending with the King. Learn more about the game on our website by clicking on the link FreeCell Solitaire. Here are the basic rules of FreeCell Solitaire:
- Setup: To set up the game, shuffle a standard deck of cards and deal them into eight tableau piles with four cards in each pile. Then, deal four cards to the four FreeCell spaces.
- Foundations: The four foundation piles are located in the upper right corner of the playing area. These are where you will move the cards to in ascending order by suit, starting with the Ace and ending with the King.
- Tableau: The eight tableau piles are located in the playing area. The top card of each pile is face-up, and the rest are face-down. You can move a card from one tableau pile to another tableau pile, but it must be in descending order and with alternating colors. For example, you can move a black six onto a red seven, and then a red eight onto a black nine. An entire tableau pile can be moved as long as there are enough empty FreeCell spaces to make the move.
- FreeCell spaces: The four FreeCell spaces are located in the upper left corner of the playing area. These spaces can hold one card each and are used to temporarily store cards.
- Moving cards: You can move a card from a tableau pile to a FreeCell space, or from a FreeCell space to a tableau pile or foundation pile. You can also move a group of cards from one tableau pile to another if the bottom card of the group is in descending order and with alternating colors. For example, you can move a black six, five, and four onto a red seven.
- Winning the game: The game is won when all cards have been moved to the four foundation piles in ascending order by suit.

Yukon Solitaire
Yukon Solitaire is a popular version of Solitaire that is played with a single deck of cards. The goal of the game is to move all the cards to the foundation piles in ascending order by suit, starting with the Ace and ending with the King. Here are the basic rules of Yukon Solitaire:
- Setup: To set up the game, shuffle a standard deck of cards and deal out seven tableau piles with the first pile having one card, the second pile having two cards, and so on until the seventh pile has seven cards. The remaining cards are placed in the draw pile.
- Foundations: The four foundation piles are located at the top of the playing area. These are where you will move the cards to in ascending order by suit, starting with the Ace and ending with the King.
- Tableau: The seven tableau piles are located in the playing area. The top card of each pile is face-up, and the rest are face-down. You can move a card from one tableau pile to another tableau pile, but it must be in descending order and with alternating colors. For example, you can move a black six onto a red seven, and then a red eight onto a black nine.
- Draw pile: You can draw one card at a time from the draw pile and use it to move cards around the tableau or to the foundation piles.
- Moving cards: You can move a group of cards from one tableau pile to another if the bottom card of the group is in descending order and with alternating colors. For example, you can move a black six, five, and four onto a red seven. You can also move a card or group of cards to the foundation piles if it is in ascending order and of the same suit.
- Winning the game: The game is won when all cards have been moved to the foundation piles in ascending order by suit.

Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many different solitaire games to choose from, each with their own set of rules and unique gameplay. Klondike Solitaire is perhaps the most well-known and popular version of solitaire, while Spider Solitaire is a more challenging variation that requires a bit more strategy. Pyramid Solitaire is a fun and fast-paced game that is easy to learn, while FreeCell Solitaire requires a bit more skill and patience to master. Yukon Solitaire is another enjoyable variation that requires careful planning and strategy to win.
No matter which solitaire game you choose to play, they all offer a fun and engaging way to pass the time and exercise your mind. Solitaire is a classic card game that has been enjoyed for generations, and with the rise of digital versions, it has never been easier to play and enjoy these games from the comfort of your own home. So why not give one of these games a try and see how well you can do?