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  2. Colorado Solitaire

Colorado Solitaire

Colorado solitaire is a different take on the classic patience card games usually called solitaire, and though it’s lesser known, this is certainly not due to being less fun or interesting. Colorado solitaire is very different from the kinds of solitaire you might be used to, but this only works in its favor. Today, we’re going to look at everything you need to know to get started playing Colorado solitaire free online, so let’s dive into it.

How to Play Colorado Solitaire 

Finding a place to play Colorado solitaire free is really easy. If you just type “Colorado solitaire” into your choice of search engine, plenty of options will pop up right away and you can get started playing Colorado solitaire without any delay! 

Colorado solitaire is played somewhat differently to classic forms of solitaire like Klondike. Twenty cards are dealt into any arrangement—you can arrange the cards however you like though it’s usually played by arranging the cards into two rows of ten. Colorado solitaire is played with two full decks. The aim of Colorado solitaire is to build up two sets of four foundations, one starting with an ace and building up and the other starting with a king and building down. 

This covers the basics of how the game of Colorado solitaire is played, so now let’s look at the specific rules and what moves you can make. 

Rules of Colorado Solitaire 

The rules of Colorado solitaire are as follows: 

  1. Cards do not have to follow suit or rank on the tableau. When you place a card from the stock pile into the tableau, it can be placed on any card. You don’t have to worry about the following color or suit sequence. At the same time, once a card is in the tableau, it can only be moved to the foundation. 
  2. Cards can only be moved out of the tableau into their foundation spot. Once you’ve played a card into any spot on the tableau, you can then only play it into its relevant foundation spot. It cannot be moved anywhere else, whether into a sequence or even into an empty tableau spot. 
  3. Only the top card of a tableau pile is available for play. No matter what, you can only ever play one card from the top of a tableau pile at once. Even if there is a sequence that can go into the tableau, it must be done card by card, rather than all at once. You can only play the top card. 
  4. When a spot on the tableau is emptied, a card from the stock pile is played to it. As soon as an empty spot is made in the tableau, the top card from the stock pile must be moved into it straight away. When the stock pile runs out, spaces are no longer filled.
  5. When the stock has run out, or the foundations are full, the game ends. If the stock pile is empty and there are cards in the tableau which now cannot be freed, the game of Colorado solitaire.

Colorado solitaire is a different take on the classic patience card games usually called solitaire, and though it’s lesser known, this is certainly not due to being less fun or interesting. Colorado solitaire is very different from the kinds of solitaire you might be used to, but this only works in its favor. Today, we’re going to look at everything you need to know to get started playing Colorado solitaire free online, so let’s dive into it.

How to Win in Colorado Solitaire 

Winning in free Colorado solitaire can be tricky and it’s easy to get yourself stuck. Here are our best tips for winning the game of Colorado solitaire: 

  1. Arrange reserve piles carefully in both up and down orders. Because you’re going to need to build both ascending and descending foundations, it’s vital that you carefully arrange cards in the tableau so that you don’t get stuck. Before you place one card on top of another, think carefully about whether you’ll be able to play the top card to the foundation before the one beneath it—otherwise it will get stuck. 
  2. Cards should usually be moved to the foundation right away. While it can sometimes be advantageous to wait to move a card to the foundation and move a different one first, in general, you are safe to move cards into the foundation right away. 
  3. Choose carefully where you place the cards in the tableau. The bulk of the Colorado solitaire game is played in the tableaus, and it’s easy to create inversions. Empty slots are very useful, so if you can properly arrange a card into another tableau slot while keeping the empty slot free, this can be a big advantage. 

Colorado solitaire is a version with a high chance of winning, around 80%, but it is perhaps the easiest form of the game to get stuck. With care and the tips we’ve armed you with here, you stand a great chance of winning at Colorado solitaire.