Solitaire for Beginners: Learn the Basics in 5 Minutes

Solitaire is one of the easiest card games to start playing and one of the harder ones to play well. This guide covers what you need to get through your first game of Klondike — the classic version that most people picture when they hear "solitaire" — and points you toward the next games to try once you have the basics.

Why start with Klondike

There are dozens of solitaire variants, but Klondike is the right place to start. It is the game that shipped with every version of Windows from 1990 onward. When someone says "solitaire" without specifying a variant, they almost always mean Klondike. Its rules are stable, widely documented, and produce a satisfying game that takes 5 to 20 minutes depending on the deal.

Every other solitaire variant you encounter will be described relative to Klondike. "Like Klondike but with two decks." "Like Klondike but you can see all the cards." Learning Klondike first gives you a reference point for understanding every other variant faster.

The four areas of the board

Before playing the first card, understand where things go.

The tableau

The tableau is the main playing area: seven columns of cards in the middle of the screen. At the start, the columns have 1 through 7 cards respectively, with only the top card of each column face-up. The face-down cards are hidden until exposed. Most of your moves happen on the tableau.

The foundations

Four piles in the upper right (or upper left, depending on the implementation). Each foundation is for one suit. Foundations build from Ace up to King: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King. The goal of the entire game is to get all 52 cards onto these four foundation piles. When all four foundations are complete, you win.

The stock

The face-down pile in the upper left. These are the cards that were not dealt to the tableau. You flip cards from the stock during play to get more cards into play. In the easier version (Turn 1), you flip one card at a time. In the harder version (Turn 3), you flip three cards at a time and only the top one is available.

The waste pile

The face-up pile next to the stock. When you flip cards from the stock, they land face-up on the waste pile. Only the top card of the waste pile is available to play at any time. When the stock runs out, you can flip the waste pile over to create a new stock and go through it again.

How moves work

Cards on the tableau build in two rules at once: alternating colors and descending rank. A black 7 goes on a red 8. A red 6 goes on that black 7. You can move the entire built sequence as a group if you want to place it somewhere else.

Face-down cards flip face-up automatically when the card on top of them is moved away.

When a tableau column is completely empty, only a King (or a King with cards on top of it) can fill the empty space.

First 5 moves every beginner should know

1. 1

   Send every Ace to the foundation immediately

   Aces never do anything useful on the tableau. The moment an Ace is exposed, move it to the foundation. There is never a reason to keep an Ace on the tableau.
2. 2

   Prefer moves that flip face-down cards

   Every face-down card is unknown. Flipping a face-down card gives you new information and new options. When you have a choice between moving a card that flips something new versus moving a card that just rearranges known cards, choose the flip.
3. 3

   Build from the longer columns first

   The column with 7 cards has the most face-down cards buried beneath it. The sooner you clear through it, the more of the deck becomes visible. Work on longer columns before shorter ones.
4. 4

   Do not move 2s to the foundation until you have a reason to

   A 2 on the foundation means the Ace below it is locked away. In early game, a 2 on the tableau can still be useful as a landing card for a black Ace or as part of a sequence. Wait until the tableau is more open before sending 2s up.
5. 5

   Think before placing a King in an empty column

   Empty columns are rare and valuable. Before filling one with a King, ask whether you have a clear plan. A King with a long sequence building below it is a good use of the space. A lone King placed there just because it fits is often not.

Progression ladder: what to play after Klondike

Once Klondike feels comfortable, try these variants in order:

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest solitaire game for beginners?

Klondike on Turn 1 (one card at a time from the stock) is the standard starting point. If you want something even simpler, Golf Solitaire or TriPeaks have fewer rules and faster games while still teaching card-matching logic.

How do I win Klondike Solitaire?

Move all 52 cards to the four foundation piles, one for each suit, built from Ace up to King. You win the moment the last card hits a foundation.

What does "face-down" mean in solitaire?

A face-down card is turned away from you, showing only its back. You do not know what card it is until it is exposed by removing all face-up cards above it. Once exposed, the top face-down card flips face-up and becomes available to play.

Can I always win Klondike Solitaire?

No. Roughly 30 to 50% of Klondike deals are unwinnable regardless of how well you play. On the winnable deals, skilled play wins most of them. On the unwinnable ones, no sequence of moves leads to a complete win.

What does it mean to "flip" from the stock?

Clicking or tapping the stock pile turns over the top card (or top three cards in Turn 3 mode) onto the waste pile, making the top waste card available to play. When the stock is empty, clicking it flips the waste pile over to form a new stock.