Solitaire Questions and Answers
25 short answers to the questions players ask most, each checked against the rules of the games on Solitaire Play. Pick a question to read the answer.
Which Solitaire Game Should You Play First?
Compare all 20 solitaire games by skill, luck and length, and find the best one to start with whether you want to relax or think hard.
Is Klondike Solitaire Always Winnable?
No: with a random shuffle some Klondike deals cannot be won at all. Here is why, and how Solitaire Play deals only games that can be won.
How to Win Klondike Solitaire More Often
Practical habits that win more Klondike games: flip hidden cards first, do not rush the foundations, plan for Kings, and use Undo to explore.
What Is Vegas Scoring in Klondike Solitaire?
Vegas scoring in Klondike: you pay a 52 buy-in, earn 5 for each card sent to a foundation, and may go through the stock only three times.
Klondike Scoring: How Points Work in Standard Play
How Klondike points are scored in Solitaire Play: +10 to a foundation, +5 for turning a card, -15 for taking one back, and a penalty for recycling.
FreeCell Win Rate: How Hard Is It Really?
Almost every FreeCell deal can be won because all cards are visible. Why the real win rate depends on you, and how to improve it.
How Many Cards Can You Move at Once in FreeCell?
The FreeCell move limit is (free cells + 1) x 2 to the power of empty columns. Worked examples and why empty columns are so valuable.
Spider Solitaire: How Many Suits Should a Beginner Pick?
Beginners should start Spider Solitaire with 1 suit, move to 2 suits when ready, and treat 4 suits as the hardest challenge. Why each step is harder.
Spider vs Spiderette: What Is the Difference?
Spider uses two decks and ten columns; Spiderette uses one deck and seven columns. Rules, layout and which to play first.
Pyramid vs TriPeaks Solitaire: Which Is Better?
Pyramid pairs cards that add up to 13; TriPeaks runs up and down from a waste card. Compare the rules, the stock and the strategy of each.
How to Undo a Move in Solitaire
Undo, redo, hint and restart in Solitaire Play: buttons, keyboard shortcuts, restarting the same deal and going back to a winnable position.
Does Clock Solitaire Have Any Strategy?
No. Every move in Clock Solitaire is forced by the card you turn over, so the result is fixed by the shuffle. How the game works and why it is still fun.
Alaska vs Yukon vs Russian Solitaire
Alaska, Yukon and Russian Solitaire share the same deal but differ in how you build. A side-by-side rules comparison and which to play first.
Baker's Dozen: Why Can't I Fill an Empty Column?
In Baker's Dozen an empty column stays empty, and Kings sit at the bottom of their column. The rules explained, with tips for the deal.
Beleaguered Castle: Rules Explained
Beleaguered Castle rules in plain words: Aces start on the foundations, columns build down in any suit, one card moves at a time, and there are no free cells.
What Is the Beak in Penguin Solitaire?
The beak is the first card dealt in Penguin. It sets the starting rank of every foundation and decides which card can enter an empty column.
Eight Off vs FreeCell: What Is the Difference?
Eight Off has eight free cells and builds in suit; FreeCell has four cells and builds in alternating colours. Rules compared side by side.
Golf vs TriPeaks: Do Ace and King Connect?
In Golf Solitaire Ace and King are not neighbours, but in TriPeaks they are. Rules of both games compared, and what that one rule changes.
What Is the Reserve in Canfield Solitaire?
The Canfield reserve is a pile of 13 cards that you must play out. How it fills empty columns, how the foundation base card works, and tips.
Scorpion Solitaire: How the Stock and Moving Work
In Scorpion you can move any face-up card with the cards on it, and you can deal the three stock cards at any time. Rules explained.
Aces Up Solitaire: Rules and Empty Columns
Aces Up rules: discard a card when a higher card of its suit shows on another column, aces rank high, and an empty column takes any top card.
Klondike Turn 1 vs Turn 3: How Often Can a Deal Be Won?
How often can a Klondike deal be won? Our solver proved 73.6% of 12,000 Turn 1 and 68.4% of Turn 3 deals winnable. What the numbers mean.
FreeCell Solver: Is Every Deal Solvable?
Is every FreeCell deal winnable? Our solver proved 11,304 of 12,000 deals (94.2%) winnable. What the other 5.8% means and how the Solver tool works.
Spider Solitaire: How Hard Are 1, 2 and 4 Suits?
Spider difficulty by the numbers: our solver proved 98.2% of 1-suit, 71.2% of 2-suit and only 5.9% of 4-suit deals winnable. What that means for players.
Pyramid and TriPeaks: How Many Deals Are Solvable?
Our solver proved 58.0% of 4,000 Pyramid deals and 91.3% of 2,000 TriPeaks deals winnable. Why the two games differ and what the numbers mean.