Baker's Dozen Solitaire Strategy Guide
Baker's Dozen looks simple: thirteen columns of four face-up cards, build down in any suit, one card at a time. The catch is that there are no free cells and an empty column can never be refilled, so every move is final and the game is pure planning. This guide covers how to read the opening layout, how to choose the order of digging, how to treat Kings and the mistakes that lose the most games.
Opening principles
You start with 52 cards face up in thirteen columns of four, with every King moved to the bottom of its column. Only the bottom card of each column moves. You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.
- Find the four Aces and the 2s first. Note which column each one is in and how many cards cover it. The deepest low card tells you how much digging the deal needs.
- Look at what each bottom card can go on. A move only exists if another bottom card is exactly one rank higher, so list the real options before you touch anything.
- Look for chains. A run such as 9-8-7 in different suits can be moved onto a 10 one card at a time, but only if each card in turn is exposed.
Choosing the dig order
Because nothing can be parked, the order in which you open columns matters more than any single move.
- Dig toward the lowest buried card. An Ace under two cards is better to free first than a 5 under one.
- Prefer moves that expose a useful card. A move is good if the card it uncovers can go somewhere or to a foundation next.
- Keep targets alive. Do not cover a bottom card that other cards still need to land on, unless you are about to move the pile again.
Protecting low cards
The most common way to lose is to bury a low card under a high one that has no place to go.
- Never put a high card over a low card of an unfinished suit unless you can see how to move it again.
- Watch pairs. Two cards of the same rank in the same column mean the one on top blocks the one below, and neither can go on the other.
- Do not stack against yourself. A column built 7-6-5 on top of a 2 needs three moves to clear, and each of them needs a free target.
Kings and empty columns
Kings sit at the bottom of their columns and nothing can be placed on them except a Queen. They never block another card, but they can only leave a column last.
- A King's column is the last one to empty. Count the cards above it; they all have to go somewhere first.
- Empty columns do not help you move. Nothing can go into them, so they only reduce the number of targets. Do not empty a column if you still need it as a place to land.
- A Queen on a King is permanent for a while. It keeps that King available, but the Queen also has to move before the King can leave.
Common mistakes
- Moving as soon as a move exists. There is no free cell to fix a mistake, so check the next two moves before you commit.
- Ignoring same-rank pairs. If two 8s are stacked in the same column, the upper one can only leave after a 9 is exposed.
- Sending cards to the foundation too early. It is usually fine, but a card that is still needed as a landing target for others may be better left in place. The game collects cards for you only when it is safe.
- Playing on in a dead position. If the only moves left shuffle cards between the same columns, use Undo or the Solver to find where the deal went wrong.
How winnable are the deals?
Many random Baker's Dozen deals cannot be won. In our screening, the solver found a full winning line within its search limit of 200,000 positions for about 59% of 8,000 random deals (4,731 of them). That figure is a lower bound, because a solver with a limited search can miss lines. New games and the Daily Challenge only use deals the solver has proved winnable, so a winning line always exists. Winnable does not mean easy: the line can be long, and you have to find it without a computer.
Practice and play
Play a few deals with one habit: before each move, say which card it exposes and where that card will go next. If you cannot answer, look for a different move. Use Undo and the Solver in the menu to compare lines.