Free Scorpion Solitaire Online
Scorpion is a one-deck solitaire game where you build four King-to-Ace runs, one for each suit, and you can pick up any card together with everything on top of it. Solitaire Play offers Scorpion in your browser for free, with Hint, Undo and a daily challenge, and no download or sign-up.
Official Rules & Scoring
The goal is to build all four suits from King down to Ace. Scorpion uses one 52-card deck. 49 cards are dealt into seven columns of seven; in the first four columns the first three cards are face down, and every other card is face up. The last three cards form the stock.
- Building: a card goes on a card of the same suit that is one rank higher, so the 9 of spades goes on the 10 of spades. Nothing can be placed on an Ace.
- Moving cards: you can move any face-up card together with every card on top of it. The cards you carry do not have to be in order, and only the card you pick up has to fit its new column.
- Empty columns: only a King, or a group that starts with a King, can be moved into an empty column.
- Face-down cards: a face-down card turns face up as soon as the cards on it are moved away.
- Stock: tap the stock to deal its three cards face up onto the ends of the first three columns, one card each. You can do this at any time, even if a column is empty, and the stock is dealt only once.
- Completed runs: when a column ends with a whole suit from King down to Ace, those 13 cards are removed automatically to the top of the table.
- Winning: you win when all four suits have been completed.
Strategy & Tips
- Uncover face-down cards first. the twelve hidden cards in the first four columns hide the cards you need; prefer moves that turn one over.
- Make room for Kings. a King is the only card that can start an empty column, so a column you empty is only useful if a King is ready to go in.
- Use the free group move. you can pick up a card in the middle of a messy column and carry the cards below it, so tidy columns are not required before you move.
- Deal the stock last. the three cards land on the first three columns and cover what is there, so deal when you are out of useful moves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can every Scorpion deal be won?
No, and most random Scorpion deals cannot be won. New games and the daily challenge only use deals that our solver has proved winnable (it found a full winning line within its search limit, and the line was replayed move by move). In our screening, the solver proved about 12% of 12,000 random deals winnable, so the set of deals we keep is small (1,404 of them) and you may see repeats. Winnable does not mean easy: the solver sees the face-down cards and the stock, and you do not.
Do the cards I move have to be in order?
No. You can move any face-up card together with all the cards on top of it, in order or not. Only the card you pick up has to be one rank lower than, and the same suit as, the card it lands on.
When can I deal the stock?
Whenever you like. The three stock cards go face up onto the first three columns, one each, even if a column is empty. The stock is dealt only once.
Where are the other solitaire games?
Klondike is on the home page, and FreeCell, Spider, Pyramid, TriPeaks, Golf and Yukon have their own pages.
Want to play better? Read our Scorpion strategy guide.