Solitaire Blog
Strategy guides, game comparisons, variant rules, and tips for every classic Solitaire game. Written for players who actually want to get better.
Featured Articles
The History of Solitaire: From 18th Century Card Tables to Microsoft Windows
How a 1780s card game spread through Napoleonic France, ended up bundled with Windows 3.0 to teach mouse skills, and became the most-played game in history.
FreeCell Solitaire Strategy: Think 10 Moves Ahead
FreeCell is 99.999% winnable — but most players still lose. Supermoves, free cell discipline, backward planning, and why deal #11982 is the one exception.
Strategy Guides
Solitaire Strategy: How to Win More Often
When to build foundations, how to value empty columns, and the statistical case for Turn 1 over Turn 3.
How to Win at Solitaire: 10 Tips That Actually Work
Most players lose Klondike not because of a bad deal, but because of habits that feel right and aren't. These 10 tips are drawn from probability and expert play patterns.
Solitaire Winning Strategies: Tips That Work Across Every Variant
Universal principles: empty columns are power, don't rush to foundations, think backwards from the win state. Plus variant-specific tips.
Spider Solitaire Strategy: How to Win 1-Suit, 2-Suit, and 4-Suit
Why 4-suit Spider is so hard, how to use empty columns as staging areas, and when to deal new rows.
Pyramid Solitaire Tips: How to Beat the Hardest Classic
Pyramid is only winnable 0.5–2% of the time. Here is how to maximize your odds: which pairs to save, how to cycle the stock, and when to give up on an impossible deal.
TriPeaks Solitaire Strategy: How to Win More Often
Chain building is the engine of TriPeaks. Learn peak clearing order, stock management, and the decisions that take your win rate from 40% to 60%+.
Beginners & Overviews
Solitaire for Beginners: Learn the Basics in 5 Minutes
Start with Klondike. Learn the four board areas, the first 5 moves every beginner should know, and a progression ladder to harder variants.
What Is Solitaire? A Complete Guide to Card Solitaire Games
The definition, every major variant, how difficulty varies, and answers to the most common questions about Solitaire — all in one place.
The Best Free Microsoft Solitaire Alternative in 2026
Want Klondike without the Microsoft account, ads, or subscription prompt? We compare free browser-based alternatives.
Comparisons & Math
Klondike vs FreeCell: Which Is Harder?
FreeCell wins 99.999% of the time — so why does Klondike feel easier to most players? A data-driven comparison.
Is FreeCell Always Winnable? The Math Behind the Myth
Only deals #11982 and #146692 are provably unwinnable from the classic 32,000-deal set. Here is how computer solvers proved it.
Solitaire Odds: Win Rates, Luck vs Skill, and What the Numbers Mean
Klondike Turn 1: ~43% optimal win rate. FreeCell: 99.999%. Pyramid: <2%. What the win-rate math actually means for how you should play.
Variant Rules
Spider Solitaire 1-Suit: The Beginner's Guide
Spider 1-suit has an 85%+ win rate and is the right starting point before 2-suit or 4-suit. Column-clearing strategy and when to deal.
Canfield Solitaire Rules: The Casino Patience Game
Richard Canfield sold decks for $52 and paid $5 per card at his 1890s casino. Win rate: ~3%. The reserve pile, wrapping foundation, and strategy explained.
Forty Thieves Solitaire: Rules, Strategy, and History
Also called Napoleon at St. Helena. Two decks, 10 columns, same-suit builds only, no redeals. Expert players win around 8% of deals.
Yukon Solitaire Rules: How to Play and Win
Yukon removes the stock pile and lets you move any face-up card along with everything stacked on it. Full setup, rules, and strategy tips.
How to Play Scorpion Solitaire: Rules, Setup, and Strategy
Scorpion uses same-suit group movement and auto-clears completed runs on the tableau. 7-column setup, reserve deal, legal moves, and strategy.
Baker's Dozen Solitaire: Complete Rules and Strategy Guide
Baker's Dozen has a ~90% win rate because every card is face-up from the start and Kings auto-sink to the bottom of their columns.
Gaps Solitaire Rules (Montana): How to Play and Win
Gaps (also called Montana) is a 4×13 grid game where you fill empty spaces to build same-suit rows from 2 to King.
Sir Tommy Solitaire: Victorian Patience Card Game Rules
One of the oldest named patience games. Flip one card at a time, choose a waste pile for each, build foundations Ace to King in any suit.
Double Klondike Solitaire Rules & Strategy
Two decks, nine tableau columns, eight foundations. Double Klondike scales up the classic game — here are the complete rules, setup, and strategy.
Stop Filling Empty Columns With Kings
An empty column is the most powerful resource on the Klondike board, and the first thing most players do is waste it.
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