Every major variant, difficulty rating, history, and FAQ in one place.
Solitaire is the name for a family of single-player card games. All Solitaire games share one core feature: you play alone against a shuffled deck. Beyond that, the variants differ dramatically in structure, rules, and difficulty. Some are almost always winnable with good play. Others are nearly impossible. Here is everything you need to know.
240+
Years of history
100s
Known variants
~33%
Klondike win rate
99.9%
FreeCell win rate
Solitaire (also called Patience in the UK and Europe) describes any card game designed for one player, typically using a standard 52-card deck. The player arranges and manipulates cards according to specific rules, with the goal of reaching a solved state — usually getting all cards onto foundation piles sorted by suit and rank.
The word comes from the French “solitaire,” meaning alone. The earliest documented Patience games appeared in 18th-century Germany and Scandinavia, spread through France during the Napoleonic era, and became popular across Europe and North America throughout the 19th century. The game got its massive modern following when Microsoft bundled Klondike Solitaire with Windows 3.0 in 1990 — originally as a tool to teach mouse skills.
Origin of the name
There are hundreds of documented Solitaire variants. They fall into a few broad categories based on how you manipulate cards:
The largest category. Cards are arranged in tableau columns and moved according to sequence rules (usually alternating color and descending rank). The goal is to move all cards to foundation piles sorted by suit from Ace to King. Klondike, FreeCell, and Spider are all building games.
A subcategory of building games where all cards are visible from the start. FreeCell is the defining example: 52 cards laid out face-up in 8 columns, with 4 free cells for temporary storage. Open games are theoretically solvable before you make a single move, which is why they tend to reward careful planning over luck.
Cards are removed in pairs or groups that satisfy a mathematical condition. Pyramid Solitaire is the most well-known: pairs of cards that add up to 13 are removed together, with Kings (value 13) removed alone. The goal is to remove all cards from the pyramid layout. Elimination games tend to have low win rates because the matching constraints are strict.
Cards are removed in chains based on adjacency. TriPeaks Solitaire is the main example: you build a chain of cards where each card is one rank higher or lower than the previous, clearing cards from three pyramid peaks. Chain games tend to be faster-paced and more dependent on the deal's card ordering than building games.
Some older Patience variants involve placing cards sequentially as they come off the stock with limited flexibility. These are less interactive than modern favorites but appear frequently in European card game compendiums from the 19th century.
Which category is best for beginners?
The version most people picture when they hear “Solitaire.” Seven tableau columns, four foundation piles, one stock deck. Cards are built in alternating colors and descending rank on the tableau, moved to foundations in ascending order by suit. Win rate: approximately 30 to 50% on Turn 1 (draw one card), 11 to 18% on Turn 3 (draw three). Named after the Klondike gold rush region in Yukon, Canada.
All 52 cards are dealt face-up across 8 columns. Four “free cells” hold individual cards temporarily. The goal is the same as Klondike: move all cards to foundations by suit. Nearly every possible deal is winnable (99.999%), making FreeCell almost entirely a skill game. Invented by Paul Alfille in 1978.
Uses two decks (104 cards) across 10 tableau columns. The goal is to build eight complete King-to-Ace sequences in the same suit, which then automatically leave the board. Available in 1-suit (any card on any next-higher card), 2-suit, or 4-suit difficulty. Named for the eight foundation piles, like a spider's legs. Bundled with Windows 98 in 1998.
28 cards are dealt in a 7-row pyramid. You remove pairs of cards that add up to 13, plus solo Kings. Cards in the pyramid are only accessible when the cards below them are cleared. Win rate: roughly 0.5 to 2%. Arguably the most difficult of the classic variants because most deals create dependency loops that cannot be resolved.
Three overlapping pyramid peaks of cards. You clear cards by building a chain where each card is one rank higher or lower than the previous. The game rewards quick pattern recognition and tends to play in under five minutes. Win rate depends on the deal but is generally higher than Pyramid.
Pyramid win rate warning
Solitaire difficulty comes from two independent sources: how often a deal is theoretically winnable, and how much skill is required to win the winnable deals.
FreeCell is low-difficulty by the first measure (almost every deal is winnable) but high-skill by the second (you need to plan carefully to actually win them). Pyramid is extremely high-difficulty by the first measure (most deals are lost before you start) but lower-skill by the second (once you know the patterns, there is not much more you can do).
Klondike sits in an interesting middle ground: about half of deals are winnable, and skill meaningfully affects whether you win the winnable ones. Spider 4-suit is high on both measures — few deals are won, and winning them requires sustained concentration.
If you want to win often and sharpen strategy, play FreeCell. If you want the classic experience with moderate challenge, play Klondike Turn 1. If you want a genuine puzzle, play Spider 4-suit.
The appeal is not complicated. Solitaire requires no other players, no scheduling, and no negotiation. It scales to any available time. A quick game of TriPeaks takes three minutes. A serious FreeCell session can take twenty.
Solitaire also provides genuine cognitive engagement without the social stakes of competitive play. You are solving a puzzle, not competing with another person. The losses feel like puzzles you did not crack rather than defeats at someone else's hands. The wins feel earned.
And for the strategy-minded, the variants offer surprising depth. FreeCell at a high level requires planning sequences ten moves ahead. Spider 4-suit requires tracking suit purity across 104 cards. Even Klondike has well-studied optimal strategies that meaningfully improve win rates.
Best way to improve
No. Klondike Solitaire (the classic Windows version) is only winnable in about 30 to 50% of deals even with perfect play. The others vary: FreeCell is winnable 99.999% of the time, Pyramid is winnable 0.5 to 2% of the time, and Spider sits somewhere in between depending on the suit setting. If you lose, it may genuinely not be your fault — the deal may have been unwinnable from the start.
TriPeaks and 1-suit Spider are the most accessible for new players. TriPeaks is fast, the rules are simple, and the chains are easy to spot. FreeCell is easy to learn but becomes challenging to master. Klondike is the most familiar but has a meaningful luck component that can frustrate new players.
Pyramid Solitaire has the lowest win rate of the classic variants, at under 2%. Spider 4-suit is arguably harder from a skill standpoint, because the games that are winnable require sustained concentration and suit-purity management across 104 cards. If you are looking for a serious challenge, both are worth trying.
They refer to the same family of games. “Solitaire” is the American term. “Patience” is the standard term in the UK, Australia, and most of Europe. The games are identical — the terminology split along geographic lines sometime in the 19th century.
The single most effective practice technique is using undo after losses. When you lose a game, go back to the last point where the game was still winnable and figure out what move you should have made differently. This deliberate analysis improves faster than just playing more games. For variant-specific guidance, see the strategy articles below.
Strategy guides by variant
Solitaire Odds: Can You Always Win?
The math behind win rates across all major variants, and practical tips to improve your odds.
GuideGaps Solitaire Rules (Montana)
4×13 grid, fill gaps by suit and rank, two redeals. A completely unique style of solitaire.
HistorySir Tommy Solitaire: Victorian Patience Rules
One of the oldest named patience games — four waste piles, deal one card at a time.
ComparisonBest Free Microsoft Solitaire Alternative
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