What is Solitaire? The basics
Solitaire, sometimes known as “Patience”, “Cabale”, or “Klondike”, is a single-player card game where the aim is to arrange cards in a systematic order. Although not every game can be won, due to the way that cards have fallen when dealt, winning a round requires a mix of ability, patience, and logical thinking.
It first appeared in 18th-century Europe, but quickly spread to Asia, North America, and other parts of the world. However, it experienced a massive global boom in 1990 when a free Solitaire game was added to Windows 3.0, and subsequently Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000.
How to play Solitaire online?
The early digital version of Solitaire that came with Windows was an entirely offline game, but now it is mostly played online. In some parts of the US, you can play Solitaire and win real money at online casinos.
However, this is rare. Most US players are turning to social casinos, where slots, Solitaire, and other casino-style table games and card games can be played using virtual currencies.
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Solitaire - The pros and cons
Here’s a roundup of the pros and cons of this popular single-player card game:
Solitaire: Pros and Cons
- Easy to learn
- Fun to play
- Good for the brain
- Many variations
- Not offered at many social casinos
Solitaire rules, objective, and setup
The object of Solitaire is pretty simple - you want to return all of the cards from their seven “tableau” columns into their “foundation” piles. The foundation piles should be arranged in the four suits (Clubs, Spades, Hearts, and Diamonds) and in ascending order from Ace to King.
The setup - How to deal Solitaire
Here’s how a basic game of solitaire is set up using one 52-card deck:
- Columns: The cards are dealt out into seven columns. From left to right, the first column has just one card, the second has two, and you continue ascending until the final column has seven cards.
- Up cards: Only the top card in each column is face-up; the rest are face-down.
- Stock pile: The remaining cards go into this face-down pile, from where you will draw your playing cards.
- Waste pile: This is where unused cards drawn from the stockpile are placed (face down).
- Foundation piles: There are four spots at the top of the screen/table where you can place the cards into their foundation piles by suit and in ascending order from Ace to King.
Rules for gameplay
Here are some of the basic rules of Solitaire:
- You can only move cards that are facing up
- You can reveal a facedown card once it is at the bottom of a column
- Only Kings can be placed into the empty tableau spaces to begin a new column
- To move a card to a column, it must be one rank below the bottom-up card and a different color (e.g., if the bottom card in a column is the Queen of Clubs, you could only place a Jack or Hearts/Diamonds below)
- You can only draw cards from the stock pile one at a time
- Foundation piles must be created by suit from Ace to King
Order of play - Step-by-step
This is a step-by-step rundown of how you play a game of Solitaire:
- Deal the cards (or they will be dealt automatically in an online/digital version)
- Look at the table
- Move any cards that you can into sequences (in their columns) or the foundation pile
- When no moves are possible, draw a card from the stockpile
- Place unusable cards in the waste pile
- Once the stockpile is empty, the waste piles become the stockpile (in most variations)
- If you manage to move all cards into their suit foundation piles, you win
- If the game reaches a stalemate (when there are no more moves possible), you lose
How to win at Solitaire - Some key strategies
To win, you just have to arrange all of the cards into their suit foundation piles in ascending order from Ace to King. This might sound easy in theory, but not all games are possible to win, moreover, simple mistakes can result in a game being lost.
Here are a few Solitaire tips and strategies to help you out:
- Don’t rush to put Aces into the foundation piles (wait and see if they’re needed in the columns first)
- Always work to expose the face-down cards first
- Take time to think about how to efficiently empty the columns into their foundation piles
- Use the “Undo” button if you make a mistake (available in most online versions)
- Plan a few moves - don’t act quickly and on impulse
Popular variations of Solitaire
The rules, gameplay, and layouts that I’ve explained so far are all related to the basic version of the game. However, other variations are very popular online:
- Spider Solitaire:
In
Spider Solitaire, you play using 2 x 52-card decks instead of one, and you must arrange the columns in the same color rather than alternating.
- Freecell Solitaire:
All of the cards in the game are face-up, removing the chance element of the game and making it entirely strategy and skills-based.
- Pyramid Solitaire:
In
Pyramid Solitaire, 28 cards are arranged into a pyramid shape. Instead of arranging the cards in sequences (as with the columns in standard Solitaire, you must arrange them in pairs that total 13.
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The best sweepstakes casinos for Solitaire and other card games
As I mentioned above, sweepstakes casinos are a great option if you want to play online Solitaire for free. However, Solitaire isn’t yet widely available on all sites, so I’ve picked five brands to recommend in total - two with Solitaire, and three with some amazing alternatives.
| Sweepstakes casino |
Sign-up offer |
Promo code |
Solitaire available |
| DingDingDing Casino |
100k GC + 3 SC |
N/A |
Yes ✅ |
| Chumba Casino |
2 million GC + 2 SC |
N/A |
Yes ✅ |
| RealPrize |
100k GC + 2 SC |
N/A |
No ❌ |
| Stake.us |
Up to 56 GC + 560k GC + 5% rakeback |
‘STFSOCIAL’ |
No ❌ |
| McLuck |
7,500 GC + 2.5 SC |
N/A |
No ❌ |
DingDingDing Casino - Two-player Solitaire
DingDingDing Sweepstakes Casino: Pros & Cons
- User-friendly interface
- Competitive bonus
- Over 1.300 free slot games
- Attentive support
- Live tournaments
This top-rated sweepstakes casino has a unique player-vs-player Solitaire game. This adds a social and competitive element to what is normally a pensive one-player game.
Besides that, you have 1,600+ more casino-style games, including slots, table games, bingo, and more. When you sign up, you can get a free welcome bonus consisting of 100,000 Gold Coins (GC) and 2 Sweeps Coins (SC).
Chumba Casino - A classic Solitaire experience with a casino-style twist
Chumba Casino: Pros & Cons
- Four ways to get free SC
- Play games for free
- No download required
- 24/7 customer service
You can find a classic version of “Casino Solitaire” in the Chumba Casino games lobby. In this game, you can play with your Gold Coins (GC) or Sweeps Coins(SC) at the start of the game, and win GCs or SCs back when you move cards into their suit piles.
Speaking of GCs and SCs, you get 2 million GC and 2 SC as a new player when you sign up. Moreover, Chumba Casino is one of the oldest and most trusted US sweepstakes casino brands.
RealPrize - One of the best US social casinos
RealPrize: Pros & Cons
- Over 500 games
- Slots from top developers
- Table games and live dealers
- Inclusive rewards program
- No mobile app for Android
This sweepstakes casino might not have any Solitaire games at the moment, but it is one of the best brands overall in the US. Moreover, there are 400+ casino-style games, so you’ll find plenty of alternatives to Solitaire here.
The welcome bonus on this site is 100,000 GC + 2 SC. On top of that, you can get free SCs as a bonus when you make your first GC purchase.
Stake.us - An exclusive welcome offer
Stake.us: Pros & Cons
- Modern social casino
- Legit and trustworthy
- Excellent game selection
- Cool promo offers
- No Stake.us app for Android
Stake.us has over 2,000 games, including table games, slots, and house originals. While Solitaire isn’t included at the moment, I certainly wouldn’t rule out it being added in the future.
If you register at Stake.us, make sure to do so using our ‘STFSOCIAL’ promo code. This can get you up to 55 SC + 560k GC in bonuses alongside 5% weekly rakeback.
McLuck - The best sweepstakes casino app
McLuck: Pros & Cons
- Slots from top providers
- Progressive jackpots available
- Loyalty Club with exclusive rewards
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS
If you want to play casino-style games and slots on your mobile, McLuck is your best bet. This brand has an official app that's highly rated in both the App Store and Google Play.
You don’t have Solitaire here, but the live casino contains plenty of card games that you can play in real-time with other players. Sign up here today and get 7,500 GC + 2.5 SC free.
Conclusion - Play Solitaire for free today
To conclude, Solitaire is a fun card game that you can play either online or in real life by yourself. If you want to make things more interesting, try playing at a social casino, where multiplayer and casino-style versions are available.
Remember that if you register at Stake.us with our ‘STFSOCIAL’ promo code, you can get bonuses up to 55 SC + 560k GC + 5% rakeback.
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How to play solitaire FAQ
🃏 How do you play Solitaire?
You can either play Solitaire online or at home using a 52 deck of cards. The aim is to get all cards into four piles of the same suit in order from Ace to King.
🃗 How to play Solitaire with cards?
To play with cards, you must deal the cards into seven columns and leave the remaining cards as your stock pile. A standard game uses one 52-card deck.
📏 What are the rules of Solitaire?
The objective of Solitaire is to arrange the cards into four suits in ascending order (Ace to King). When arranging the columns, you must do so in alternate colours and in descending order (King to Ace).
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