Q&A for How to Set Up Solitaire

It can take anywhere from 2-30 minutes, depending on the shuffle. The average is probably 15-20 minutes.

If and only if the card being moved is a king, although the normal card movement rules still apply as far as moving the stack along with it.

Basically, follow the steps in this article

You can't; the reason it's called solitaire is because it's a solo game.

No, because if you are missing a card, then you won't be able to complete a whole set.

Solitaire is single player, so you can't set it up against an opponent.

It wouldn't be more challenging. In fact, it would likely be easier because you would have more cards and columns in your tableau to work with.

Yes, you can. However, you should stay consistent with this rule throughout the game.

You might find this setup different from online games because many online solitaire platforms offer various types of solitaire, not just the Klondike version discussed in this article.

You must aim to move all cards to the four foundation piles, building each suit from Ace up to King. Successfully completing the game means all cards are revealed and moved to these piles.

In mobile apps, you will often find option menus where you can adjust this setting. However, the specific steps differ between apps, so check your app accordingly.

The game ends when all cards, including those initially dealt face down, have been turned over, and you have no cards remaining in your stock pile.

No, you cannot typically move two cards simultaneously. However, if you are moving a sequence of cards that are in playable order (e.g., a run from a tableau pile), you can often move them as a single unit to their destination.

Yes, you must start the foundation piles with an Ace. You then build up sequentially by suit from 2 through King.

You can draw one card instead of three cards from your stock pile.

On the tableau, you always play red cards against black cards, intermixing the colors (black on red and red on black). You only separate them into their component suit when moving them to the discard pile.

No, you cannot place a 10 directly followed by a Jack on the tableau in Solitaire. On the tableau, cards are built in descending order (King, Queen, Jack, 10, etc.) with alternating colors (red on black or black on red). You would place a Jack on a Queen, and a 10 on a Jack. While a 10 might appear before a Jack in the discard (waste) pile as cards are dealt, you do not build sequences there.

Yes, you can place the deck of cards on either side. However, if playing on a mobile app, you might be limited by how the app is designed.

If the piles are accidentally mixed together, you will need to start a new game, as the current one cannot be continued.

You determine this setting based on the desired complexity of your game. You can choose to flip 1 card, which is easier, or 3 cards, which makes the game more challenging but not impossible. For an ultra-hard experience, you might try to complete the game within 2 or 3 cycles of flipping through the deck.

No, you cannot reshuffle your cards during a game of Solitaire. If you are unable to make any more moves, you would typically need to start a new game and count this one as a loss.

You can find a Solitaire app in the Mac App Store. Open the App Store, type 'Solitaire' in the search box, and select an app for your Mac.

Solitaire is a single-player game, so it can be played at any time. However, you can have an audience watching you nearby.

Yes, for a complete and proper setup, you need all seven columns for the Solitaire tableau. If you don't have them, the game will be incomplete and not fully playable.

No, you generally cannot take back a card you have mistakenly played. An exception applies only if you have made no other moves and have not drawn cards from the stock since the error.

Yes and no. You can build up the foundation piles (usually located at the top) by placing consecutive cards of the same suit. However, in the tableau columns, you must alternate colors (red on black or black on red) while building down in sequence.

No, you cannot group red and black cards together. Each suit is stacked individually.

If you can't make any more moves, you lose. That's the main challenge of solitaire.

It doesn’t really matter because you flip one card at a time, so you would get all the cards at some point.

No, if you add a card into the foundation pile, it must be the next-highest rank and the same color and suit. There is one foundation pile per suit (hearts, spades, diamonds, clubs) for a total of four piles.