Q&A for How to Play Solitaire

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Are some solitaire games unsolvable?

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This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Staff Answer

Yes, some games of solitaire you can't win no matter what. If you use the classic rules, one mathematical proof finds that about 79% of games are at least potentially solvable.

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Question

For classic solitaire, if the top card of the three doesn't match anything, are all three cards put into waste?

Community Answer

Yes, that means you cannot use any of the three cards. The top card must be placed in order to reach the second and third card.

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Question

Are Jokers used in Solitaire? If so, what number do they represent?

Community Answer

Jokers are not used in solitaire, classic solitaire uses only the 52 cards of the four suits.

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Question

Can I remove cards from the ace's pile?

Community Answer

Yes, as long you do it from the top card down. You cannot take cards out from inside the pile; only the topmost card.

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Question

If I get to the end of the stack in three card solitaire and only have one card, do I use the waste stack to get to three cards?

Community Answer

You just use that one card and restart the pile after (or if you can't play the card you got, start it then).

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Question

What should I do when I reach the point where I can't find any other cards to play?

Community Answer

You would have to restart. The cards you need would be under the visible cards so you cant get to them.

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Question

Can I reuse a card after placing it on an ace?

Community Answer

Yes, but remember to take only the top card. You can't take from lower in the deck.

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Question

Does the movement of a king to an empty space have to be made right to left if possible?

Community Answer

Direction does not matter; the only thing that matters in a situation like this is that the king is on top, and that you are moving it to an empty space.

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Question

I thought that the ace pile was supposed to go red ace, then black two, then red three and so on. Am I wrong?

Community Answer

No. The ace pile stays in suit, so it goes ace of hearts, two of hearts, three of hearts, and so on. The layout stacks alternate color.

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Question

What do I do when I come to the end of the waste stack?

Community Answer

Flip the pile back over and continue to use it, do not shuffle the cards.

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Question

What do I do if I don't have an ace at first?

Community Answer

You work your way towards an ace, it may be in the reserve or in one of the hidden cards.

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Question

Can I bring cards into play from the foundations?

Community Answer

Yes, as long as you only take the top card. You cannot take from lower in the deck until it is on top.

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Question

Where do I put the four original piles?

Community Answer

If you mean the piles that you try to put from ace to king, you can put them anywhere you desire (though it's suggested you put them on top of the seven piles).

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Question

Can I move cards onto cards? For example, if I have a four, can I put a five below it?

Community Answer

No. Cards can only be moved to a higher card of an alternate color or moved into the ace piles in ascending order.

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Question

What age is this recommended for?

Community Answer

Depending on the type of Solitaire you play, I'd say 8 is a good age for learning Klondike (the version explained in this article).

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Question

When playing solitaire, do the lower numbers go on the higher numbers, or do the higher numbers go on the lower numbers?

Community Answer

The lower numbers go on the highest numbers. The King is on top, then the Queen, the Jack, and so on.

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Question

If I use all the cards in my hand and there are still unplayed cards faced down under other cards, do I win, or do all cards need to be placed on the aces?

Community Answer

No, all cards need to be placed on the aces in order to win. If there are still unplayable cards after the deck is used up, then you lose the game.

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Question

Do I have to place the first King that comes up in the empty spot or can I legally wait for another color King?

Community Answer

You do not need to make any moves, you can leave the king where he is for the whole game if you'd like.

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Question

Can I put a king from the reserve deck onto an empty pile?

Community Answer

Yes, as long as the pile is empty.

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Question

When I have two choices, one from the deck and one on the board, which must be used first?

Community Answer

You can use either, it does not matter which one you use first. Sometimes there might be an option that is better than the other, and sometimes they are both equally good choices.

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Question

How many decks are needed for the variations?

Community Answer

Every one of the solitaire variations shown uses one deck (unless you are playing co-op with someone), but Spider Solitaire uses 2 decks.

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Question

How many times can I turn over the extra cards?

Community Answer

There is no limit to how many times you can turn the cards over. Just keep going until you've won or you have no more moves to make.

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Question

How many players can be there be in Solitaire?

Community Answer

It's a one-person game, hence the name.

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Question

Out of the three cards I turn over, if there's a red king could I put it under a black queen?

Community Answer

No - you can't play cards under others, only on top of.

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Question

Can I move 3 cards from a pile to another, for example a Q and a J to a K?

Community Answer

Yes, but only if they are in the proper order. For example, if you have a king with no cards under it, and a Q, J, 10 stacked in proper order, you could move this stack onto the king.

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Question

What do I do if there are a lot of matches in the pile?

Community Answer

It is simple. If you have a lot of matches in the pile, then match them. That is how you get them in the aces pile and win.

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Question

Can I move a king over to an empty pile if the king is in another pile?

Community Answer

Yes, but only if it was the topmost card in its original pile. You cannot take a card out from underneath other cards.

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Question

What do I do when I finish a column (starting from King and ending with 2)?

Community Answer

Move on to the next pile, and when out of moves from every pile and the extras pile, start putting the correct suits together on the Aces and backtrack a little bit.

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Question

In the description of pyramid solitaire, it says to put the cards face up. In the picture, it shows them face down. Which should it be?

Community Answer

You should put them face up. If you put them face down, you won't be able to see the next cards.

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Question

How many hands does it take until I play out?

Community Answer

You can keep flipping the waste pile as many times as you'd like, it only ends when you run out of moves.

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