Klondike solitaire: the classic, explained and playable
When someone says "solitaire," this is the game they mean. Klondike is the seven-column, build-down-in-alternating-colors, Aces-to-the-foundations card game that's held the world's attention for over a century — the one that shipped on every Windows PC and lives on every phone. You can play it free right now, no signup.
The layout at a glance
- Tableau — seven columns of 1 to 7 cards; only the last card of each column starts face-up. This is where the game happens.
- Foundations — four empty piles at the top, one per suit. Fill all four, Ace through King, and you win.
- Stock & waste — the 24 undealt cards, drawn either one or three at a time when you're out of moves.
The rules in five steps
- Build the tableau down in alternating colors — a red 6 goes on a black 7, a black Queen on a red King.
- Send Aces up as they appear, then build each foundation up by suit: Ace, 2, 3… King.
- Flip face-down cards by clearing what covers them — this is how the game opens up.
- Fill empty columns with Kings (and whatever's stacked on them).
- Draw from the stock when the tableau is stuck. Clear all 52 cards to the foundations and the game is yours.
That's genuinely all of it — the full details, examples, and beginner traps are in the complete how-to-play guide.
Ways to play Klondike
- Draw 1 or Draw 3 — the friendly classic, or the three-card challenge that triples the difficulty.
- Winnable deals or True Random — every deal guaranteed solvable, or the honest kitchen-table shuffle (about 79% winnable).
- Standard or Vegas scoring — relaxed play, or $52 for the deck and $5 a card with limited passes.
- Daily Challenge — one shared deal worldwide each day; win Crowns, earn monthly Medals.
👀 What's different here
The Original Solitaire+ is classic Klondike with one honest addition: the patent-pending Peek button, which lets you see face-down cards before committing to a big move — the on-screen version of lifting a card corner at the kitchen table. Everything else is the game exactly as it's been played for a century (a genuinely good story, incidentally).
Play it your way
Free in your browser — portrait layout, easier on your wrist, no account. Or on your iPhone or iPad with the free app: same rules, same Daily Challenge deal, your stats everywhere.