Traditionally, card games require several people to play, but Solitaire is designed to be played alone. This game is perfect for passing the time and entertaining yourself for hours. Once you know the layout of the cards and the rules of the game, you will be able to prepare and play the game quickly and anytime.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Split Cards
Step 1. Shake the deck
To play Solitaire, you'll need a traditional 52-card deck. Unpack your deck, then set aside the instruction sheet and the two Joker cards. Before starting to deal cards, shuffle the deck a few times to make sure all the cards are mixed.
Step 2. Deal seven cards in a row
Deal the first card and place it face up on the far left. Then, deal the six cards that are lined up face down to the right of the exposed card so that each card has its place.
- When you're done, you'll have a total of seven cards. The first card on the left must be face up and the other six face down.
- These cards are called “Tableau”. This is the main card that will be used to play Solitaire. When you have dealt all the cards, the Tableau will look similar to an inverted ladder.
Step 3. Skip the first card and deal six cards
Next, you need to again deal the six cards to the Tableu. Place the first card face up on the second card from the left. After that, deal one card each face down to each card to the right of the exposed card.
Step 4. Start with the third card, and deal five cards
Deal one card face up in the third pile from the left. Then, deal four more cards face down in each pile to the right.
Step 5. Deal four cards starting from the fourth pile
Deal one card face up to the fourth pile from the left, then deal three cards face down. Place one card into each pile to the right of the pile.
Step 6. Skip the first four cards and deal three cards
Look at the fifth deck of cards from the left in the row of seven cards. Deal one card face up on this pile, then deal one card face down each to each of the two piles to the right.
Step 7. Deal two cards starting from the sixth card pile
Next, look at the sixth card pile from the left, and deal one card face up to this pile. Then, deal one card face-down each to each pile to the right of that pile. This is the last pile in a row of seven cards.
Step 8. Deal one card face up
Now there is only one pile that does not have a face up card. This stack should be at the far right of Tableau. Deal one card face up in this pile. Now, this pile should have six cards face down, and one card face up.
Once you've dealt the last card, your Tableau is done! Setting up the Tableau is the hardest part of preparing Solitaire so the next part will be easier
Part 2 of 3: Laying Out the Rest of the Cards
Step 1. Place the remaining cards face down
When you've finished putting together your pile, you can place the remaining cards on the Tableau on the far left. This will be the “Stock” or “Hand” stack. You will draw cards from this pile when you play Solitaire.
If you want to make sure the deck is thoroughly mixed, shake it again before placing the stock pile. This step is optional
Step 2. Determine the location of the discard pile
The discard pile, known as the “Talon” or “Trash” pile, is where you will discard all drawn and unusable cards. At the start of the game, your Talon stack will be empty. Prepare a place next to the Stock pile as the location for the game Talon pile.
- The Talon stack is usually to the right of the Stock stack.
- When you finish the Talon stack, you can flip it over (so it's face down) and place it back where it belongs to the Stock pile, then continue playing.
Step 3. Prepare space for the Foundation stack
The Foundation Stack is where you will place the cards removed from the Tableau pile while playing Solitaire. At the start of the game, the Foundation stack will be empty so you need to prepare a space above the Tableau. Leave enough room to lay out four decks of cards as you play.
Part 3 of 3: Playing Solitaire
Step 1. Learn the purpose of the game
If you've never played Solitaire before, you'll need to take a few minutes to learn it first. The object of the game of Solitaire is to move all the cards in the deck and the Tableau pile to the Foundation pile. When you start the game, your Foundation pile is empty, and you need to arrange the cards in the Tableu pile from lowest to highest and separate the symbols.
For example, if a deck of cards starts with the ace of spades so only 2 of spades can be placed to continue this pile. You cannot put 3 of spades until 2 of spades are placed in this pile
Step 2. Drag and drop the card
You will need to draw and place cards to play. Draw one card at a time and play in one of the piles, or discard them when not in use. You can play cards to any of the tableau piles if the colors and order match. The color should hang between red and black.
For example, if a deck of cards has 5 hearts, and you draw a 4 curly card, it means that you can play a 4 curly card on a 5 heart card
Step 3. Move and flip the card face up
You can move cards between piles to reveal cards face down. When the face down card is exposed, it means you can turn it over and use it.
For example, if one pile has 5 of hearts and another pile has 6 of spades, that means you can move 5 of hearts to 6 of spades. This will reveal a face-down card that you can flip over to use or leave for now
Step 4. Reuse the discard pile
When your discard pile is finished, you can turn the pile over and use the cards again. Continue to draw one card at a time and turn the deck over each time the Talon pile is used up.
Step 5. Transfer the cards to the foundation pile to clear them
When you expose a card and draw a card, you will be able to move it to the foundation pile on top of the tableau pile. Remember that each pile needs to start with an ace and there must only be one pile per symbol.
