How to Play Solitary Card Games

A deck of playing cards is the only thing needed to play solitary games.

When diversions such as the Internet are unavailable, the always-reliable place to turn to for entertainment is a deck of cards. Solitary games are fun, but before you can play, you first must learn the rules. Following are rules for a trio of solitary card games.

Things You'll Need

• Deck of 52 cards

Instructions

Pyramid, Freecell, and Klondike

1. 

   The cards are laid out in a pyramid.

   To play Pyramid, deal 28 cards face-up in the shape of a pyramid, starting with one at the top and seven at the bottom. The object of the game is to remove all of the cards, but you may only remove them when their face value adds up to thirteen. They can be removed one at a time, or in pairs. Kings count as thirteen, queens as twelve, jacks as eleven and aces as one. Put the rest of the cards in a stock pile. If the pyramid can't be cleared with the original 28 cards, you can pull more cards, one by one, from the stock pile.

2. To play Freecell, deal all the cards facing up and divided into eight columns. The last four columns will contain only six cards each, while the first four columns will contain seven cards. There are four "foundation" spots, spots where the cards are placed by their suit in ascending order, starting with ace and ending with king, to win the game. There are also four "free" spots, spots where one card is allowed to be placed per spot, giving some flexibility when moving cards around. The top card of each column is the only card allowed to be moved, and it can be moved into a free spot or onto a card of a different color that is one higher in the sequence. For example, a red six can only move onto a black seven.

3. For Klondike, deal out cards in seven columns. The first column has one card, the second two, and so on. The top card of each column is face-up, while all the cards under it are face-down. The rest of the cards go face-down in a stock pile. There are four "foundation" spots, spots where the cards are placed by their suit in ascending order, starting with ace and ending with king, to win the game. Cards can be turned from the stock pile three at a time, but only the top card can be played. Once the top card out of the three is played, the next one under it can be played. If the second card is also played, the last out of the three may also be played. Cards can be placed onto other cards, so that both cards are visible, of an opposite color and an immediate higher value, for example, a red six could be stacked on a black seven. This allows the player to move the cards around in a restricted fashion, making the game more difficult to win. The game ends when all the cards are stacked in the foundation spots, or no more moves are possible.

References

• LearnThat: Solitaire Game Rules