Whether online or offline, the card game solitaire is a popular pastime in many countries. If you follow common tips, you’ll get stuck less quickly and have a lot of fun playing this game for one.
Basic rules
If you have never played solitaire before, you need to familiarize yourself with the basics. The game consists of the cards Ace, the digits from two to ten, as well as Jack, Queen and King. The object of the game is to distribute the cards in this order and sorted by suit into four empty piles, the stacks. In addition to these stacks, there are seven longitudinal rows, also called stacks. These contain twenty-eight cards. The twenty-four remaining cards lie on the stick.
Note the number of cards
Players should keep in mind the distribution of playing cards on the stack: There is one card on the left longitudinal row. To the right, there is one more card with each successive row. Thus, there are seven cards on the right edge. Since only the card on top is visible, players should give preference to the stacks on the right. Otherwise, cards needed for a move may remain hidden in the longer stacks.
Points give hints
The points the player gets per turn depend on the specific ruleset of the solitaire version. Some rules concern placing cards on the stacks: if the player moves a card from the stick into a stack, he gets twice as many points for doing so as for moving it into a lengthwise row. If a card is moved from the stacks back into the stacks, the player loses points. If you play solitaire online and want to break records, keep these rules in mind.
First moves: discarding aces
In order not to have to take back cards from the stacks, they should be discarded with care. The basic rule is that if players find an ace in the long rows or the face-up cards of the deck, they immediately move it to the stacks. This is because stacks and piles are filled in reverse: In the longitudinal rows, the player stacks from king to ace, on the stacks from ace to king. The ace can therefore take its place directly on the stacks. When playing solitaire online, the player moves cards by drag-and-drop or by double-clicking.
A throne for the king
Discarding aces early creates space. This allows more room for maneuvering the deck. Since this is in reverse order, players should pay attention to the king cards: If a stack is free, they place a king there. This is done fastest on the shorter left stacks. Then players follow order and suit to place the next cards. By the way, they can move more than one card as long as they are stacked correctly. So in between, smaller sequences can be built.
What to do in case of alternatives?
If you are in the fortunate position of already having two kings face up, you have to decide when in doubt: Which card should go on an empty pile? Here it is advisable to choose the card to which a longer sequence can be applied. In this way, it is possible to move to the stacks more quickly. If two stacks are empty, players choose a red king and a black king. This leaves more options for more moves.
No more moves?
If you follow these tips, you should get far in your solitaire games. If they run out of ideas, Solitaire online allows players to view specific tips for the game.
