You’re bored so you open your app store to download a card game. You click on the first one that hits the screen and it’s a game of Solitaire. How do you play Solitaire? What are the rules? And how do you play to earn?
While there are many different types of Solitaire, this guide introduces you to the most popular version of Solitaire (also known as “Klondike”) and also includes a few tips to help you get better with practice.
Why Mobile Solitaire?
The traditional Solitaire is a single-player game where you arrange a 52-card deck into 4 different suits according to their ranks. In today’s world of social gaming, the mobile version of Solitaire brings pizazz into the game with the ultimate multiplayer feature. Imagine racing your friends or strangers to complete a solitaire game in just 5 minutes and with some bucks at stake. That would be fun, right?
How do you Play Solitaire?
Before we proceed, let’s take a quick trip to the basics of card games. The standard 52-card deck features 4 different suits – Spades, Clubs, Hearts, and Diamonds. Spades and Clubs are black; Hearts and Diamonds are red.
Left to right: Spade, Club, Diamond, Heart
Each suit includes 13 cards that are ranked in order of value. From the highest to lowest, they are: A (Ace), K (King), Q (Queen), J (Jack), 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (also called a deuce). All suits have equal value in a game of Solitaire. For example, Ace of Spades has equal value as Ace of Hearts. Also, cards are named by specifying the value first, then the suit. For example, you would say Queen of Clubs, 9 of Hearts, and so on.
With that out of the way, let’s apply this knowledge to the game of Solitaire.
Step-By-Step Solitaire Guide and Rules
Solitaire is a fun and interesting game that challenges you to move all cards from the tableau to the foundations on top. In mobile Solitaire, the rules are the same but you are required to complete the game faster than your opponent.
The Setup
There are 3 major parts to the classic Solitaire (also known as “Patience” or “Klondike''). They include:
The Tableau: The player creates a row of 7 piles with the first card placed face up and the other six cards placed face down. You are going to repeat the process by adding one card to each pile, starting from the 2nd pile with the card face up and the other five piles with cards face down. The next round starts with the 3rd pile’s card facing up and other piles’ facing down. There you go. Repeat the process until each pile has a face-up card.
In mobile Solitaire, the tableau is automatically set for you.
The Foundation: This refers to a target table at the top of the tableau. It features a row of 4 suits arranged in no particular order. During the gameplay, each suit is arranged from the Ace to King, moving Upwards. In a game of Solitaire, Ace is considered to have the lowest value.
The Stock: When the layout is set, there is a pile of unused cards called the stock. The stock is where new cards are taken and only the first three cards are allowed to be used at a time. The new cards are called the talon or waste pile.
The Gameplay
To play the game of Solitaire, the goal is to move cards around in the tableau and to the foundation pile until there are no more cards left in the stock and tableau. During gameplay, a card can move around in 3 ways.
The card being moved is a number lower than the face-up card of the destination pile and they are of different colors. For example, a 2 of hearts can mount on a 3 of spades within a tableau.
The card can move to the foundation pile if it’s higher in value and matches the suit. For example, a 2 of hearts can mount on the Ace of hearts in the foundation pile; Queen of clubs can mount on the Jack of clubs and so on.
The card can be drawn from the stock and added to the tableau or foundation pile.
You’ve won the game when the foundation piles have 4 suits with all cards arranged in order of value. To put simply, you’d have the Ace, 2, 3, ,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, and King arranged for each suit.
The rules
The foundation pile starts with the Aces before other cards can be mounted
Cards can move back and forth between the tableau and foundation pile
If there are no faced-up cards in a pile, flip up the next card and continue playing. When there are no more cards left in a pile, only a king can be moved into the open space.
You can only move 3 cards at a time from the stock to the waste pile. The waste pile can return into an empty stock but without shuffling.
You’ve lost the game when you run out of stock or waste pile and no other moves can be made.
5 Solitaire Tips for Beginners
Solitaire is a game of luck and skill. However, these 5 tips can help increase your chances of winning a Solitaire game.
Practice makes perfect: The first and best tip we can give you is to practice, practice, practice! The more you play the game, the better you will become at it.
Be intentional with your moves: If you're not sure what move to make next, take a few seconds or a minute to think about it. You always want to think ahead. For example, the color you chose to fill an empty spot can dictate the order of colors throughout the game. The more time you take between moves, the more likely you'll be able to reach the end of the deck and win.
Avoid open spots in the Tableau: If you have an open spot on the table, it means there are no cards left in that pile that can be moved to another pile. Ensure you have a King to start a new pile before emptying a pile.
Use the pause & undo button: When playing Solitaire online, you can pause your game and undo your moves. This allows you to correct poor moves without having to start all over again.
Start with Klondike Solitaire: This is the version of Solitaire that everyone learns first. It's easy to learn, and its rules are very simple. If you're new to playing Solitaire, start here.
Getting Started with Mobile Solitaire
Got no deck of cards at home? Are you looking for a fun solitaire game that allows you to win cash prizes at the same time? The next time you have 5 minutes to spare, download Solitaire Clash! The rules of Klondike are the same in Solitaire Clash. By competing against players with similar skill sets, there's no limit to how much you can earn. To get started with Solitaire Clash, simply create an account and start earning immediately.
Feel free to go through a few practice rounds of solitaire games before participating in events and tournaments. Once you’re ready to collect your winnings, cashing out is safe and easy.
Download Solitaire Clash and start playing today.
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