How to Win at Solitaire More Often
Most solitaire losses are not bad luck - they are a handful of small decisions made in the first twenty moves. If you want to know how to win at solitaire more often, start here: these twelve habits apply to Klondike, FreeCell, Spider, Yukon and Scorpion, and they are the difference between winning one hand in ten and winning one in three.
1. Dig the deepest column first
Face-down cards are the only thing standing between you and more options. In Klondike the right-hand columns hide six cards each; clearing one of them early can double the number of moves available to you. Whenever two moves look equally useful, take the one that flips a card.
2. Do not rush low cards to the foundation
An Ace or a Two on the tableau is a tool: it is what lets you move a card onto something. Once it sits on a foundation you usually cannot get it back. Send low cards up only when nothing on the tableau needs them, or when doing so uncovers a face-down card.
3. Build evenly, not greedily
A player who pushes one suit to King while the others sit at Three has usually built a wall. Keeping the foundations roughly level means any card you uncover has somewhere to go.
4. Protect your empty columns
An empty column is the most valuable thing on the board in Klondike, FreeCell and Spider. Do not fill one the moment it appears unless the move flips a card or completes a run you can finish. In Klondike, remember only a King may occupy one.
5. Move whole runs, not single cards
Dragging a correctly ordered run as one unit keeps your options intact and costs a single move. It also avoids the classic mistake of moving the top card of a run and stranding the rest. Yukon and Scorpion are even more generous - any group of face-up cards travels together there.
6. Think one card ahead of the stock
In Klondike Draw 3 only the top card of the waste is playable, so the order you draw in decides what you can reach. Count where in the cycle a useful card sits before you commit to a redeal. In Draw 1 this matters less, which is exactly why Draw 1 is easier.
7. Keep suits balanced in Spider
Placing a heart 8 on a spade 9 is legal and tempting, but that pile can never leave the board. Prefer same-suit placements whenever you have the choice, and treat every mixed pile as a small debt you will have to unwind later. In Scorpion the rule is stricter still - the pile must be the same suit.
8. Use free cells like cash, not storage
In FreeCell, filling all four cells early is the fastest way to a dead board. Spend a cell to make a move, then get the card out again as soon as you can. Four free cells plus one empty column is the classic engine that moves long runs.
9. Delay the stock in pairing games
In TriPeaks and Pyramid, every draw resets your chain. Before you draw, check whether any exposed card can extend the chain you are on - one extra card in a chain is worth several single removals, because the scoring climbs with each step.
10. Use undo as a thinking tool
Undo is not cheating, it is analysis. Try a line, see what it uncovers, and step back if it disappoints. Players who use undo aggressively learn positions two or three times faster than players who treat every move as permanent.
11. Learn to recognise a dead board
When no move flips a card, no run can be extended and the stock is exhausted, the position is over. Recognising that ten moves earlier lets you restart instead of shuffling cards back and forth for five minutes.
12. Pick the variant that suits your tolerance
If losing to a bad deal annoys you, play FreeCell, where more than 99% of deals are solvable. If you enjoy the gamble, Klondike Draw 3 and Yukon give you plenty of it. Matching the game to your temperament is the cheapest way to enjoy solitaire more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you actually improve at solitaire, or is it all luck?
Both, depending on the game. In FreeCell about 99.97% of deals are solvable, so improvement is almost entirely skill. In Klondike about 82% of deals are winnable with perfect play, but players win far fewer, so skill raises your win rate but luck still decides plenty of hands.
Is using undo cheating?
No. Undo is a standard feature of every game on this site and the best way to learn. Trying a line and stepping back teaches you far more than committing to a move you are unsure about.
Should I always move cards to the foundation straight away?
Not always. Low cards - Aces and Twos especially - are useful on the tableau because other cards build onto them. Move them up when nothing needs them or when doing so uncovers a face-down card.
Which solitaire game has the highest win rate?
Among the games on this site, FreeCell has the highest solvable rate at about 99.97%, followed by TriPeaks, where about eight deals in ten can be cleared. Two-suit Spider, Klondike Draw 3, Yukon and Scorpion are the hardest.
Play These Games
