How to Win Solitaire: 4 Tips, Tested on 100,000 Deals
To win Solitaire, uncover the hidden cards as fast as you can: move Aces to the foundations right away, build down in alternating colors, always work on the column with the most face-down cards, and put only a King in an empty column. In our test on 100,000 random draw-one deals, a simple computer player that worked the column with the most hidden cards first won 34% of them, against 25% for the same player working the columns from left to right.
Key points
- Hidden cards are the enemy. A new deal has 21 face-down cards in the tableau, and the last column alone hides 6.
- Most hidden cards first: this one habit raised a simple player's win rate from 25% to 34% in our 100,000-deal test.
- Aces and 2s go up at once. Higher cards can wait until the tableau no longer needs them.
- Empty columns take only a King, so do not empty a column unless a King is ready to move in.
- On NitroPlayer every solo deal is one that a simple player can win, so when you get stuck, a different order of moves will work.
Play Solitaire freeNo download, no sign-up. Play solo, online or with a friend.
We tested Solitaire strategy on 100,000 deals
NitroPlayer checks each solo deal with a small built-in player that follows fixed rules: send a card to the foundations whenever it can, move runs between columns, put only Kings in empty columns, and turn a stock card only when nothing else works. We ran that same player on 100,000 random draw-one deals, three times, changing just one thing: which column it looks at first.
| Which column the player works first | Deals won |
|---|---|
| Left to right, in order | 25.0% |
| Fewest face-down cards first | 24.4% |
| Most face-down cards first | 34.1% |
Same deals, same rules, one change, and the win rate went up by more than a third. A person who plans ahead and uses Undo wins far more often than this simple player, but the lesson holds: the cards you need are buried under the face-down cards, so go where the most of them are.
Why hidden cards decide the game
A Klondike deal has seven columns of 1 to 7 cards. Only the bottom card of each is face up, which leaves 21 face-down cards: none in the first column, 6 in the seventh. The other 24 cards sit in the stock, and with draw one you can reach every one of them on every pass.
So the stock is never really the problem. The cards that lose games are the ones still face down when you run out of moves. Before each move, ask one question: does this turn over a new card, or set one up? If two moves look equal, pick the one in the column with more face-down cards.
The 4 tips from the video, step by step
The deal in the video starts with these face-up cards, from left to right: Ace of hearts, Ace of spades, 9 of hearts, 8 of clubs, 2 of hearts, King of diamonds and 5 of spades.
- Aces up first. Both Aces go to the foundations. The first column is now empty, and the second column turns over its hidden card. The 2 of hearts could follow onto its Ace right away.
- Build down, alternating colors. The black 8 of clubs goes on the red 9 of hearts, which turns over the card under the 8.
- Go for the columns with the most hidden cards. The two columns on the right hide 6 and 5 cards. That is where the missing low cards most likely are.
- Only a King in an empty column. The King of diamonds moves into the empty first column, and the column it leaves turns over a new card.
When the tableau has nothing left, tap the stock for a new card. The video shows the order; in a real game you repeat it until all four suits are home.
When to move cards to the foundations
Aces and 2s should always go up at once: nothing in the tableau can be built on them. Higher cards need a quick check. A red 6 on the foundation is a card you can no longer use to hold a black 5.
A simple safe rule: send a card up when both cards of the opposite color one rank lower are already on the foundations. A red 6 is safe once the black 5s are up, because no black 5 will ever need it. Near the end of a deal, when every card is face up, this no longer matters, and the Auto button finishes the foundations for you.
How to use empty columns and Kings
- Do not empty a column for nothing. Only a King, or a run that starts with a King, can fill it. Clear a column when a King is ready to move in, or when clearing it turns over cards.
- Pick the right King. If a red and a black King could both move in, choose the one whose Queen of the opposite color you can already see.
- Do not move a King that already starts a column. Moving it to another empty column changes nothing, and the game does not count it as a useful move when it checks whether you are stuck.
Using the stock and the score
Solitaire on NitroPlayer is draw one with unlimited passes, and the cards come out in the same order on every pass, so note where the key cards sit. Check every tableau move before you turn a stock card.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| Card to a foundation | +10 |
| Face-down card turned over | +5 |
| Card from the waste to the tableau | +5 |
| Turning the waste back into the stock | -20 |
| Winning | 700,000 divided by your time in seconds |
The time bonus is large: a win in 5 minutes adds 2,333 points, a win in 10 minutes adds 1,166. A fast, clean win beats a slow one with many passes.
Every solo deal on NitroPlayer can be won
Before a solo game starts, the game shuffles until it finds a deal the simple player above can win. In our test of 20,000 new games this took about 4 shuffles on average, so you never wait for it. That means a stuck solo game is never hopeless: some other order of moves wins it. Use Undo and try a different line.
The daily deal and duels are different. Everyone gets the same random cards, so those deals are not pre-checked and some cannot be won. You can practice all three in free online Solitaire, with no download and no sign-up.
Frequently asked questions
Can every game of Solitaire be won?
No. Some random Klondike deals cannot be solved however well you play. On NitroPlayer, though, every solo deal is first checked to be winnable by a simple computer player, so a smarter order of moves always exists. The daily deal and duels use random cards and may be unwinnable.
What is the best Solitaire strategy?
Turn over hidden cards as early as possible and work on the column with the most face-down cards. In our test on 100,000 deals that single habit raised a simple player from 25% to 34% wins. Add Aces up first, alternating colors, and Kings only in empty columns.
Is draw one easier than draw three?
Yes. With draw one you can reach every stock card on every pass, while draw three only shows every third card. NitroPlayer Solitaire is draw one with unlimited passes, and each pass back through the stock costs 20 points.
Can I play Solitaire against a friend?
Yes. Send a friend a private link or play online against whoever is available. You both get the same deal, Undo and Hint are off, and the first to move all 52 cards home wins. After 8 minutes, the most foundation cards wins.
Video transcript
Want to win more Solitaire games? Here are three quick tips.
One: always move your aces up first.
Two: build down. Red on black, black on red.
Three: go for the columns with the most hidden cards. That's where the cards you need are hiding.
Got an empty column? Only a King can go there.
Stuck? Tap the deck for a new card.
Now you try! And on NitroPlayer, you can play with your friends. Games are so much more fun together.
Play free at NitroPlayer dot com.
