Introduction: Solitaire is a card game, generally played by just one person. There are actually hundreds of different solitaire games, each with its own set of rules and variations. This web site will describe many of the different games of solitaire. After one or more decks of cards are shuffled, and are deal out into a layout onto your desk or computer screen, cards are moved, according to the rules of the specific game, with the goal of moving all cards to the foundations (see definitions below), or with the goal that is specified in the rules of the game of solitaire being played. The sequence is generally the following: ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, and king of the same suit, but sometimes the sequence starts with a different card, and wraps around, e.g., 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king, ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Not all solitaire games may be won. Your chance of successfully winning a solitaire game depends on the specific game being played.
Layout: In solitaire, the cards are deal into a specific configuration, depending on the version of the game being palyed. Different areas of the layout can include the foundation, tableau, stock pile, waste pile, reserve and freecells. Most games of solitaire use only some of those layout areas. Other games of solitaire have a very different initial layout and game play. For an example of a layout, see this layout for the solitaire game of Klondike.
Foundation: The foundation is a set of four or more card piles used to collect all cards in the deck(s) in a specified sequence. When the foundation piles contain all cards in the deck(s), the game is won.
Tableau: This is an area of the layout where most of the card playing is done. The tableau is initially a number of columns of cards, some face-down, some face-up, dealt from the shuffled deck.
Cards are moved from one pile to another in the tableau (unless so specified in the specific solitaire game rules), or to the foundation, or if there are reserves and/or freecell piles, to these areas.
Cards are also moved to the tableau from the stock pile, waste pile, reserve, freecells, and rarely (e.g. in the game of Klondike solitaire), from the foundation. There are set rules as to how cards may be moved, depending on the specific solitaire game being played.
Stock Pile: After the initial layout is dealt, the rest of the cards are generally placed in the stock pile, to be dealt one or more at a time. The stock pile is always in a pile, all cards face down.
Waste Pile: Cards dealt from the stock pile are placed into a waste pile. Only the top-most face-up card in the waste pile is available for play.
Reserve: Some games have a specified number of reserve piles. Reserve piles may contain one or more cards per pile, depending on the rules of the specific solitaire game being played. The top-most card from each reserve pile is available for play.
Freecells: Some solitaire games, for example, Freecell, have a number of freecells. The freecells generally can contain only one card, which is available for play.
Game Play: How each solitaire game is played varies a lot, so take a look at the rules for a specific solitaire game to see how it is played.
Gaps: When a pile of cards in the tableau, reserve, or freecell piles are all removed, leaving a space, this space is called a gap. The filling of the gap, when allowed, follows the rules of the specific game of solitaire being played.
Redeals: In some games of solitaire, after the whole stock pile has been dealt (and placed in the waste pile, and elsewhere on the layout) the waste pile may be turned over (unshuffled!) and placed back in the stock pile. This is called a redeal. Depending on the specific game of solitaire being played, there may be one, two, three, unlimited, or no redeals.
In certain solitaire games, the tableau cards may be collected, reshuffled or not, for a redeal.