What Are Different Kinds Of Solitaire?

There are many different kinds of solitaire available for play online, on your computer, or on mobile devices. The most popular types of solitaire card games are:

Common Types of Solitaire Games


Spider Solitaire

Spider Solitaire is also known as Spider in About box or Microsoft Spider Solitaire. Microsoft introduced it with its Windows operating system and, over the years, this solitaire has become one of the most played pastime games on PCs.

The main goal of Spider Solitaire is to assemble all cards in the tableau in 10 columns before you move them to the foundation piles.

It uses two decks for a total of 104 playing cards, of which 54 are laid out in 10 stacks in the tableau in the initial deal.

You must clear all stacks on the tableau using the least moves to earn the most points possible. The difficulty levels range from an easy game with a single suit to a more challenging game where you play all 4 suits.

Klondike Solitaire

Klondike solitaire is a classic game and one of the most popular kinds. It is sometimes referred to as Patience and uses a single deck of 52 playing cards. Your main objective is to arrange the cards into four foundation piles each of the same suit and sorted in ascending order from A to K.

Tablet And Solitaire Game

The tableau in Klondike consists of seven piles with top cards placed face up while the rest are face-down cards. The remaining 24 cards are placed in a Stock, while those cards that don’t fit into either the tableau piles or foundations are thrown into the waste pile, also called talon.

Pyramid Solitaire

Pyramid Solitaire is known for its face pace and simple rules. It is sometimes called Pile of 28 or Solitaire 13. The game consists of a tableau of seven stacks of 28 face-up cards in total and shaped into a pyramid. The rest of the cards are taken into a draw pile.

The main aim of Pyramid Solitaire is to move all cards from the pyramid-shaped tableau by creating pairs with a total value of 13 points.

These pairs can be created from 2 face-up cards in the pyramid or by combining an exposed card from the pyramid and a draw a card from the draw stack.

In Pyramid solitaire, a King is worth 13 points, while the Q, J, and A are assigned 12, 11, and 1 point, respectively. The other number cards are worth their face value – i.e., 10 is worth 10 points, 9 is worth 9 points, and so on.

FreeCell Solitaire

FreeCell is an almost unique game of solitaire. It is the most strategic variant of all solitaire games. It consists of 4 free cell spaces that can be used in moving cards around while trying to clear the table of cards. If you are a strategic player who thinks several moves ahead, then you will love FreeCell solitaire.

Solitaire Tips And Tricks

Baker’s Dozen Solitaire

Baker’s Dozen Solitaire is often associated with Klondike solitaire because it uses a single deck of 52 cards. However, it has a tableau of 13 stacks in which all 52 cards are dealt out to face up. There is no deck or draw pile.

The chief objective of Baker’s Dozen Solitaire is to remove all 52 cards from the 13 columns of tableau and move them to the 4 foundation piles in increasing order from Aces to Kings. There is no need to stack the cards in alternating color in the tableau columns.

Yukon Solitaire

This is a close relative of Klondike, but you can move multiple cards at the same time. All, all of the 52 cards are dealt at the beginning of each round. The game’s objective is to remove all 52 cards from the tableau columns and arrange them in ascending order into foundation piles starting with Aces to Kings of the same suit.

Yukon Solitaire is laid out in the same format as Klondike, but all cards are dealt to the tableau piles face up.

Golf Solitaire

In Golf Solitaire, your game is better if you score the least points, as is the case with the game of golf, hence the game. The solitaire game’s layout includes 35 cards dealt into rows in the tableau. These cards are dealt out face up, and the remaining 17 cards form the draw pile.

As with other forms of solitaire, the aim of the game is to move all 35 cards from the rows of the tableau to a discard pile. You can move a card to the discard pile only if it ranks a point higher or lower than the most recent discarded card.

Canfield Solitaire


Canfield layout of the game consists of 4 same-valued cards forming the four respective foundations, 13 cards in the reserve stack, and 4 cards in the tableau right below the foundation piles. The remaining cards are stacked as part of the draw pile.

Cards On The Table

The objective of the game is to remove all 52 cards to form the 4 foundation piles, each of a suit and in ascending order from an Ace to a King.

How many versions of solitaire are there?


There are more than 150 versions of solitaire that have been derived from the three main variants:

  • Klondike Solitaire
  • Spider Solitaire
  • FreeCell Solitaire

Other popular solitaire games include:

  • Pyramid Solitaire
  • Baker’s Dozen Solitaire
  • Golf Solitaire
  • Yukon Solitaire
  • TriPeaks Solitaire
  • Little Spider Solitaire
  • Bowling Solitaire
  • Canfield Solitaire
  • Scorpion Solitaire
  • Solitaire Royale
  • Forty Thieves Solitaire
  • Accordion Solitaire
  • Bowling Solitaire (with bowling ball piles)

What is the difference between Klondike and classic solitaire?


The difference between Klondike and Classic solitaire is that Klondike Solitaire uses a single deck of 52 cards and the initial dealing involves forming a tableau of seven piles. On the other hand, classic solitaire uses two decks, and the tableau consists of 10 piles.

In classic solitaire, a single suit can be played, while in Klondike solitaire, you must play all four suits to complete the foundations and win the game.

What is the easiest Solitaire game?


The easiest solitaire game is Klondike Solitaire, followed by:

  • Yuko Solitaire
  • Forty Thieves Solitaire
  • Pyramid Solitaire
  • Scorpion Solitaire

How many types of solitaire games are there?


There are over 150 types of solitaire games, most of which have many variants and sub-variants. For instance, Klondike, one of the most popular types of solitaire, has close to 30 variants within the larger family. These variants can also vary slightly in rules, number of suits played, and much more.

 Most Common Type Of Solitaire

What is the most common type of solitaire?


Klondike solitaire is the most common type of solitaire. As of writing, there are more than 27 types of solitaire with millions of people playing the classic game. It is hands down the most popular solitaire game played nowadays. Klondike solitaire is sometimes known as demon patience or fascination solitaire. It is mistakenly called canfield in some places.

Which version of solitaire is best?


The best version of solitaire is Spider Solitaire. It has fewer winnable moves than FreeCell, but it is much more exciting. Meanwhile, it has higher odds of winning than Klondike with better gameplay, as well. It is a good in-between solitaire game.

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