Solitaire Tips & Tricks: Win More Games

Universal Tips for All Solitaire Variants

1. Always Think Several Moves Ahead

The hallmark of expert solitaire play is planning. Before making any move:

• Trace the consequences: What cards will this expose? What options will it open or close?
• Consider alternatives: Is there a better sequence of moves that achieves more?
• Visualize the outcome: Will this move help or hinder your long-term goals?

2. Prioritize Exposing Face-Down Cards

Every face-down card is a mystery that could contain crucial cards like Aces or cards needed to build sequences. Your top priority should always be revealing hidden cards:

• Target piles with the most face-down cards first - they offer the greatest potential for new options
• Sometimes it's worth breaking up sequences to expose a face-down card
• In Spider, prioritize clearing columns to expose tableau face-down cards

3. Master the Art of Empty Columns

Empty tableau columns are incredibly powerful - they're temporary storage spaces that give you enormous flexibility. Here's how to use them wisely:

• Don't rush to fill them: An empty column is more valuable than most cards you could place there
• Use them strategically: Move sequences temporarily to expose cards, then move them back
• Save them for Kings (Klondike/FreeCell): Only Kings can start new tableau piles, so empty columns are their only destination
• Use for sorting (Spider): Build complete sequences in empty columns before moving them to foundations

4. Don't Rush Cards to the Foundation

It's tempting to move cards to the foundation as soon as possible, but this can actually hurt your chances:

• Keep low cards available: 2s and 3s are often needed to build tableau sequences
• Maintain flexibility: Cards in the foundation can't be moved back (in most variants)
• Exception: Aces always go up - there's never a strategic reason to keep Aces in the tableau

5. Learn to Use Undo Strategically

The undo button isn't cheating - it's a learning tool and strategic aid:

• Test sequences: Try a move, see what it exposes, then undo if it's not helpful
• Avoid dead ends: If you realize you've blocked yourself, undo and try a different approach
• Learn patterns: Undoing helps you understand why certain moves don't work

6. Develop a Consistent Scanning Pattern

Before each move, scan the board systematically:

1. Check all tableau piles from left to right
2. Look at foundation piles to know what cards you need
3. Note empty spaces and free cells
4. Plan your sequence of moves
5. Execute the best option

This systematic approach prevents you from missing opportunities and helps you spot complex multi-move sequences.

Klondike-Specific Tips

Build Evenly Across Foundations

Try to keep all four foundations within 1-2 ranks of each other. This maintains maximum flexibility and prevents situations where you need a card that's already buried in a foundation.

Stock Management Strategy

• First pass through stock: Only take cards that expose face-down tableau cards or are immediately useful
• Second pass: Be more liberal with taking cards, but still prioritize tableau development
• Third pass and beyond: Now you must take any useful cards and work with what you have

The "Column Count" Technique

Count how many face-down cards are in each tableau column at the start. Focus your efforts on the columns with the most face-down cards, as clearing these gives you the most new information.

King Placement Priority

When you have multiple Kings to place in empty columns, follow this priority:

1. Kings with long sequences attached (frees up the most space)
2. Kings covering important cards (expose what's underneath)
3. Kings of the color you have more of (better building options)

Spider-Specific Tips

One-Suit vs Two-Suit vs Four-Suit

One-Suit Strategy: Play aggressively. You can build complete sequences quickly, so focus on clearing columns early.

Two-Suit Strategy: Moderate approach. Try to keep suits separate when possible, but don't sacrifice exposing cards for suit purity in the early game.

Four-Suit Strategy: Play conservatively. Suit-pure sequences are rare, so focus first on exposing all face-down cards before worrying about completing suits.

The Empty Column Multiplication Trick

Each empty column exponentially increases your power:

• 0 empty columns: Can only move suit-pure sequences
• 1 empty column: Can move sequences of up to 2× the length
• 2 empty columns: Can move sequences of up to 4× the length
• 3+ empty columns: Can move almost any sequence

Stock Timing is Critical

Before dealing from the stock:

• Make every possible move in the tableau first
• Ensure at least one empty column if possible
• Build any completable sequences
• Arrange piles to maximize future building options

Dealing from stock too early is the #1 mistake in Spider.

Build Down, Not Up

In Spider, you build downward sequences (King to Ace), but psychologically many players try to "collect" cards of the same rank. Instead:

• Focus on completing K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-A sequences
• Don't try to collect all Queens or all Jacks - this leads to messy piles
• Start with high cards and work down

FreeCell-Specific Tips

Free Cell Management

The four free cells are your most valuable resource:

• Try to keep at least one free cell empty at all times for maneuvering
• Use free cells for temporary storage, not long-term parking
• Prioritize removing Aces and 2s first - they're rarely needed in tableau
• Don't fill all free cells until absolutely necessary

The SuperMove Formula

FreeCell players should memorize this formula for how many cards you can move at once:

Examples:

• 2 free cells, 1 empty column: (1+2) × 2¹ = 6 cards
• 1 free cell, 2 empty columns: (1+1) × 2² = 8 cards
• 4 free cells, 0 empty columns: (1+4) × 2⁰ = 5 cards

Analyze Before You Start

FreeCell is almost always solvable, so take 30 seconds at the start to:

• Identify deeply buried Aces - these determine your critical path
• Spot problematic sequences - long same-color runs that can't be easily broken
• Plan your first 5-10 moves - FreeCell rewards planning

Foundation Building Pace

In FreeCell, it's generally safe to move cards to foundations more aggressively than in Klondike, because:

• All cards are visible from the start
• You can see if you'll need a card before moving it up
• The game is about maneuvering space, not information

TriPeaks-Specific Tips

Peak Priority Strategy

Focus on one peak at a time rather than spreading your efforts:

• Complete one peak early to expose more cards
• Choose the peak with the most immediately playable cards
• Once you clear a peak, move to the next

Stock Timing

Unlike other variants, TriPeaks gives you full control of stock usage:

• Try to clear at least 3-4 cards before using stock
• Save stock for when you're truly stuck
• Creating streaks is worth using stock if it sets up a long run

Maximize Streaks

Long streaks are the key to high scores and wins:

• Look for "chain" opportunities where one card enables multiple others
• Sometimes it's worth taking a suboptimal card if it extends your streak
• Kings and Aces end streaks - try to save them for last

Pyramid-Specific Tips

Card Value Math

Memorize complementary pairs (cards that sum to 13):

• King = 13 (removed alone)
• Queen (12) + Ace (1)
• Jack (11) + 2
• 10 + 3
• 9 + 4
• 8 + 5
• 7 + 6

Uncover Strategically

• Always remove Kings immediately - they free up 2 cards beneath
• Prioritize removing cards that block multiple cards
• Try to maintain balanced pyramid shape - avoid creating tall "towers"

Stock Awareness

• Count cards as you go - know how many of each rank remain
• Don't rush through the stock - wait for optimal pyramid cards to appear
• Sometimes it's better to cycle stock than make a pyramid move

Golf-Specific Tips

Sequence Planning

• Plan your column order - which column to tackle first, second, etc.
• Save columns with extreme cards (Aces, Kings) for last
• Try to maintain at least 2 playable options at all times

Stock Conservation

You have limited stock cards, so:

• Only use stock when you have no tableau moves
• Try to clear at least 5-6 cards before first stock use
• Save stock for emergencies in the late game

The Wrap-Around Trick

In some Golf variants, you can wrap around (King-Ace or Ace-King). If your version allows this:

• Aces and Kings become much more valuable
• Create "pivot points" where you can change direction
• Plan sequences that loop back

Advanced Mental Techniques

Pattern Recognition

Experienced players recognize common patterns instantly:

• "Color lock": When alternating colors block each other
• "Buried treasure": When crucial cards are trapped under long sequences
• "Dead column": When a column has no useful moves available
• "Chain reaction": When one move enables a cascade of moves

Probability Thinking

• In Klondike, estimate odds of useful cards being in the stock vs tableau
• In Spider, track suits to know which cards remain in face-down piles
• In FreeCell, calculate move complexity before committing to a path

Recovery Strategies

When you're in trouble:

• Don't panic - slow down and analyze
• Work backward from your goal - what needs to happen to win?
• Look for forced moves - moves you must make eventually
• Consider the undo button if you've painted yourself into a corner

Practice and Improvement

Deliberate Practice Techniques

• Play the same deal multiple times to explore different strategies
• Study your losses - where did things go wrong?
• Set specific goals - "Today I'll focus on not rushing to foundations"
• Track your win rate to measure improvement

Learn from Experts

• Watch expert players on YouTube or Twitch
• Read strategy guides for your favorite variants
• Join solitaire communities to discuss strategies
• Study game deal numbers that experts have solved

Progressive Difficulty

Build your skills gradually:

1. Start with FreeCell - almost always solvable, teaches planning
2. Move to Klondike - introduces luck and decision-making under uncertainty
3. Try Spider (1-suit) - learn sequence building
4. Progress to Spider (2-suit and 4-suit) - master advanced techniques
5. Explore specialty variants - apply learned skills to new challenges

Quick Reference Checklist

Before every move, ask yourself:

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Apply These Tips?

The best way to improve is to start playing with these strategies in mind. Pick one or two tips from this guide to focus on in your next game, and gradually incorporate more techniques as they become second nature.