Patience Solitaire Classic rules and counting

There are many types of card games called solitaire. This app offers the classic, oldest, variant, also called patience or klondike.

This unique app offers pure gameplay with high quality graphics and not interrupted by any ads in the free version.

Four suits of playing cards

Classic solitaire is played with one pack of 52 playing cards.
There are 13 cards for each of the four suits below. The rank of cards in Solitaire games is: King (highest), Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and Ace (lowest).

The Deal

When you start a new game, the 52 cards are dealt to form a game board like this:

Four different types of piles

The Tableau: Seven piles that make up the main table.
The Foundations: Four piles on which a whole suit or sequence must be built up. In Klondike Solitaire games, the four aces are the bottom card or base of the foundations.
The Stock (or “Hand”) Pile: If the entire pack is not laid out in a tableau at the beginning of a game, the remaining cards form the stock pile from which additional cards are brought into play according to the rules.
The Talon (or “Waste”) Pile: Cards from the stock pile that have no place in the tableau or on foundations are laid face up in the waste pile.

When starting out, the foundations do not have any cards. If you play with real cards, the waste pile is also empty at the start. All apps deal the first three (classic) or one (easier) card from the stock pile to the waste pile automatically.

Objective of the Game

The first objective is to release and play into position certain cards to build up each foundation, in sequence and in suit, from the ace through the king. The ultimate objective is to build the whole pack onto the foundations, and if that can be done, the Solitaire game is won.

The solitaire game is won: only the Foundation or Build piles are filled, with 13 cards each from lowest (Ace) to highest (King) of the same suit.

The Play

The initial array may be changed by “building” – transferring cards among the face-up cards in the tableau. Certain cards of the tableau can be played at once, while others may not be played until certain blocking cards are removed. For example, of the seven cards facing up in the tableau, if one is a nine and another is a ten, you may transfer the nine to on top of the ten (if from a different colour) to begin building that pile in sequence. Since you have moved the nine from one of the seven piles, you have now unblocked a face down card; this card can be turned over and now is in play.

As you transfer cards in the tableau and begin building sequences, if you uncover an ace, the ace should be placed in one of the foundation piles. The foundations get built by suit and in sequence from ace to king.

Continue to transfer cards on top of each other in the tableau in sequence. If you can’t move any more face up cards, you can utilize the stock pile by flipping over the first card. This card can be played in the foundations or tableau. If you cannot play the card in the tableau or the foundations piles, move the card to the waste pile and turn over another card in the stock pile.

If a vacancy in the tableau is created by the removal of cards elsewhere it is called a “space”, and it is of major importance in manipulating the tableau. If a space is created, it can only be filled in with a king. Filling a space with a king could potentially unblock one of the face down cards in another pile in the tableau.

Continue to transfer cards in the tableau and bring cards into play from the stock pile until all the cards are built in suit sequences in the foundation piles to win!

Rules for patience klondike-style

Deal new cards to the Waist pile by tapping on the Stock pile (face down card on top-left or top-right).
Recycle the Waist pile by tapping on the empty slot for the Stock pile filled with the recycle-icon. The sequence of cards in the Waist pile will stay the same:
The first card in a Build pile must be an Ace.
After the initial Ace, all other cards in a Build pile must be of the same suit and from lowest to highest. Example: you can move the 2 of spades on top of the ace of spades in a build pile, followed by the 3 of spades, then the 4 of spades etc. until you complete this build pile with the King of spades.
An empty slot or “space” in the Tableau can only be filled with a King.
Cards can be added to a pile or column of the Tableau with an alternating colour and from highest to lowest. Example: you can only move a red Queen (suit hearts or diamonds) on top of a black King (suit clubs or spades) etc.
The solitaire game can no longer be lost if all cards are face up. And, only when dealing three cards, there is only one card left in the Waist pile. In this situation, the “Auto win” button will appear, so the app can perform the obvious final moves until a completely won game for you.
It is allowed to temporarily move cards back from a Foundation pile to a pile/column on the Tableau. This can be a necessary strategy to reveal cards that are still face down, such that the game can move forward.

Standard Counting

You earn points by moving cards:

Per card from the Waist pile to a Build pile: +10 points.
Per card from the Waist pile to a Tableau column/pile: +5 points.
Per card from a Tableau column/pile to a Build pile: +10 points.
Revealing a card of the Tableau (from face down to face up): +5 points.
Moving a card from one Tableau pile to another (dragging multiple cards counts as one): +3 points.
Per card moving back from a Build pile to a Tableau column/pile, necessary for a strategy to complete the game: -/- 15 points.
Per move you undo: -/- 2 points.
Per recycle of the Waist pile back to the Stock pile, after you have passed through the Stock already four times when dealing three cards: -/- 20 points.
Per recycle of the Waist pile back to the Stock pile, from the second time you pass through the Stock when dealing one card at a time: -/- 100 points.

Time bonus

If you select the Show time and moves setting then you earn additional points by completing a game as quickly as possible. Your time bonus is 700,000 divided by the number of seconds it took you to win the game.
Example: winning in 10 minutes and 20 seconds earns you 700,000 / 620 = 1,129 extra points as time bonus.

Vegas counting

For every new game your score is deducted by $52. This amount is your stake, as you are betting against “the house”. You have to earn it back (at least) by moving cards:

Every card moved from the Waist pile or a Tableau column to a Build pile earns you $5.
For every card moved back from a Build pile to the Tableau, applying a strategy to move the game forward, will cost you $5.

Additional rules Vegas-style klondike solitaire

Only random games are allowed, to make winning from “the house” depend on your skill and luck only and not our algorithm to select winning decks. This app will automatically generate a new random game after you selected Vegas counting.
Only three passes allowed through the Stock pile if you draw three cards to the Waist pile and only one pass if you draw one card at once. You will see a pop-up if this limit is reached, after which you can no longer tap on the Stock pile for more cards or to recycle the Waist pile.