Before you can win at Klondike, you have to deal it right. The layout looks tricky the first time, but it follows one simple pattern. This guide breaks the setup into small steps you can copy every game.
- Klondike uses one full 52-card deck with the jokers removed.
- You deal seven tableau piles, growing from one card to seven.
- Only the top card of each pile starts face-up.
- Leftover cards form the stock, and four empty spots wait for the foundations.
Gather your deck and space
Start with one standard deck of 52 cards. Pull out both jokers. Shuffle well, at least a few times, so the game is random and fair.
Find a flat, open surface. You will spread cards into seven columns across, plus room above for four more piles, so a table works better than your lap. If you would rather skip the shuffle and jump straight in, the free Klondike game deals a perfect board for you every time.
Deal the seven tableau piles
The tableau is the main play area. It is seven piles in a row, and each one holds one more card than the pile before it. Here is the exact order.
- Deal one card to make pile one.
- Deal one card to piles two through seven, so you now have seven single cards.
- Go back to pile two and add a card. Add one to piles three through seven as well.
- Keep repeating, starting one pile further right each pass, until pile seven has seven cards.
When you are done, count them. Pile one has 1 card, pile two has 2, and so on up to pile seven with 7. That is 28 cards total in the tableau.
| Pile | Cards | Face-up |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 5 | 5 | 1 |
| 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 7 | 7 | 1 |
Flip the top cards face-up
Here is the key part many people miss. In each pile, only the very top card is face-up. Every card under it stays face-down until you free it during play.
So after the deal, you should see exactly seven face-up cards, one on each pile. The other 21 cards in the tableau are hidden. Turning those hidden cards over is a big part of how you win, which our Klondike strategy guide covers in detail.
Set the stock and waste
You dealt 28 cards into the tableau. That leaves 24 cards in your hand. This stack is the stock, and you place it off to one side, face-down.
Next to the stock you leave an empty spot for the waste pile. When you draw from the stock, the cards land here face-up. In the classic game you flip three at a time, though flipping one at a time makes the game much easier. You can read more about that choice on our rules page.
Leave room for the foundations
Above the tableau, leave four open spaces. These are the foundations, and they start empty. Each one will hold a single suit built from Ace up to King.
You do not place anything there during setup. The moment you turn up an Ace, it goes to a foundation and one pile begins. Keeping these four spots clear and ready is the last piece of a correct deal.
Your Klondike board is ready
Once the seven piles are stacked one to seven, the top card of each is flipped, the 24-card stock sits to the side, and four foundation spots wait above, your Klondike Solitaire is set up correctly. From here you can start moving cards, building down in alternating colors, and sending Aces up top. The setup takes under a minute once you learn the pattern, and it is the same every single game. If you want to try other layouts next, our game list has plenty to explore.