Before you can win at solitaire, you have to set it up right. The deal looks a little fancy, but it follows a simple pattern. Once you learn it, you can lay out a game in under a minute with real cards or click start online.
- Klondike solitaire uses seven columns of cards in the tableau.
- Each column has one more card than the last, and only the top card is face-up.
- The leftover 24 cards become the stock, sitting off to the side.
- Four empty spots up top are the foundations where you build each suit.
What you need to start
For classic Klondike solitaire, you need one standard deck of 52 cards. Take out the jokers first. You also want a flat surface with enough room for seven columns and a few extra piles. A table works great. So does the floor if the table is full.
Give the deck a good shuffle. A messy shuffle is fine, and it is actually better, because you want the cards mixed up. If you play Klondike online, the shuffle happens for you with one click. Either way, the setup rules stay the same.
Dealing the tableau
The tableau is the main play area. It is made of seven columns. You deal them from left to right in a staircase shape. Here is the count for each column.
| Column | Total cards | Face-up cards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 5 | 5 | 1 |
| 6 | 6 | 1 |
| 7 | 7 | 1 |
The trick is that only the last card in each column faces up. All the cards under it stay face-down. So the first column shows one card. The seventh column shows one card on top of six hidden ones. That adds up to 28 cards on the table.
The stock and waste piles
After you deal the 28 tableau cards, you have 24 cards left. Those become the stock. You place them face-down in their own spot, usually the top left. The stock is your backup supply. When you get stuck in the tableau, you draw from it.
Right next to the stock is the waste pile. It starts empty. Every time you draw from the stock, the card lands face-up in the waste. The top waste card is always ready to play. Some games flip one card at a time, and some flip three. If you want the full breakdown, our guide on turn 3 versus turn 1 explains how that choice changes the game.
The foundation spots
Above the tableau sit four empty spaces. These are the foundations, one for each suit. They stay empty at the start. Your job during the game is to fill them. Each foundation begins with an Ace and climbs in order up to the King.
So a full spade foundation reads Ace, 2, 3, all the way to King, in that exact order. When all four foundations are complete, you win. Keeping an eye on these spots helps you see how close you are to finishing.
Reading the layout
Once the deal is done, take a second to read the table before you rush in. Look for any Aces or 2s you can move up to the foundations right away. Then scan the tableau for cards you can stack. Remember, tableau stacks go down in number and switch colors.
Also notice which columns have the most hidden cards. Those deep columns are the ones you want to dig into, because they hide cards you need. Learning these names and habits early makes every game smoother. Our solitaire glossary is handy if a term ever trips you up.
How other games are set up
Not every solitaire game deals the same way. The setup changes based on the puzzle. Here are a few quick examples.
- Spider: Uses two decks and deals ten columns instead of seven.
- FreeCell: Deals all 52 cards face-up in eight columns, with four open cells.
- Pyramid: Stacks 28 cards in a pyramid shape with overlapping rows.
You can explore these layouts on our games page. Each one looks a bit different, but they all share the same idea of a start deal and a goal.
Your table is ready
Setting up solitaire comes down to a few clear steps. Deal seven columns in a staircase, with only the top card face-up. Set the leftover 24 cards aside as the stock, keep the waste pile next to it, and leave four empty foundation spots up top. That is the whole layout.
Once you can read the tableau, stock, waste, and foundations at a glance, you are ready to play with confidence. Take a moment to plan your first few moves, and the game will open up in front of you. A good setup is the first step toward a good win.