How many cards are used in solitaire?

The short answer is 52, but a handful of popular variants double that, which changes how the whole game feels.

Quick answer: Most solitaire games, including Klondike, FreeCell, Pyramid and TriPeaks, use one standard 52-card deck with no jokers. A few use two full decks shuffled together, 104 cards in all: Spider and Forty Thieves are the best-known double-deck games.

Single-deck games

The great majority of solitaire games use exactly one 52-card deck, four suits of thirteen ranks, and no jokers. Klondike, FreeCell, Pyramid, TriPeaks, Golf and Yukon all fit here. Fifty-two cards is small enough to solve at a table yet large enough to hide plenty of tricky positions.

Double-deck games

Some variants shuffle two decks together for 104 cards. Spider and Forty Thieves are the classics. The extra deck means duplicate cards and far bigger tableaus, which is a large part of why these games play out longer and, in Spider's four-suit form, rank among the hardest solitaire games.

Why the count matters

Deck size drives difficulty and pacing. A 52-card game is often over in a few minutes, while a 104-card game is a longer campaign with more to track. If you're new, single-deck games are the gentler place to start.

Play Klondike Solitaire

Related questions

How do you play solitaire?

In the classic Klondike game, you deal seven tableau columns and build them down in alternating colors, while moving Aces up to four foundation piles and building each foundation up by suit to the King. Draw from the stock to find cards you need. Clear all 52 cards to the foundations to win.

What is Spider solitaire?

Spider is a popular two-deck solitaire played across ten tableau columns. You build cards down in sequence and complete full King-to-Ace runs of a single suit, which then clear the board. Winning needs eight complete runs. You pick 1, 2 or 4 suits, which sets the difficulty from easy to brutal.

What is Forty Thieves solitaire?

Forty Thieves is a challenging two-deck solitaire, sometimes called Napoleon at St Helena. You build eight foundations up by suit and the tableau down by suit, one card at a time, with only a single pass through the stock. The strict rules and no redeals make it one of the harder classics.