Solitaire Terms: A Glossary for Gameplay

When you want to play Solitaire, it’s essential to know the different Solitaire terms and rules of the game. While Solitaire variations have different layouts, they use similar terms to explain actions, areas, and card movements.

Understanding these terms helps you follow the rules more easily and make strategic decisions. From setup to strategy, keep important Solitaire terms at your fingertips, so you can play any game variation and focus on winning.

Solitaire Setup Terms

These Solitaire terms make sense of the different piles of cards so you know how to set up Solitaire correctly.

Base card: The first card that starts a foundation pile. In many variations, foundation piles start with an ace. In some variations, like Canfield, one base card is revealed at the start of the game. That base card becomes the rank that each foundation pile must start with and can change with every deal.

Cells: Open spaces used to move cards in Solitaire variations, such as FreeCell and Baker’s Game. These free cells act as a temporary placeholders, giving you extra space to move cards out of the way when trying to build a sequence in the tableau.

Columns: Vertical stacks of cards in the tableau. A stack of cards may be facedown, face up, or a mix of both. Use cards from these stacks to arrange sequences on the tableau.

Discard pile: See waste pile.

Foundation piles: Stacks of cards arranged in a particular order to win the game. In Solitaire Turn 1 and Solitaire Turn 3, you win the game after you arrange all the cards into four foundation piles that ascend in order by suit. How many foundation piles are used and how you arrange cards in those piles depends on the variation you’re playing.

Layout: The way you deal out the cards. Classic Solitaire deals out seven columns of cards onto the tableau and uses a stockpile, waste pile, and four foundation piles. Layouts change with each version. For example, variations like Pyramid and TriPeaks have layouts with pyramid shapes. Also called the setup.

Overlapping: A way to arrange cards in the layout. When cards are arranged in columns or shapes in the layout, they usually overlap slightly. A card cannot be played if it has another card overlapping it in many Solitaire games unless it’s part of a proper sequence, but a few variations allow you to move overlapping face-up stacks that aren’t sequenced.

Random deal: A deal that you may or may not win. With each new game, you can choose a random deal to randomize your chances at winning the game.

Reserve pile: A separate column of cards you must use in the game. In Canfield, you have a reserve pile of 13 cards that must move to tableau when an empty space becomes available.

Setup: See layout.

Stacks: See columns.

Stockpile: A stack of cards that sit facedown by the tableau to draw from. After dealing, the remaining cards go into the stockpile. When you get stuck, you turn cards over from the stockpile into the waste pile in most variations. How many you turn depends on the variation. For example, Solitaire Turn 1 and Solitaire Turn 3 have you turn over one and three cards at a time, respectively. On the other hand, some variations like Yukon use no stockpile.

Tableau: The playing area in which you arrange cards. Use the tableau to build sequences and reveal hidden cards so you can move cards onto the foundation piles and win. Some variations require you to pair cards in the tableau with cards in the stockpile instead of creating sequences.

Talon: See waste pile.

Waste pile: The waste pile is where stockpile cards are moved when you need them. If you get stuck and cannot make moves on the tableau, you turn over one card from the stockpile and place it face up onto the waste pile. For variations, such as Solitaire Turn 3, you turn over three cards. In all games, only the top card of the waste pile can be played, and if you play it, the next face-up card in the waste pile is then available to play. While this pile is used in most Solitaire games, some variations, like TriPeaks, don’t have a waste pile. Also called the discard pile or talon.

Winnable deal: A deal that can be won. With each new game, you can choose to select a winnable deal if you want to be sure you have a path to winning the game.

Solitaire Gameplay Terms

As you work through how to play Solitaire, knowing these terms can help you move through the game quicker.

Ascending sequence: A sequence that begins with an ace and ascends to king. Also called building up.

Available: Describes a card that can be played. In most variations, cards that are not overlapping or facedown are available to play, but sometimes, like in Solitaire Turn 1, an overlapping column of face-up cards that are properly sequenced are also considered available for movement. Available face-up cards are sometimes described as exposed.

Blocked: When you’re no longer able to make progress in a game. When you are completely blocked from moving, you lose the game. Your only options are to undo moves or start a new game. Also called being bricked.

Bricked: See blocked.

Build: Creating sequences in the tableau or on foundation piles; also a reference to sequences. You stack cards in ascending or descending order to build sequences. Sometimes you have to build them with the same suit, like ascending order of the same suit for a foundation pile, or you have to alternate colors, like when building sequences in Solitaire Turn 3, which descend in order and alternate in color.

Building down: See descending sequence.

Building up: See ascending sequence.

Deal: Creating the layout for gameplay. How you deal the cards and the order in which you deal the different setups depends on the variation. Most variations have varying amounts of cards dealt facedown and face up.

Deck: A set of 52 playing cards that include the ace to king for each suit, hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spade. Many Solitaire games, such as Solitaire Turn 1 and FreeCell, use one standard, 52-card deck, but other variations might need two decks, such as Forty Thieves and Baker’s Game. Many times, the extra deck of cards adds to the difficulty level of the game.

Descending sequence: Also called building down.

Exposed: See available.

Facedown: When a card is flipped so you can’t see the rank. Cards in a stockpile are typically turned facedown so that their ranks are hidden, and in Classic Solitaire, some columns in the tableau will have facedown cards that need to be revealed and played. Other variations, such as FreeCell and Baker’s Game, have no facedown cards.

Flip: See turn.

Pair: To place two cards together as a set. In some variations, you arrange cards by pairing instead of sequencing them in order. For example, Golf and TriPeaks require you to pair the foundation card with a card from the tableau that is one rank higher or lower. Pyramid requires you to pair the waste pile card with one from the tableau that adds up to 13.

Rank: The specific position of a card in a particular order. The basic rank that cards follow for most Solitaire games is, in ascending order, ace, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, jack, queen, king. Descending order begins with the rank of king and ends with the rank of ace.

Sequence: Placing cards into a specific order; can also refer to the actual column of ordered cards. You must place cards into some kind of ranking order in most Solitaire games. For example, you sequence cards into ascending order when placing them into foundation piles in Solitaire Turn 1, but you put cards into descending order when arranging columns in the tableau.

Suit: The groups of cards in a standard deck, specifically, hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. Suits are used in different ways for different variations. For example, when playing Classic Solitaire, you arrange foundation piles into ascending order by suit, but suit doesn’t matter — just color — when arranging them into descending sequences on the tableau. But for games, such as Spider Solitaire, you arrange cards by suit in the tableau.

Top card: The card at the top of a pile. When playing Solitaire, you can move cards to and from specific piles, but you can only play the card on top.

Topmost card: See top card.

Turn: Revealing a facedown card by flipping it face up. In Solitaire Turn 1 and Solitaire Turn 3, as the name suggests, you turn over facedown cards from the stockpile face up into the waste pile. When a buried facedown card on the tableau is uncovered, you can reveal it by turning it face up. Also called flip.

Win rate: How often a game is won, expressed as a percentage. The win rate statistic can reveal how difficult a Solitaire game is. Forty Thieves and TriPeaks have a lower win rate, which means they are more difficult than games like Solitaire Turn 1 and FreeCell, which have higher win rate percentages.

Wrap: To continue a sequence of rank by placing an ace on a king, for ascending order, or a king on an ace, when descending in order. In Canfield, the base card dictates what rank begins each foundation pile, which ascends in rank. So for most games, you will ascend to king but have to wrap ranks to ace and ascend from there. In games like Golf, where you pair cards that are one rank higher or lower, you cannot wrap ranks. So a king can only be paired with a queen, and an ace can only be paired with a two.

Solitaire Strategy Terms

Each of the different types of Solitaire require you to use specific Solitaire strategies. So knowing these terms helps you navigate different variations and strategies.

Alternating sequence: When a sequence alternates between colors but maintains rank order. When playing variations, like Spider Solitaire 2 Suits and Spider Solitaire 4 Suits, you can build sequences in descending order by suit or in an alternating sequence. Because you need to have foundations built by suit, you should hold off using an alternating sequence and use it only when necessary or limit it to just one or two columns.

Cycle: Flipping through a pile, specifically the stockpile. In Solitaire Turn 1 and Solitaire Turn 3, you can cycle through the stockpile as many times as you want, so flip through it a few times before you begin playing to know what cards are hidden in it.

Counting cards: Tracking cards that have or haven’t been played. If you count the cards you’re using and can see in the tableau or in the stockpile, you can narrow down what cards might be hidden elsewhere in the layout, which can help you plan your future moves.

Hidden: Describes cards that are facedown and/or unknown. Most Solitaire games have cards that are hidden, whether they’re in a stockpile, reserve pile, or facedown in columns on the tableau. Target uncovering hidden cards so you can add them to your gameplay.

Hint button: Option that allows you to get a hint for your next move. If you get stuck, hitting the Hint button will highlight movable cards, giving you options, if you have any, for gameplay.

Multiples: More than one of the same rank of card visible. Multiples can block your gameplay, so scan your tableau for multiples and strategize for how you’ll use them.

Prioritize: To place in an order of importance. In Solitaire, you should scan the tableau and prioritize moves that reveal hidden cards, create the most subsequent moves, and get multiples into play.

Reveal: To make known. Whenever you have hidden cards in a Solitaire layout, you want to prioritize revealing those cards so you can get them into your gameplay.

Same-suit sequence: A descending or ascending sequence of cards from one suit. Many variations have you creating a same-suit sequence, especially when moving cards to foundation piles to win. In variations that can create both same-suit and alternating sequences, prioritize same-suit sequences when possible.

Stacking: To add on to a column. Any time you move cards on the tableau, you stack them onto other cards, but in some variations, such as Spider Solitaire, a draw from the stockpile results in stacking one card at the bottom of every column, which makes movement more difficult, which means using the stockpile only when necessary.

Supermove: When moving one card results in several sequential moves. When playing more difficult variations, such as Yukon and Forty Thieves, plan ahead to discover which card movements will result in the biggest supermoves.

Undo button: Option that allows you to undo one or more moves. If you get stuck when playing and have no moves left, use the undo button to reverse your moves until you get to a place where you can move cards again.

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