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10 Solo Card Games

Updated: May 17, 2023

Table of contents

1. Klondike
2. FreeCell
3. Spider Solitaire
4. Demon Solitaire
5. Emperor Solitaire
6. Pyramid Solitaire
7. Australian Patience
8. Scorpion Solitaire
9. Crescent Solitaire
10. Thieves of Egypt

Here at Euchre.com, we love going on and on about our favorite card games (one of which is obviously Euchre), but unfortunately, day-to-day life makes free time scarce. We don’t have many opportunities to enjoy the activities we love with the people we hold dear. Classic Euchre requires four players. It’s adaptable for two, but there is no variant for a single person.

In these cases, there is always the option to play one or more of the many solo card games out there. All you need is one (or two) deck of cards. Or, since we live in the 21st century, you could find those games online, or install them on your mobile device.

In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the best solitaire card games out there and what makes them so engaging.

1. Klondike

Klondike, also known as Solitaire, the most popular solo card game in the world, is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The objective is to move all the cards from the tableau to the foundation piles, building them up in each suit from Ace to King.

The game begins with seven tableau piles, with the first pile containing one card, the second pile containing two cards, the third pile containing three cards, and so on. The top card of each tableau pile is face up, while the remaining cards are face down. Another face down stockpile contains the remaining cards.

You must turn over the cards one at a time (in some variants three at a time) and move cards from the tableau to the foundation piles. You can move cards in the tableau to other tableau piles in descending order and alternating colors.

Find Klondike Solitaire on Google Play
Find Klondike Solitaire on the App Store

2. FreeCell

FreeCell is a popular card game played with a deck of 52 cards. There is also a variant played with two decks. You deal all cards face up into eight columns, then move them to the foundation piles in ascending order, Ace to King.

Only the bottom card in each column is available for play. You can move cards between columns in descending order and alternating colors. The goal is to build the foundation piles in ascending order and in the same suit. All the cards are visible from the beginning, allowing you to see all your options and plan your moves accordingly.

Play FreeCell Solitaire Online

3. Spider Solitaire

Spider Solitaire requires at least eight decks of cards (yes, eight). In Spider Solitaire, your goal is to build foundation decks from a single suit. This means you need to build eight foundation decks from Ace to King, and all of them in spades. There is also a variant to use two suits, and three suits.

After you deal the cards, move cards over each other until you build a full column from King to Ace, and then you bring the column to the finished foundation decks. You can’t use any of those cards anymore. You can add another row of cards to the columns when you run out of moves.

Play Spider Solitaire Online

4. Demon Solitaire

In Demon Solitaire, you will use two standard decks. Your goal is to move all the cards to the eight foundation piles. You can add a card to a foundation pile if it is one rank higher than the current top card of the pile and has the same suit.

You have one reserve pile that initially contains forty cards. The top card is face up, while the rest are face down. The tableau consists of eight piles, each containing one face up. You can add a card to a tableau pile if it is one rank lower than the current top card and has the opposite color. Remember that the top card of the waste pile is available for play to the tableau or the foundation. Enjoy the game.

Play Demon Solitaire Online

5. Emperor Solitaire

To play Emperor Solitaire, you need two standard 52-card decks. Your goal is to build eight foundations from Ace to King. You deal ten piles, eight cards each. The first three rows are dealt face down, while the last row is face up. The remaining cards form the stock.

Turn cards in the stock one at a time and place them on the piles or foundations. If you can’t use a card from the stock, place it face up in the waste pile. Only the top card of a pile can be moved when placed on a card of the opposite color and with a rank that is next-lower in sequence.

Play Emperor Solitaire Online

6. Pyramid Solitaire

You deal a pyramid of cards face up on the playing area. Arrange the cards in seven rows, with the first row containing one card, the second row containing two cards, and so on until the seventh row. Place the remaining cards in a stockpile.

Pair the cards if their combined value equals 13. For example, pair a king with an ace, or a queen with a two. You can only pair if the cards are uncovered. The goal is to clear the cards on top to reveal the ones below. If you can’t make a pair, draw a card from the stockpile. You can only draw a maximum of three times per game. You win when you pair all the cards in the pyramid.

Play Pyramid Solitaire Online

7. Australian Patience

In One-player Australian Patience, you play with a single standard deck of 52 cards. To start the game, the player shuffles the cards and deals 28 cards in a tableau of 7 columns, 4 cards each. All the cards in the tableau are face up.

The remaining 24 cards are stacked face down to create the draw pile. Next to the draw pile, there is space for a face-up waste pile, which starts empty. Your aim is to build all the cards by suit onto four foundation piles beginning with the Aces. you have to build the tableau columns downwards in suit and move any column of cards whose top card fits onto the column.

Play Australian Patience Online

8. Scorpion Solitaire

You start Scorpion Solitaire with seven tableau piles, each with a single card facing up. Place the remaining cards in the stockpile, with the top card turned over and placed in the waste pile. Build the cards down in the tableau piles in rank and alternating colors. The cards in the waste pile can be moved to the tableau piles or the foundation piles.

You can move the cards from one tableau pile to another, regardless of the sequence of cards in the pile. For example, if a black nine is on top of a tableau pile, you can move a red ten on top of it, even if there are other cards below the black nine. You win when you build all the foundation piles in each suit from Ace to King.

Play Scorpion Solitaire Online

9. Crescent Solitaire

You set up the Crescent Solitaire with a crescent-shaped tableau of 16 cards. Arrange the cards in the shape of a crescent with a single row of 4 cards at the top, followed by a row of 5 cards below that, and finally, a row of 6 cards at the bottom. Place the remaining cards in the stockpile and deal one card face up to the waste pile.

Build the cards onto the foundation piles, one from Ace to King, and the next from King to Ace. Once you move a card to a foundation pile, you can’t move it back to the tableau. Cards in the tableau can be moved to the waste pile if they are one rank higher or lower than the card on the waste pile, and they are of the same suit.

Play Crescent Solitaire Online

10. Thieves of Egypt

The solitaire game of Thieves of Egypt begins with thirteen tableau piles of cards, with only the top card face up. Move the cards from one tableau pile to another in descending order and alternating colors. Have three cards at a time in the reserve pile. Use them to start a new tableau pile, or fill in empty spaces in the tableau piles. Once the reserve pile has been exhausted, any card from the waste pile can fill in empty spaces.

Solo card games offer a wealth of entertainment, challenge, and relaxation for players of all skill levels. There is a wide diversity of rules to play solitaire card games from the timeless classic of Klondike Solitaire to the complexity of Thieves of Egypt. There is always a new challenge to discover and keep the tedious boredom away.

But, in the end, if you’re not in the mood for solo card games, you can always enter Euchre.com and play online with people from all over the world.