How to Play Saratoga Solitaire

Game Objective

The objective of Saratoga Solitaire is to move all 52 cards from the tableau and stock to the four foundations, with each foundation built in ascending order from Ace to King within a single suit. A player wins when all four foundations are complete.

Setup & Layout

Saratoga Solitaire is played with a single standard deck of 52 playing cards. The game begins with the cards dealt into a specific arrangement:

Tableau: Seven piles are arranged in a cascading pattern. The first pile contains one card, the second pile contains two cards, the third pile contains three cards, and this pattern continues until the seventh pile contains seven cards. All tableau cards are dealt face up, making all cards visible from the start of the game.

Foundations: Four empty foundation piles are established, one for each suit (hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades). These piles will be built upon during gameplay.

Stock: The remaining cards not used in the tableau setup are placed face down in a single pile called the stock.

Waste: One waste pile is created adjacent to the stock. Cards from the stock are dealt to the waste pile during gameplay.

Saratoga Solitaire Rules

Foundation Building Rules

An Ace may be moved to an empty foundation pile to begin that foundation. Once an Ace is placed, the foundation builds upward in ascending order by the same suit. For example, the 5 of spades may move onto the 4 of spades, and the sequence continues with 6 of spades, 7 of spades, 8 of spades, and so forth, up to the King. Only the top card of each foundation is movable, meaning cards can only be added to the top of a foundation pile.

Tableau Building Rules

The tableau builds downward in descending rank with alternating colors. For example, the 6 of spades (black) may move onto the 7 of diamonds (red), and the 6 of hearts (red) may move onto the 7 of clubs (black). Starting with a 6 of hearts, the following sequence can build on top: 5 of spades, 4 of diamonds, 3 of clubs, continuing the pattern of descending rank and alternating colors.

Sequences of multiple cards that are built in proper descending order with alternating colors may move together as a group from one tableau pile to another. This allows for efficient clearing of tableau piles.

Empty tableau piles have a special restriction: only a King may move to an empty tableau pile. No other cards or sequences may be placed in an empty tableau.

Stock and Waste Rules

The stock operates with unlimited passes. When the stock is tapped or clicked, three cards are dealt face up to the waste pile. There is no restriction on how many times the waste pile can be redealt to the stock, meaning a player may cycle through the stock multiple times without penalty. Only the top card of the waste pile is movable to either the tableau or foundations.

Gameplay

During each turn, a player may perform the following actions:

Move cards to foundations: If an Ace is visible in the tableau or waste, it may be moved to an empty foundation. Subsequently, any card in the tableau or waste that matches the suit and is one rank higher than the top card of a foundation may be moved to that foundation.

Move cards within the tableau: Any card or valid sequence in the tableau may be moved to another tableau pile if it follows the descending rank and alternating color rule. A King or a sequence beginning with a King may be moved to an empty tableau pile.

Deal from the stock: When no more moves are available in the tableau or between the tableau and foundations, the player clicks the stock to deal three cards face up to the waste pile. The top card of the waste becomes available for play.

Cycle through the stock: When the stock is exhausted, it may be reshuffled with all cards from the waste, and the player may continue dealing through the stock again. This process may be repeated an unlimited number of times.

The game continues with the player making moves until either all cards are moved to the foundations (a win) or no more legal moves are possible (a loss).

Winning & Losing Conditions

Winning: A player wins Saratoga Solitaire when all 52 cards have been successfully moved to the four foundations, with each foundation containing all 13 cards of its suit in ascending order from Ace to King.

Losing: A player loses when no more legal moves are available and the stock has been completely exhausted with no remaining cards to deal. This occurs when cards remain in the tableau or waste that cannot be moved to either the foundations or other tableau piles, and cycling through the stock again yields no new playable moves.

The odds of winning Saratoga Solitaire are relatively low, with approximately a 1 in 4 chance (25%) of victory, as the game requires both skill and luck in equal measure.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

Empty tableau piles: As noted, only Kings or sequences beginning with a King may be placed in empty tableau piles. This rule is critical to strategy, as creating empty piles is often necessary to maneuver cards, but those empty spaces can only be filled by Kings. If a player places a Queen in an empty tableau before a King becomes available, cards may become trapped and unplayable.

Card visibility: Unlike many solitaire variants, all tableau cards are dealt face up from the beginning of the game. This distinguishes Saratoga from Klondike Solitaire, where only the top card of each tableau pile is initially visible. The face-up nature of all tableau cards makes Saratoga strategically easier than Klondike, as players can see the entire layout and plan moves accordingly.

Foundation cards are permanent: Once a card has been moved to a foundation, it cannot be moved back to the tableau. All foundation cards remain in place for the remainder of the game.

Unlimited stock cycling: Unlike some solitaire variants that restrict the number of times the stock can be cycled, Saratoga permits unlimited passes through the stock. A player may continue dealing three cards at a time from the waste back to the stock indefinitely, provided moves remain possible.