How to play Patience
Patience, also called Klondike solitaire, is a card game for one player. Seven columns of cards are dealt, and the aim is to move all 52 cards onto four piles, one per suit, each built from ace to king. In the columns you build downwards in alternating colours. Cards you cannot place yet wait in the stock.
The rules of Patience
- The deal: seven columns hold one to seven cards, and only the top card of each column is face up. The other cards form the stock.
- Build the four suit piles at the top from ace up to king, one suit per pile, in order.
- In the columns, place a card on one that is exactly one higher and of the opposite colour, for example a red 6 on a black 7.
- You may move a whole run of face-up cards at once, as long as it is correctly stacked.
- When you move the last face-up card from a column, turn the card beneath it face up.
- Only a king, or a run that starts with a king, may be placed in an empty column.
- Turn cards over from the stock to find moves. Any card you can play goes onto a column or a suit pile.
- You win when all 52 cards are on the four suit piles.
Not every deal can be won, so a game that gets stuck is part of the game, not a mistake.
How to win at Patience
Patience mixes luck and planning. These three habits improve your chances in almost every game.
Uncover the hidden cards first
Every face-down card is a card you cannot use. When you have a choice, play from the column with the most face-down cards, because turning those over opens up the most new moves.
Do not rush cards to the suit piles
Aces and twos should go up early. Higher cards are different: a 5 may still be needed in a column to hold a 4 of the opposite colour. Keep a card in play if you can still use it there.
Save empty columns for kings
An empty column is valuable, but only a king can fill it. Before you clear a column completely, check that a king is ready to move in. If you make a mistake, the undo button in Vellara takes the move back.
Playing Patience in Vellara
Patience is the classic card game in Vellara. A new game shows the seven columns with their top cards face up, the four empty suit piles above them and the stock at the bottom left. You simply play as you would with a real deck of cards.
- At the top: a counter for time, points and moves.
- Four piles for the suits above the seven columns, in the order clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades.
- Below the columns: the stock on the left and a row of buttons, including an undo arrow.
- No time pressure: a clock runs along, but you can take as long as you like.
- Free, no account needed, no notifications, and it works offline.
Questions about Patience
What is the difference between patience and solitaire?
Patience is the British name and solitaire the American one. Both mean card games for one player. When people say either, they usually mean Klondike, the variant explained on this page.
Can every game of patience be won?
No. Some deals cannot be won however well you play. Many can be won with careful play, which is why planning ahead pays off.
Which card can go in an empty column?
Only a king, or a run of cards that starts with a king.
Do I have to play fast?
No. In Vellara a clock runs, but there is no time pressure, so you can think each move through.
Is Patience in Vellara free?
Yes. Vellara is free to download, needs no account and works offline.
Play Patience free in Vellara
Vellara is calm, free and works offline. It sends no notifications and puts no time pressure on you.