Knowing how to outperform your opponents at solitaire is not about luck. It is about the decisions you make at every turn. This guide is for players who already understand the basics and want to play more deliberately, reduce the ‘out of moves’ positions, and perform better in competitive play on EazeGames.
The strategies here cover move sequencing, deck management, and the principles that separate players who win often from those who win occasionally.
What this guide covers: Why skill determines solitaire outcomes | How to prioritise moves to maximise your options | How to manage the tableau and avoid dead ends | When to draw from the deck, and when not to | Planning ahead: how good players think multiple moves forward
Is Solitaire a Game of Skill?
Yes. On EazeGames, both players receive the same deck in the same order, can view all cards face-up at the start of the match, and can view all upcoming cards from the deck so that players can make informed decisions. If one player completes the game and the other does not, the difference is entirely attributable to decision-making. For a full explanation of the platform model, see the main solitaire page.
The skill gap: two players, identical decks, different outcomes. The gap between them is the accumulated effect of better move choices, better sequencing, and better deck management, not fortune.
Core Strategy Principles
Before looking at specific tactics, understand the three principles that underpin every good solitaire decision.
1. Maximise face-up cards
Every move should aim to flip a face-down card. Face-up cards are information and options; face-down cards are neither. Prioritise moves that uncover face-down cards over moves that simply rearrange visible ones. Take note at the start of the level when all face-down cards are shown face-up, and use it to your advantage.
2. Preserve flexibility
Every move closes off some possibilities and opens others. The strategic goal is always to maximise future options, not just to make the most immediately available move. Avoid moves that feel productive but reduce your future choices.
3. Think two moves ahead, minimum
Before moving a card, ask "what happens next?" Reactive play, responding only to what's in front of you, is the hallmark of a casual player. Deliberate play considers the downstream effect of each move.
Move Prioritisation Strategy
Not all moves are equal. When multiple moves are available, use this priority order.
| Priority | Move Type | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Highest | Uncover a face-down card in a long column | Long columns have the most hidden cards. Clearing them gives you the most new options. |
| 2 | Move an Ace to the foundation | Aces start foundations. Move them immediately. There is no reason to delay. |
| 3 | Move the next rank to a started foundation | Foundation progress is the goal. Build whenever the next card is available. |
| 4 | Uncover a face-down card in a shorter column | Still valuable, but lower urgency than long columns. |
| 5 | Enable a King to fill an empty column | Only do this when you have a King ready and a plan for the sequence it will start. |
| 6 | Rearrange face-up cards without uncovering anything | Lowest value unless it directly enables a higher-priority move. |
| Avoid | Drawing from the deck before checking the tableau | Always exhaust tableau moves first. Drawing too early misses available plays. |
This is a framework, not a rigid rule. Specific board states sometimes justify a lower-priority move, but when uncertain, this sequence produces better outcomes than intuition alone.
Managing the Tableau Effectively
Attack the longest columns first
The longest columns have the most face-down cards. Prioritise columns 6 and 7 early. They have the most locked options.
Be selective about empty columns
An empty column is only valuable if you have a King ready to place, and a plan for what sequence that King will lead. The wrong King in an empty column can block access to cards you need later.
Avoid stranding cards
A stranded card cannot be placed anywhere useful and blocks access to cards beneath it. Before moving a card, check whether it can move again from its new position. Cards that get stuck early create dead-end positions.
Manage colour balance
If you build too many columns of the same colour at a similar rank, cards will have nowhere valid to go. Consciously distribute red and black as you build sequences.
When to Draw from the Deck
Draw last, not first
The most common beginner error is drawing when tableau moves are still available. Always scan every column before drawing. On EazeGames, reshuffling the deck costs 20 points, so unnecessary cycling directly reduces your score.
Use the deck to unlock sequences
Draw when you know the card will be immediately playable. Drawing to unlock a sequence is high-value; drawing out of habit is not.
Track the deck across cycles
After cycling through once, you know which useful cards remain. The second cycle becomes a deliberate search.
Foundation cards from the deck
When the top of the waste pile can go directly to a foundation, always take it. Foundation moves from the deck advances your progress and frees the next card in the waste pile. Note that playing a card from the deck directly onto the tableau also earns a +100 point bonus, so a well-timed draw that immediately places a card is doubly valuable.
Planning Ahead vs Immediate Moves
The immediate-move trap
The best move is not always the first available one. Taking an immediate move can foreclose a better sequence that was one or two steps away.
Example: A red 8 is available to place on a black 9. But moving a different card first would uncover a face-down card in column 6 and then allow the red 8 to be placed in a more useful position. The immediate move is valid, but the two-move plan is better.
Reversible vs irreversible moves
Cards moved from foundation to tableau can go back. Some positional decisions are effectively permanent. Filling an empty column with a King, for example, cannot easily be undone. Treat irreversible decisions more carefully, and use the ‘undo’ button strategically.
The two-move test
Before any move, mentally run the next two moves. If the answer to "what does the move after that look like?" is "nothing obvious," the first move may not be the right one.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
These are the errors that most consistently reduce a player's success, and how to correct them.
| Mistake | Why It Hurts | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Drawing before checking the tableau | Misses available moves | Always scan all columns before drawing |
| Filling empty columns without a plan | Blocks future access | Only place a King when you have a clear sequence planned |
| Moving cards that strand them | Creates dead-end positions | Check whether the moved card can move again before committing |
| Returning foundation cards without reason | Delays completion | Only reverse if it directly enables a necessary sequence |
| Prioritising short columns over long | Leaves hidden cards buried longest | Attack the longest columns first |
| Moving the first available card without evaluating | Foregoes better moves | Apply the two-move test before every decision |
| Ignoring colour balance in sequences | Creates one-colour bottlenecks | Distribute red and black intentionally as you build |
Advanced Solitaire Tips
Once the core principles are consistent, these techniques create a measurable edge in competitive play.
Know when a deck cannot be completed
Some decks cannot be completed regardless of play. Recognising this quickly is itself a skill. Signs include:
- All four Aces are buried deep with no access routes
- Multiple high-priority sequences are blocked with no King available for an empty column
- The deck is exhausted and no moves remain
Foundation discipline: don’t over-build one suit
Advancing one suit far ahead of others can lock lower-ranked cards in the foundation that you need in the tableau. Aim to build all four foundations at roughly the same pace when possible.
Sequence management: protect high-value sequences
A long, valid sequence in the tableau is a strategic asset. Prefer to move complete sequences rather than breaking them apart. Rebuilding a collapsed sequence costs multiple moves.
Use the waste pile strategically
The top card of the waste pile is always visible and you can view the upcoming cards in the waste pile at any time. If the card cannot be played immediately, remember it. On the next cycle you can set up a receiving position in advance.
Competitive adaptation on EazeGames
In competitive play, all players work from the same deck. The deal's difficulty is shared equally. Focus on your own efficiency rather than reacting to your opponent. Speed also matters beyond accuracy: completing the game faster earns 50 bonus points per second and a 2,000-point completion bonus, so finishing ahead of baseline time is a meaningful competitive edge in close matches.
Practise & Improve on EazeGames
Strategy improves through repetition. EazeGames offers free practice: the same game, same rules, same format as competitive play.
- Use free practice to test specific strategies. Apply the move priority framework for a full session and observe the difference.
- Head-to-head play on equal conditions is the most direct test of solitaire skill.
Decision-making strategy carries across skill-based card games. If you enjoy this planning layer, explore Mahjong strategy tips and 100% skill-based blackjack strategy tips, both reward the same forward-thinking approach to managing a fixed set of resources.
Apply your strategy in a real competition. Play solitaire on EazeGames and test your skills against others on an identical board.
Still building the fundamentals? Visit how to play solitaire before returning to this guide. For a precise rules reference, see the complete solitaire rules.
Frequently Asked Questions About Solitaire Strategy
How do you complete a level in solitaire consistently?
Consistent completing levels comes from three habits: prioritising moves that uncover face-down cards, managing the deck deliberately rather than drawing reactively, and thinking at least two moves ahead before committing.
How to beat solitaire every time?
No strategy guarantees completing every game. Approximately 21% of regular Klondike decks cannot be won even with perfect play. What strategy does is maximise your opportunity to complete the deck. The key is move prioritisation and avoiding common errors.
What is the best solitaire strategy?
The most effective single strategy is to always prioritise moves that flip face-down cards, particularly in the longest columns. Combined with disciplined deck management, drawing only after exhausting tableau options, this produces measurably better results than reactive play.
When should you move cards to the foundation?
Move Aces and 2s immediately. There is almost never a reason to delay. For higher-ranked cards, move to the foundation when doing so does not remove a card you actively need in the tableau.
Does solitaire strategy really make a difference?
Yes, substantially. On EazeGames, both players receive the same deck, so the outcome is determined entirely by decisions. Optimal play and skill is key.