As one of the oldest and most well-loved casual card games on the planet, you may be wondering how to set up a game of solitaire at home. The fantastic news is that this isn't difficult to do, so here's a simple tutorial to get you started!
General information to set up solitaire
First of all, any standard 52 card deck will be suitable to play the game. The object is to build a foundation and create columns in sequence and suit from the Ace card right through to the King. You will win the game by successfully placing all cards in sequence (until you run out of the main deck). This is a single player card game and is simply perfect for any age, although 8+ is recommended. In this instance, the King is considered high and the Ace low.
There are a host of benefits to be enjoyed when you dedicate some time to playing. These include the fact that it's known as a highly entertaining boredom-buster, it keeps your brain sharp by promoting logical thinking and focused attention and it helps to manage stress. Many consider it to be a soft mental activity that relaxes the brain and can offer a more meditative approach to downtime. It also has the ability to improve memory and mental skills, all while being simple and offering a sense of achievement.
The setup
What you will want to do is create seven piles for the main table (don't forget to properly shuffle the deck before getting started). Working from left to right, deal seven cards in a row. The first card on the left-hand side should be face up, while the rest are face down. Next, skip the first card, lay the second card face up and then deal the remaining five face down. Repeat this process until you have a table that resembles an upside down staircase.
Once this is complete, you will want to put your remaining cards above the setup, as this will be your working hand (otherwise known as stock). From here the aim will be to draw one card at a time from this pile and complete the objective of the game. You can place discarded cards next to your hand, and be sure to leave enough space to collect and lay your suit collections as you progress. There will be four of these, in correspondence to the suits; hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs.
Start playing solitaire now
While it may seem a little bit on the complicated side to set up a game of solitaire at home, it has the ability to offer hours of fun. For those who don't have the time or would like to play one of the many variations of this classic, they are available over at Solitaired or Microsoft Solitaire. As all of these games are free, there’s really no reason not to play right now.
