Do I shuffle the deck before dealing?

Yes. Shuffle the entire 52-card deck thoroughly before starting the deal to randomize the card order.

How do I deal the cards for the tableau?

Deal seven piles row by row: first row deals one card face up on pile one and one face down on piles two through seven. Each subsequent row starts one pile further right and deals one face up on that pile and one face down on the piles to its right.

What does draw-three mean for setup?

Draw-three affects how you use the stock during play, not the setup. The setup remains the same: 28 cards in the tableau and 24 in the stock.

Can I play Klondike with a real deck without a table?

You need a flat surface large enough for seven piles, four foundation spaces, and the stock pile. A table works best, but any stable surface is fine.

How to Set Up Solitaire With a Real Deck of Cards

To set up solitaire with a real deck of cards, you need a standard 52-card deck with the jokers removed. The classic Klondike layout uses seven cascading piles, a stock pile, and space for four foundations. Here is how to deal solitaire by hand, from shuffling to the final spread, so you can play with physical cards instead of a screen.

Prepare the Deck

Take a standard 52-card deck. Remove both jokers and set them aside. Shuffle thoroughly to randomize the order. For a standard solitaire setup, you will deal 28 cards into the seven piles and leave 24 cards for the stock pile. After shuffling, hold the deck face down in your hand, ready to start dealing.

Deal the Tableau Row by Row

Building the Seven Piles

The tableau consists of seven piles arranged left to right. Each pile gets a specific number of cards, dealt in rows. Follow these steps:

Start with the first pile on the left. Deal one card face up onto it.
Deal one card face down onto each of the next six piles (piles 2 through 7). This completes the first row.
For the second row, start on the second pile from the left. Deal one card face up onto it.
Deal one card face down onto each of the remaining piles to the right (piles 3 through 7).
For the third row, start on the third pile. Deal one card face up onto it, then one card face down onto piles 4 through 7.
Continue this pattern for each row. On the fourth row, start on the fourth pile; on the fifth, start on the fifth; on the sixth, start on the sixth; and on the seventh and final row, deal one card face up onto the seventh pile only.

Checking Your Work

When you finish, the tableau holds 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 cards per pile, for a total of 28 cards. Of these, 21 cards are face down and 7 are face up (the top card of each pile).

Place the Stock and Foundations

After dealing the tableau, you will have 24 cards left in your hand. Place these cards face down in a single stack to the upper left of the tableau. This stack is the stock pile. Leave space above the seven tableau piles for four foundation piles. The foundations are where you will build the four suits from Ace to King. No cards are placed there at setup; the spaces remain empty until you start playing.

Understand the Draw Three Method

When playing with a physical deck, you can draw cards from the stock in groups of three. This is called draw-three. To do it by hand, take the top three cards from the stock pile as a single unit. Flip them over together so that the card that was originally on top of the three is now on the bottom of the flipped group. The card that was on the bottom of the three becomes the new top card and is the only playable card. You can use that top card for moves on the tableau or foundations if it matches the rules. After using it, you can flip the next card in the group to make it playable, or discard the entire group to a waste pile if no moves are possible. The draw-three method changes the order of cards compared to drawing one at a time. The solitaire setup remains the same regardless of which draw rule you follow.

Check the Tableau Layout

Before starting the game, verify your solitaire setup. The seven piles should have increasing numbers of cards from left to right: 1 card in the first pile, 2 in the second, 3 in the third, and so on up to 7 in the seventh pile. Only the top card of each pile is face up; all cards beneath it are face down. The stock pile sits separately, and the four foundation spaces are clear. If any pile has the wrong number of cards or a face-down card on top, re-deal that row. A correct setup ensures you follow the standard Klondike layout with real cards.

Common Questions About Setup

How many cards are in each solitaire pile?

The finished tableau piles contain 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 cards, from left to right. That is 28 cards total, with 21 face down and 7 face up.

What is the stock pile for?

The stock pile holds the remaining 24 cards face down. You draw from it during play, either one card at a time or in groups of three, to add playable cards to the tableau or foundations.

Do I need to leave room for foundations?

Yes. Leave space above the seven tableau piles for four foundation piles. Those piles will hold completed suits starting with Aces.