Glossary of Terms for Solitaire Card Games
Knowing Solitaire Terminology for Learning New Games
Solitaire, in its many incarnations, is the ideal spontaneous game for one (and sometimes two, as in Double Solitaire), that is easily played with only a deck of cards and a flat surface.
Solitaire Without a Computer
Playing solitaire on the internet is a popular pastime but it is even better enjoyed at a dining room table, an outdoor picnic table or even the beach. (For these outdoor locales, when wind is a hazard, look for magnetic cards and boards available in game stores or line.)
Solitaire games are for all ages and all levels of difficulty and games can be modified to simplify for young children or challenge clever adults.
Solitaire Resources
Goren's Hoyle is the bible of games and has provides many versions of solitaire. Or look online for new solitaire versions to learn. Knowing four or five means always having options to play games to suit the situation, whether time or table space. Some take less than five minutes and less space than a place mat, while others need two decks of cards and, depending on how well it plays, can take up to twenty minutes.
Solitaire is the ideal travel activity for travel on trains, planes or while waiting in airports.
Common Solitaire Terms
Here is a glossary of basic solitaire game terms:
- Layout: the array of cards first dealt on the table, usually comprised of the tableau, the hand, and sometimes the foundations or an area reserved for the foundations.
- Tableau: the distinctive arrangement of cards determining the game. E.g. the triangular shape of Pyramid or the round 'face' of Clock.
- Foundations: the row above the tableau where ascending cards of a certain suit are built in order to win. In Klondike, for example, aces form the foundations.
- Hand: the cards left in play after the tableau is laid out. Play usually requires turning up cards from the hand face-up singly or in packets of three.
- Talon: the pile formed by turning cards from the hand; usually only the top card is available for play.
- Reserve: a pile of cards dealt from the hand and set aside to be played on the tableau or the foundations.
- Building: the process of placing cards on the tableau or the foundations in order to free up cards from the tableau or the talon for play.
- Around the Corner: when the usual limited sequence of ace, 2, 3, up to king is disregarded, allowing, as in Canfield, the downward sequencing of 3, 2, ace, king, queen, etc., on the tableau and the upward sequencing of queen, king, ace, 2, 3, etc. on the foundations.
Solitaire Games to Learn
Most common solitaire games are Klondike, Clock, Pyramid and Golf. Accordion is a challenging game that needs lots of table space but it guarantees an audience and children learn it quickly.
Once familiar with the words and phrases commonly used in games of solitaire, any number of games can be quickly learned and enjoyed by one or more people and referring back to this glossary ensures everyone is playing by the same rules.
Solitaire Game Definitions
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