How to Play Applegate Solitaire

Build complete 13-card same-suit runs in the tableau, then move each finished run to a foundation as a group. A deep tableau and a small reserve are your only tools.

Setup

1. Four foundation piles start empty
2. Each of the seven tableau piles gets seven cards: the first pile is dealt entirely face-up, while the other six piles have their first two cards face-down and the last five face-up
3. The three leftover cards form a single reserve pile; only its top card can be played

How to play

• Build on tableau piles by placing a card one rank lower than the pile's top card, in the same suit
• The sequence wraps, so a King can be placed directly on an Ace
• You can move any stack of face-up cards together as a group, even if the cards aren't in order—only the bottom card of the group needs to fit where it lands
• Expose face-down cards by moving the cards stacked on top of them
• Only a King (or a group with a King at the bottom) can fill an empty tableau space
• A foundation only accepts a complete run of all 13 cards in one suit, moved there together from a tableau pile—you can't build a foundation up one card at a time
• Play the reserve pile's top card to the tableau whenever it fits

How to win

Objective: Move all 52 cards onto the four foundations by completing full same-suit runs in the tableau and sending each finished run to a foundation together.

You win when all four foundations hold a complete 13-card run of one suit. You lose when no more moves are possible.

Tips

• Expose face-down cards early so you have more cards to arrange into runs
• Group same-suit cards together even out of order, since you can still move the whole stack once the bottom card fits somewhere
• Remember Kings can follow Aces—that wraparound can rescue a run that looks stuck

Play Applegate free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Applegate alongside 300+ other games. It saves every move as you play, so you can close the window and pick the game up later, replay any deal, and take on a new Daily Challenge deal every day. Browse every game in the Game Gallery.

Related games

More games from the Spider family:

• Brown Recluse — A two-deck Spider variant that deals just one card to each of 10 tableau piles, then feeds the rest through a stock and waste pile.
• Double Jane — This massive four-deck game spreads 208 cards across 16 foundations and a rising, all-face-up tableau.
• Fair Maids — Build descending sequences in the tableau one rank at a time in any suit, then move complete 13-card runs to the foundations.
• Fred's Spider — A two-deck Spider variant where every tableau card is dealt face up and cards may be sent to the foundations as they become ready, making it more forgiving than classic Spider.
• Gypsy — A two-deck game combining Spider and Klondike elements.