How to Play Gold Rush Solitaire

A Klondike variant where you get three passes through the stock, but each pass deals fewer cards. The Klondike-style tableau with cards face-down adds complexity.

Setup

1. Deal one card to the first tableau pile, two to the second, and so on up to seven piles.
2. Only the top card of each pile is face up; others are face down.
3. Four foundation piles are set up, one per suit.
4. Keep remaining cards in the stock.

How to play

• Flip face-down cards as they become the top card of their piles.
• Build on the tableau by placing cards one rank lower in opposite color (red on black, black on red).
• Move sequences to different tableau piles when each card follows the correct rank and color pattern.
• Playable cards automatically move to the foundations when they can't be built elsewhere; you can disable this in Settings. The top foundation card can also be moved back onto the tableau if you need it.
• Empty tableau piles can only be filled with a King.
• Click the stock to deal cards to the waste pile: 3 cards on the first pass, 2 on the second, 1 on the third.
• Only the top card of the waste pile can be played. After each pass through the stock, turn the waste over to create a new stock (no reshuffling).

How to win

Objective: Move all 52 cards to four foundation piles, building each suit from Ace to King

Win by moving all 52 cards to the four foundations within three passes through the stock.

Tips

• The decreasing deal means fewer chances to bury or recover cards as the game progresses.
• Use the first pass strategically—it gives you the most options.
• Empty tableau piles (which only accept Kings) become increasingly valuable toward the end of the game.

Play Gold Rush free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Gold Rush 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 Klondike family:

• Harp — A two-deck Klondike variant with a nine-pile pyramid tableau where you build downward in opposite colors.
• Hypotenuse — A two-deck solitaire where you build tableau piles downward by alternating color and move all cards to foundations arranged by suit.
• Interchange — A challenging two-deck solitaire where you build tableau piles downward by suit and work through a single-card stock.
• Kingsley — Reverse Klondike where foundations start with Kings and build downward instead of upward.
• Lady Cadogan — A two-deck game with a distinctive dual foundation approach: one foundation builds up in suit from Aces, while the other accumulates complete sequences.