How to Play Preference Solitaire

A moderate-difficulty game combining stock-and-waste mechanics with tableau building. Build foundations upward in suit while managing cards from the waste pile.

Setup

1. Four foundation piles are started with Aces dealt at the beginning (one Ace per foundation)
2. The stock consists of remaining cards; click to deal one card at a time to the waste
3. Eight tableau piles are each dealt one card face-up
4. The waste pile holds cards from the stock (top card is playable)

How to play

• Build on foundations from Ace upward by rank in the same suit
• On the tableau, build downward by one rank in the same suit; only top cards can move
• Move cards from the waste pile or the tableau to the foundations
• Click the stock to deal one card to the waste (one pass only, no redeal)
• When a tableau pile empties, it's automatically refilled with the top card from the waste pile, or the stock if the waste is empty
• Cards that can't be built anywhere else move to the foundations automatically (you can change this in Settings)

How to win

Objective: Move every card to the four foundation piles by building upward from Ace to King in matching suits.

You win when all 52 cards are moved to the four foundation piles. You're stuck when the stock is exhausted and no legal moves remain.

Tips

• Play strategically with the waste pile since you only get one pass through the stock
• Prioritize moving low-ranked cards to foundations to free up tableau space
• Keep tableau empty spaces available for flexibility when navigating the limited stock draw

Play Preference free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Preference 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 Foundations family:

• Busy Aces — A busy, forgiving two-deck game where you build eight foundation piles upward while managing twelve tableau stacks.
• Carpet — A simple game where you manage 20 exposed reserve piles and try to move all cards to the foundations using a single-pass stock.
• Corner Suite — This single-deck game starts with nine empty tableau piles instead of dealt cards, giving you an open board to build on as you draw cards from the stock.
• Deuces — Build up matching suit sequences on eight foundation piles from Twos to Aces in this accessible two-deck game.
• Dimes — Start your foundations at Ten instead of the traditional Ace in this two-deck variant.