Having fun by yourself doesn’t really have to be a hardship with the best card games for 1 person! There are a variety of games today that can help you overcome boredom while elevating entertainment.
These single-player games are also available online or you can take the old-school route and play them using a standard deck of cards.
In this article, we unpack all the single-player card games you can play by yourself. Let’s dive in!
Why are we specifically talking about solitaire here. It should be based on single player card games. it’s ok to mention solitaire as an example but this looks like we are talking only about solitaire.
What are Single Player Card Games?
When you collate a list of single-player card games, including Solitaire or some of its variants, it is a given. Most people view card games as a social pastime you can enjoy with your pals. While that’s always the case, there are several games you can indulge in with a set of playing cards, even if you’re alone.
As a result, several single-player card games are prevalent today, each having a unique name and set of rules. Quite a few are available to play online, or you can always run practice sessions at home.
Not to anyone’s surprise, many solitaire card games are available, each with rules, number of suits, and deck counts. It’s incredible to work our minds with single-player card games and remind ourselves that we’re smart!
The following is a list of the Best Card Games you can play alone.
1. The Idiot Card Game
Titled after Dostoevsky’s novel, this game (of Swedish origin) is straightforward but crazy challenging, testing the player’s intelligence. It begins with four floors. Pick one card from each pile and put it on the floor.
The minimum suit is taken out if each suit possesses more than a single visible card. In such a scenario, four new cards are placed on the existing cards until only one visible card is present in each suit, and this is solved until there are no cards left. Once the piles are complete, you can transfer the top card in the other collections to the empty spaces. The game’s main objective is to get all four Aces at the foundation.
How To Play:
- Draw one card from each of the four piles and place it on the floor.
- If any suit has more than one visible card, add four new cards to it.
- Continue until only one card is visible per suit.
- Transfer top cards to empty spaces.
- Get all four Aces to the foundation.
2. Solitaire
Solitaire is considered the king of hermetic card games and a staple for anyone who works on a computer. It is one of the best single-player card games ever! Patience games, usually played individually, can accommodate up to two players.
Hundreds of Solitaire variants are now available to play online on websites and gaming apps.
While the variants differ in specific rules, most Solitaire involves card sorting, manipulation, and assemblage. You need to develop a formal arrangement of cards, which you can move from the playing area and into the foundations. Try the game if you already haven’t – you can thank us later!
How To Play:
- Arrange cards in descending order and alternating colors.
- Move cards to four foundation piles from Ace to King.
- Play Spider Solitaire or Cube Solitaire for variations.
- Win by organizing all cards into foundations.
3. Chain Solitaire
Some variants of Solitaire, even though the basic card movement and objective remain the same, find a distinct position on this list because of the level of strategy involved. Chain Solitaire is an endurance game requiring a high level of planning to win. The primary purpose of this game is to create card chains while complying with regular solitaire rules. Cards have to be in descending order, alternating between red and black cards.
How To Play:
- Arrange cards in descending order, alternating red and black suits.
- Move cards to build chains following these rules.
- Complete the game by organizing all cards into proper chains.
4. Canfield Solitaire
In Canfield Solitaire is one of the ideal card games for 1 person. Here, players are provided a low percentage of success, and winning chances are somewhat low. 13 face cards are rejected face-to-face at play. These are card pools, and you can only play at the top.
The first of the four foundation piles has a card placed adjacent to the reserve, and every other card of the same grade should start with the remaining three foundations. A player wins when they lay all the cards onto the foundations. Mr. Richard A. Canfield, the creator of the game, was pretty sure that it would be challenging statistically.
Canfield is undoubtedly one of the most popular Solitaire games you can enjoy. Several reasons make this game vary from other variants. Once the cards are transferred, ensure that you deal the thirteen cards. The table is made up of four cards, each having one row of cards facing upwards.
How To Play:
- Deal 13 face-up cards into a tableau.
- Build four foundation piles, starting with Aces.
- Move cards from the tableau to the foundation piles to win.
Read Also : Best Two-Player Card Games That Guarantee Absolute Fun!
5. Napoleon at St. Helena
No one understands solitary living like Napoleon. He was highly interested in playing cards during times of rebel power seizures, which helped lay the stepping stones for modern Europe, or at the very least, significantly alert his large army’s skill sets.
The game requires two floors, and they must be shuffled together to begin. The objective is to place the Aces onto the foundation as soon as they are moving and, subsequently, figure out ways to build piles from A to K, moving one card at a time.
The variants for this game include Limited, Street, Lucas, Maria, Forty Thieves, and Roosevelt Personal in San Juan.
How To Play:
- Shuffle two decks and deal cards into two sections.
- Move Aces to the foundation and build piles from A to K.
- Continue moving cards to complete all piles.
6. March Same Rank
A fast-paced card game, this game requires you to remove all cards in front of other players and secure the highest rank.
As part of the game, players need to use their numbered cards, unique cards, and innovative strategies to manipulate their opponents and play all their cards first.
How To Play:
- Use numbered cards and special cards to play strategically.
- Aim to remove all cards from your hand before opponents.
- The player who plays all their cards first wins.
7. Beehive Solitaire
A popular Solitaire game that doubles as a fantastic single-player card game, Beehive Solitaire has a massive fan following. You can quickly win when cards exit the pack, but the challenge is that many games become stuck when you least anticipate them.
Mix and match the face-up card first. Then, put the cards face down, count the cards, and put them on a table landing face, where only the top face up card.
This is a cluster of bees. Play using the following six cards, leaving two rows of 3 cards each. Keep the remaining cards in the pack within your palm, facing down. When it comes to playing card games, this is one of the best card games for one player.
How To Play:
- Deal cards into six piles in two rows.
- Face up the top card in each pile.
- Play cards to match and remove them, and strive to clear all cards.
8. Devil’s Grip
The game has a particular purpose: Dispose the whole deck into piles of the network – Jacks above, middle queens, and bottom kings.
One can consider it as a statement on the monarchy and the rising worker or simply as light-hearted entertainment. Nonetheless, the game is engaging and worth playing, among other card games.
How To Play:
- Arrange the deck into piles with Jacks on top, Queens in the middle, and Kings at the bottom.
- Move cards around to organize them into the correct piles.
9. Spider Solitaire
Once a bustling presence on everyone’s computers, Spider Solitaire continues to be one of the popular 1 player card games among most card game enthusiasts. Whether you’re on a long bus ride, waiting for your partner to finish shopping, or simply looking to work your mental muscles, Spider Solitaire is an ideal choice.
As with most other patience games on the list, the goal is to arrange cards in descending order from King to Ace. Once you’ve sorted, move each of the piles to the foundations. You win when all cards have been played onto the foundations, and there are eight piles of A to Ks.
Read More: How to Play Spider Solitaire on MPL
How To Play:
- Arrange cards in descending order from King to Ace.
- Move completed sequences to the foundation piles.
- Complete all piles to win.
10. Seahaven Towers
This game is available in both physical and virtual formats. While the name Seahaven Towers sounds like a Westerosi (if you know your Game of Thrones well, i.e.) town name, the cards easily fit into the suit, and the sequences only start with kings and fill up the empty tablecloths.
How To Play:
- Build sequences in descending order starting with Kings.
- Use empty spaces to assist with moving cards.
- Complete all sequences to win.
11. Beleaguered Castle
In this fascinating card game, rows are slightly more maneuverable and crafted with a strategic sense of mind, slowing down as you proceed and breaking barriers.
A row of Aces that have been removed from the deck is vertically aligned and forms the foundation of each row. Place eight rows of six cards on either side of a plane’s wings. If you play with physical cards, they must match the set seats.
Once all traded cards are moved to the foundations, the clouds rise to shreds. There are multiple variants of this game, each with a quirky name.
How To Play:
- Arrange cards into rows with Aces as the foundation.
- Move cards to build the foundation piles.
- Organize all cards into foundations to win.
12. Pyramid
It is a card game where the objective is to remove the pyramid of cards and add up to thirteen pairs.
To set up this game, you must switch decks and form a pyramid pattern of 28 cards. For the sake of convenience, begin atop a single card, follow up by placing two cards in the next row, move them slightly apart, and conceal the bottom half of the individual card. Repeat the process for seven rows to create a pyramid-like structure, and lay the rest of the cards onto piles.
Additional Read: 5 Challenging Online Card Games for Real Money
How To Play:
- Create a pyramid of cards with 28 cards laid out.
- Remove pairs of cards that add up to thirteen.
- Clear the pyramid by removing all pairs.
13. Accordion
The primary purpose of this game is to combine all cards into a single heap. We play the game using a single deck of cards, simultaneously dealing with them moving from left to right and row to row.
If the top card matches this figure or value, you can place a card or several cards on another card or pile. Also, the cards and combinations match only towards the left or three of them. Ensure you continue your sequence through these lines.
This is one of the 1 player card games that comes with two variations: one player deals with every card first, and the other begins stacking cards as they deal. With plenty of skill and a little luck, you can sort all the cards and fold them together.
How To Play:
- Stack cards on top of each other if they match in value or same suit.
- Combine all cards into one heap by matching them.
- Use skill and luck to fold all cards together.
14. Bowling Solitaire
All you require to play this game is a pen/pencil, scratch paper, and ten sets of cardboard decks. You should carry all face cards alongside the other two suits on the deck and bring your twenty cards together.
Create a bowling scorecard on scratch paper. Draw a horizontal grid having ten boxes and add two small ones in the upper right corner of every frame. The small boxes indicate the number of pins allotted into each frame, and the large ones indicate the total number of bolts up until that frame.
How To Play:
- Draw cards and keep track of scores on scratch paper.
- Use a bowling scorecard to record the number of pins.
- Complete frames and tally up scores.15. Monte Carlo Solitaire
This variant of solitaire is also called Good Neighbors or Weddings. It is a fast-paced game suited to players of all ages and complexities.
To begin playing, pick an entire deck, swap out twenty-five cards on a 5 x 5 grid, and place the remaining cards in a separate draw pile. The match is played fast; if two similar value cards match, they should be discarded.
This can go left, right, down, up, or diagonally – everything counts. When you have as many matched pairs as possible, the remaining grid combines by moving all cards left and right.
How To Play:
- Deal 25 cards face-up in a 5×5 grid.
- Match and discard pairs of the same value.
- Continue until you match and clear as many pairs as possible.
16. FreeCell
Undoubtedly one of the most well-known single-player card games, FreeCell uses a standard deck of 52 cards without the Jokers. There are four open bases, four free cells, and eight card strips which are exchanged at random. The game starts with four piles of six face-up cards and four piles of seven face-down cards.
The objective is to arrange all the cards into foundations starting from the lowest to the highest. These are generally found in the table’s upper right corner.
Each foundation must be of a single suit not the same rank. Like in many other solitaire games, Ace is the lowest valued card while King is the highest valued.
Read More: All About Free Cell Solitaire
How To Play:
- Move cards between piles to build sequences from Ace to King.
- Use open cells and foundation piles to organize cards.
- Complete all foundations to win.
17. Klondike
Klondike is considered to be the most popular single-player card game, especially in North America, and it has become synonymous with solitaire as a whole.
The standard version of the game uses a 52-card deck. The game’s goal is to commence all four card-assorted suits from Ace all through to King.
Once the cards are moved, seven strips are put from left to right. All piles have one exposed, upside-down card, which is usually the final card in a pile. It is one of the perfect card games for one player.
Read More: All About Klondike Solitaire
How To Play:
- Deal cards into seven piles, with one card face-up on each pile.
- Build sequences in descending order on the tableau.
- Move cards to the foundation piles, starting with Aces.
18. Baker’s Dozen
This is yet another variant of Solitaire which requires a typical 52-card deck. In Baker’s Dozen, the objective is to make four distinct outfits in varying piles. In these piles, Ace to King builds suits.
You must deal with 13 cards in a row facing up and another three more in a row, forming part of the front row. The process is complete when you get fifty-two cards across thirteen columns.
How To Play:
- Deal 13 cards in each of four rows.
- Build suits from Ace to King in piles.
- Arrange all cards into correct piles to win.
19. Tri Towers
Known by different names such as TriPeaks or Triple Peaks, the game follows a format similar to Golf or Black Hole card games.
Using a standard deck of 52 cards to play, 18 cards are laid face down upon the time. These cards create pyramids, each having ten face-up cards.
The cards fall one after another until you reach each pyramid’s top. The cards lying below the pyramid are on the cards at the top.
How To Play:
- Deal cards into three pyramid-like shapes with face-up cards.
- Remove cards one by one by matching those below them.
- Clear all cards to win.
20. Emperor
A very famous single-player card game, the critical goal in Emperor is to get through to the King from the Ace in the foundations.
Two standard 52-card decks are used and switched together when playing emperor games.
How To Play:
- Use two decks shuffled together.
- Move cards to build from Ace to King in the foundation.
- Complete the foundation to win.
Helpful Read: Best 3 Player Card Games to Play
Conclusion
While playing single-player card games may appear strange to some of you, some people just like spending time comfortably playing Solitaire or its umpteen variants with their evening coffee.
To reinstate, one-player card games do not exist to excite players who cannot find worthy opponents. They were created with a great deal of logic, innovation, and thought, and as a result, they are bound to be excellent brain teasers like certain board games.
In MPL, you can play card games such as Gin Rummy, 3 Card Flush, and more in 1v1 battles and tournament modes. Download the app if you’re interested in playing and win cash prizes!
FAQs
What card game do you play alone?
Solitaire is a popular card game played alone. It’s fair to say that it’s one of the best single-player card games. In this game, you arrange cards in a specific layout and try to sort them into piles based on rules. It’s a great way to pass the time and challenge yourself.
Is there any one-player card game?
Yes, there are several one-player card games like patience or solitaire. Several interesting variants of Solitaire can pack a punch.
What is a common card game played by one person?
Spider Solitaire is a common single-player card game where you arrange cards in descending order and build complete sequences. The game uses two decks and offers different difficulty levels. It’s more challenging than traditional solitaire and is perfect for solo play. A lesser-known game is the clock solitaire. Clock solitaire is also known as dial solitaire.
What games can be played only by one person?
FreeCell is a card game that’s played alone, where all cards are dealt face-up. You move cards between columns and foundations, using empty cells strategically to complete the game. Each deal requires careful planning and it is a popular choice for single players, making it one of the best card games for 1 person.
