Addiction Solitaire
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Guide

How to Play Addiction Solitaire

Addiction Solitaire is a game of gaps. Deal 48 cards into four rows, fill each hole with the next card up in the same suit, and sort every row from 2 to King.

Play Addiction Solitaire

The objective

Sort four rows, 2 through King

Addiction Solitaire uses one standard deck with the four Aces taken out. The remaining 48 cards are laid face up in four rows of thirteen, and the missing Aces leave four gaps scattered across the board. You win when every row reads 2, 3, 4 … Queen, King from left to right, all in a single suit, with the thirteenth column of each row left empty.

There is no stock to draw from and nothing hidden. Every card is visible from the first move, so the challenge is planning: each move fills one gap and opens another, and a careless move can leave a gap that nothing is allowed to fill. When the board locks up you can shuffle the loose cards and try again, up to three times. Open the board to play, or read on for the full rules.

Step by step

How a game plays out

  1. 1

    Read the deal

    The four Aces are removed and the other 48 cards are dealt face up into four rows of thirteen. That leaves four gaps on the board, one for each Ace. Your goal is to end with every row reading 2, 3, 4 … Queen, King from left to right, all in one suit.

  2. 2

    Fill a gap with the next card up

    A gap can be filled only by the card one rank higher than the card on its left, in the same suit. A gap right after the 6 of hearts takes the 7 of hearts, wherever that card is on the board. Move it and you leave a new gap behind.

  3. 3

    Start rows with a 2

    A gap in the first column accepts only a 2, of any suit. That 2 sets the suit for the row. Nothing can follow a King, and nothing can follow another gap, so those gaps are dead until the cards around them change.

  4. 4

    Redeal when you are stuck

    When no card can move, shuffle. Every card that is not already part of a solved run from the left edge is collected, shuffled, and dealt back, leaving one fresh gap after each row’s solved run. You get three redeals per game. Solve all four rows to win.

Controls

Mouse, touch, and keyboard

  1. Tap or click a card

    Everywhere

    A card outlined in gold can move right now. Tap it and it slides into its gap. If a 2 could go to more than one empty first-column space, it stays selected and the valid spaces light up — tap the one you want.

  2. Tap or click a gap

    Everywhere

    Tapping a gap moves the one card that fits it. It is the quickest way to play when you already know which space you are filling. For first-column gaps, the matching 2s light up so you can pick one.

  3. Keyboard

    Desktop

    Tab moves between cards and gaps, and Enter or Space plays the focused one. N deals a new game, R redeals, U undoes, H shows a hint, and M mutes the sound. Every control has a visible focus ring.

Redeals

What happens when you are stuck

  1. What a redeal keeps

    Your solved runs stay put

    Cards that already form an unbroken run from column one — a 2, then the 3 of the same suit, and so on — are locked in place and marked with a gold underline. Only the loose cards are collected.

  2. What a redeal changes

    Everything else is shuffled

    The loose cards are shuffled and dealt into the remaining spaces of each row, with one gap left directly after each row’s solved run. That gap is the next place to build, so a longer solved run means a more useful redeal.

  3. How many you get

    Three per game

    A game gives you the initial deal plus three redeals. Undo works freely between redeals but cannot cross one, because a shuffle cannot be reversed. The game is lost only when no move remains and all three redeals are spent.

Rules

The rules in full

  1. The objective

    Arrange all 48 cards so each of the four rows holds 2 through King of a single suit, in order, in the first twelve columns. The last column of every solved row is empty. The game is won the moment the last card lands.

  2. Filling gaps

    A gap takes the card one rank above its left neighbour, in the same suit. The first column takes only 2s. A gap to the right of a King, or to the right of another gap, cannot be filled.

  3. Redeals

    Cards outside a solved run from the left are shuffled and redealt, leaving one gap after each solved run. You may redeal at any time, up to three times per game, not only when you are stuck.

  4. Winning and losing

    You win when all four rows are complete. You lose when no legal move remains and no redeals are left. Not every deal is winnable, and the redeals add luck to the skill, so a lost game is normal.

  5. Stats

    This version tracks games played, wins, win rate, fastest time, fewest moves, the most cards placed in any game, and win streaks. Abandoning a game partway through counts as a loss for your streak.

Want to play smarter? Read the strategy tips or the FAQ.

Where you can play

Desktop, phone, and tablet

  1. Desktop browsers

    Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari all run the game with no plugin. Click cards and gaps, or use Tab, Enter, and the keyboard shortcuts for redeal, undo, hint, and new game.

  2. Phones and tablets

    The whole 4 × 13 board fits on one portrait screen with the controls under it. Cards are tall and narrow on small screens so rank and suit stay readable, and a new deal is instant.

  3. Progress on this device

    Games played, wins, best time, fewest moves, most cards placed, streaks, and your sound setting live in local browser storage. They stay until you reset them or clear site data, and do not sync between devices.