# Play Cruel Solitaire Online for Free

Play unlimited games of Cruel Solitaire. Undo moves to help you win the game.

## What is Cruel Solitaire?

Cruel Solitaire is similar to [Lucky Thirteen](https://solitaired.com/luckythirteen), but has 12 tableau piles, and you begin the game with aces already in the foundation piles. The game is played with 52 cards.

## How to Play

### Objective

The aim of the game is to build the foundations from Ace to King in ascending suit order. For example, a foundation pile may begin with the Ace of Diamonds and finish with the King of Diamonds.

### The Setup and Play Area

**Foundation piles:** These are the empty piles at the top of the game. You’ll order cards here from Ace to King by suit.

**Tableau piles:** There are two areas for the tableau. Each has 6 columns of 4 face-up cards, totaling 48 cards. Cards can be moved between two tableau areas.

Similar to [FreeCell](https://solitaired.com/freecell), there are no stock or waste piles in the game.

![](https://defbnszqe1hwm.cloudfront.net/cms/img-1667942873.606.png) 

### Available moves

* Foundations must be built up in suit, increasing in rank starting from Ace and going to King.
* Cards are sequenced in descending order by suit.
* Only the bottom card of the tableau column is playable, and cards cannot be moved in groups.
* You cannot place cards in empty tableau columns. Once a tableau column is empty, it can’t be refilled.
* You win when all cards are placed in the foundation.

## Strategy

* Immediately move Aces to the foundation.
* Don’t build down a suit with a lower-ranking card underneath. Doing this may cause the card to become stuck, preventing you from building the foundations and ultimately causing you to lose the game.
* If you notice a King at the bottom of the tableau column, then the game is likely unwinnable. If this happens, it’s usually best to start a new game.
* Try to free up lower-rankings cards so they can be moved to the foundation when possible.
* The first visible sequence may not always be the best one. Plan out your moves to remove as many cards as possible from the tableau.
* You don’t always need to move a card to the foundation piles just because it can be moved. Instead, it’s sometimes useful to hold onto a card to free up other moves.

### What are other popular Solitaire games to try?

Try these popular games: 

* [Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/)
* [Spider Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/spider-solitaire)
* [Yukon Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/yukon-solitaire)
* [TriPeaks Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/tripeaks-solitaire)
* [Pyramid Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/pyramid-solitaire)
* [Scorpion Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/scorpion)
* [Golf Solitaire](https://solitaired.com/golf)