How to Play Baker's Dozen Solitaire

Baker's Dozen Solitaire has 13 tableau columns. It's named because the term baker's dozen refers to 13 baked goods.

Objective

The goal is to move and organize all cards from the stock pile and tableau into 4 foundation piles by suit in ascending order.

The Setup and Play Area

Tableau: This is the area where cards are placed in 13 columns of 4 face-up cards each, totaling 52 cards.

Foundation piles: These are the 4 piles at the top of the game where cards are placed by suit in ascending order from Ace to King. The game has two areas for these 13 columns; one area has 7 columns, and the other area has 6 columns.

Available moves

• Only Aces can start in the foundation, and subsequent cards must be in ascending order by suit. For example, a 2 of Hearts can be played on an Ace of Hearts.
• Only the last card in the tableau column is playable, and it can either be moved to the foundation or on top of another card of any suit, one rank higher. An 9 of Diamonds, for example, can be moved on top of a 10 of Spades, Diamonds, Hearts, or Clubs.
• Unlike Klondike, you cannot move a group of sequenced cards in the tableau.
• Cards cannot be placed in empty tableau columns.
• You win when all cards are placed in the 4 foundations. If you can't successfully do this, you lose.

Strategy

• Immediately move Aces to the foundation.
• 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.
• Because foundations are built from Ace to King, try to make low cards available so you can move them out of the tableau into the foundation.
• Try to build the foundations evenly. If one foundation is built immediately in the game, you now have fewer cards of that color to help you sequence.
• If you get stuck, use the undo button. You may not always make the right moves, and you may need to reverse some to win the game.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are similar games?

FreeCell, Eight Off, Baker's Game, and SeaHaven Towers are similar games with face-up tableaus.

What is the probability of winning Baker's Dozen Solitaire?

We looked at 1,312 random games played. Of those, 43 were won, or 3.28%.

What are other popular Solitaire games to try?

• Solitaire
• Mahjong
• Spider Solitaire
• FreeCell Solitaire
• Yukon Solitaire
• TriPeaks Solitaire
• Pyramid Solitaire
• Golf Solitaire