How to Play Scorpion Solitaire
Build each suit from king down to ace; any face-up card moves with what lies on it.
Also known as Scorpion · Scorpion Patience
Learn Scorpion: 7 columns of 7 with 12 cards face down, builds down in suit, any face-up card moving with what lies on it, a 3-card reserve. Work through one move, then play in your browser.
A group moves onto its own suit
Column 2 ends in the 8♠ with the 3♥ and J♠ lying on it, and column 6 ends in the 9♠. Tap the 8♠ and then column 6: all 3 cards move together, even though they are not in order, because only the 8♠ has to fit, and the 8♠ is one rank below the 9♠ in the same suit. The face-down card under the 8♠ turns up. Onto a 9♥ the group would be refused: in Scorpion the suit must match.
| Move | Result |
|---|---|
| 8♠ with 3♥ J♠ on it, onto 9♠ | Moves: only the 8♠ has to fit |
| 8♠ onto 9♥ | Does not move: same suit only |
| K♦ with cards on it, into an empty column | Moves: a king starts an empty column |
| Reserve tapped | 1 card onto each of the first 3 columns, once |
| A column runs K♣ down to A♣ | All 13 cards leave for a foundation by themselves |
Nothing goes on an ace, and only a king starts an empty column. The deal is lost the moment no legal move is left, which can only happen after the reserve has been dealt; the score is the cards on the foundations.
Practise this game in your browser🎯 Objective
Arrange all 52 cards into four complete suits running from king down to ace. Each finished suit moves to a foundation by itself; if you don't finish, your score is the number of cards on the foundations.
🃏 Scorpion Solitaire Setup & Rules
- One standard 52-card deck, no jokers. The app deals 49 cards into seven columns of seven; in the first four columns the bottom 3 cards are face down, and everything else is face up.
- The last 3 cards are the face-down reserve, beside four empty foundations.
- It is a solitaire for one: there are no other seats to fill and no setup options, so the deal starts as soon as you choose Scorpion.
▶ How to Play Scorpion Solitaire
- Tap the card you want to move, then the column it goes to. Tap it again to put it back, or tap another card instead.
- A card goes onto the card one rank higher in the same suit: the 6♥ on the 7♥. Any face-up card may move, and every card on top of it comes along, whether or not those cards are in order; only the card you pick up has to fit.
- Nothing goes on an ace, and a king, with whatever lies on it, moves only into an empty column. The app refuses to move a whole column into an empty one, since that changes nothing.
- A face-down card turns face up as soon as the card on it leaves.
- Tap the reserve whenever you like: its 3 cards are dealt face up, 1 onto each of the first three columns. It happens once, and nothing goes back into the reserve.
- The moment a column runs from king down to ace in one suit, those 13 cards leave the table for a foundation by themselves. Auto makes the move the app's own policy would make, Undo takes back the last move, and Give up ends the deal where it stands.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Scorpion Solitaire
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📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- From the game menu choose Scorpion. It is a solitaire for one, so there are no other seats to fill and no app opponents.
- Scorpion has no setup options: there is no deal number to enter, no timer and no scoring variant. The deal starts at once.
- The app shuffles one 52-card deck and deals 49 cards into seven columns of seven. In the first four columns the bottom 3 cards are face down; the other three columns are entirely face up.
- The last 3 cards sit face down in the reserve, next to four empty foundations.
Moving cards
- Tap a card, then tap the column it goes to. A card goes onto the card one rank higher in the same suit: the J♠ on the Q♠.
- Every card on top of the card you tap moves with it, in order or not. Only the card you pick up has to fit.
- Nothing goes on an ace, since nothing is lower, and a king, with whatever lies on it, moves only into an empty column. The app will not move a whole column into an empty one.
- When the last card on a face-down card leaves, the face-down card turns up by itself. Only face-up cards can be tapped.
The reserve and the foundations
- Tap the reserve at any time and the app deals its 3 cards face up, 1 onto each of the first three columns. It happens once; nothing ever goes back into the reserve.
- As long as the reserve is untouched the deal cannot be lost, because dealing it is always a legal move.
- You never move cards to a foundation yourself. As soon as a column runs from king down to ace in one suit, all 13 cards leave for a foundation by themselves.
- A completed suit never comes back; four of them, 52 cards, win the deal.
Ending the deal
- You win when all four suits are on the foundations; the summary shows how many moves it took.
- The deal is lost the moment no legal move is left after the reserve has been dealt. Your score is the cards on the foundations, 13 per complete suit.
- Auto plays one move of the app's own policy each time you tap it, searching deep for a winning line. If it can find no way on, it concedes the deal.
- Undo takes back the last move, as many times as you like, and Give up ends the deal as a loss, scored where it stands.
📊 Scorpion Solitaire Scoring
You win when all four suits are on the foundations, 52 cards, and the summary counts your moves. The deal is lost the moment no legal move is left, which can only happen after the reserve has been dealt. Either way your score is the number of cards on the foundations, 13 per complete suit. There is no timer, and Play again deals a fresh random layout.
❓ Scorpion Solitaire — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Scorpion Solitaire?
Scorpion Solitaire is a solitaire game for one player — just you and the deck.
Which cards can move in Scorpion?
Any face-up card, together with every card lying on it, in order or not. Only the card you pick up has to fit: it goes onto the card 1 rank higher in the same suit, so nothing goes on an ace and a king moves only into an empty column. A face-down card turns up as soon as it is uncovered.
How does the reserve work in Scorpion?
3 cards are held back from the deal. Tap the reserve whenever you like and the app deals 1 onto each of the first 3 columns, face up; it happens once, and the cards cannot go back. While the reserve is untouched the deal cannot be lost, since dealing it is always a legal move.
How do suits reach the foundations in Scorpion?
You never move cards to a foundation yourself. The moment a column runs from king down to ace in a single suit, all 13 cards leave the table for a foundation by themselves, and they never come back. 4 such runs win the deal.
When is a deal of Scorpion over, and how is it scored?
You win when all 4 suits are on the foundations, 52 cards, and the summary counts your moves. The deal is lost the moment no legal move is left after the reserve has been dealt, or when you tap Give up; the score is the cards on the foundations, 13 per complete suit. Undo takes any move back.