Baker's Dozen Solitaire

Baker's Dozen is a classic patience card game with a unique twist: before play begins, all Kings are moved to the bottom of their columns. With 13 columns of 4 cards each, all face-up, you build tableau columns down regardless of suit and foundations up by suit from Ace to King.

How Baker's Dozen Works

Deal all 52 cards face-up into 13 columns of 4 cards each. Move any Kings to the bottom of their columns. Build tableau columns down regardless of suit — place a 5♥ on a 6♠, a 3♣ on a 4♦, etc. Only the top card of each column can move. Build foundations up by suit from Ace to King. Empty columns cannot be filled. Win by moving all 52 cards to the four foundations.

The Kings-to-Bottom Rule

The signature mechanic of Baker's Dozen is the Kings-to-bottom setup rule. After dealing, any King found in the tableau is moved to the bottom of its column. This prevents Kings from blocking other cards — since you build down, a King on top would be permanently stuck (there's no higher card to place it on, and empty columns can't be filled). Kings naturally work their way to foundations last, so burying them at the bottom keeps the game flowing.

Learn More

• How to Play Baker's Dozen — Complete rules and strategy guide
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