Rules
Wasp Solitaire rules at a glance
- Use one standard 52-card deck.
- Deal seven tableau columns of seven cards each.
- The first four columns start with three face-down cards and four face-up cards.
- The last three columns start with all seven cards face up.
- Three leftover cards form the tail, which can be dealt once to columns one, two, and three.
- Tableau cards build downward by suit: 6 of hearts onto 7 of hearts.
- Any face-up card may move with every card above it, even when that packet is unordered.
- Only the leading card of a packet has to fit the destination.
- Empty tableau columns accept any face-up card or packet.
- Complete same-suit king-to-ace runs clear automatically on this page.
How to play
How to play Wasp Solitaire
Wasp Solitaire is a one-deck tableau game in the Scorpion family. Your goal is to arrange all 52 cards into four complete suit runs, each running from king down to ace. There are no ace-up foundations to build. The finished work happens inside the tableau.
Choose any face-up card, then move that card and every card above it as one packet. The leading card is the only card that has to match the landing rule. A 6 of hearts may land on the 7 of hearts even if the cards riding above that 6 are mixed and unhelpful.
The special Wasp rule is the empty column. In Scorpion, a space usually demands a king. In Wasp, any face-up card or packet can move into a space. That makes the game more forgiving, but it also tempts you to shuffle clutter around without improving the real position.
Setup
The Wasp layout on this page
- Columns one through four each contain three hidden cards under four face-up cards.
- Columns five through seven each contain seven face-up cards.
- The tail contains the remaining three cards.
- The tail deal places one face-up card on each of the first three columns.
- There is no waste pile, redeal, reserve, or separate foundation-building phase.
Deal
Wasp Solitaire setup by area
The opening deal puts 49 cards straight into the tableau. Twelve cards begin hidden in the first four columns, so the early game is about creating useful reveals without losing control of the visible cards. The final three cards wait in the tail until you choose to deal them.
Columns 1-47 cards each3 down, 4 up
Columns 5-77 cards eachall face up
Tail3 cardsdealt once
Runs
The king-to-ace suit run
A finished Wasp run is one suit in exact descending order. A club run starts with the king of clubs and ends with the ace of clubs. When this page detects a complete run at the top of a column, it clears that run into the completed-suits area so the remaining tableau is easier to manage.
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The automatic clear is only a display convenience. You still have to assemble the full same-suit sequence in the tableau first. A broken or mixed packet will not clear until the exact king-to-ace suit order exists.
Spaces
Why empty columns change Wasp
Empty columns are the reason Wasp feels different from Scorpion. A space can hold a king, a queen-led packet, a lone 3, or any other face-up packet. That extra freedom lets you rescue buried connectors, park a packet temporarily, and turn an awkward column into a reveal.
The space is still not free progress by itself. If you move a packet into a space and it reveals nothing, connects no suit, and blocks a better packet, you may have spent the best tool on the board. Strong Wasp play treats spaces as work benches, not storage closets.
Examples
Legal and illegal Wasp moves
On a non-empty column, suit is the whole test. The 6 of hearts moves onto the 7 of hearts. It cannot move onto the 7 of diamonds, and it cannot move onto the 5 of hearts. If the destination column is empty, however, the leading card can be any face-up card.
Legal6 of hearts onto 7 of hearts
LegalA queen-led packet into an empty column
LegalA messy packet led by a 4 of clubs onto the 5 of clubs
Illegal6 of hearts onto 7 of diamonds
Illegal8 of spades onto 7 of spades
BlockedFace-down cards cannot move
Face-down cards never move. Clear every card above a hidden card to flip it up, then it can take part in packet moves like any other face-up card.
Tail
How the three-card tail works
The tail is a one-time deal. It places one face-up card onto each of the first three tableau columns. There is no waste pile and no cycling through those cards later. Once the tail is dealt, every card is on the table.
Deal the tail when the board needs new information, not simply because the button is available. If the first three columns still have promising reveals, use those moves first so the tail does not bury cards you were about to free.
No foundations
Why Wasp does not play like Klondike
Klondike sends aces to foundations and builds suits upward. Wasp keeps the action in the tableau and builds suits downward. Aces are not early exits here. They are the final card of each completed suit run.
That changes how you value cards. Kings start finished runs, middle cards connect the suit, and low cards can become traps if they are buried under unrelated packets.
Strategy
Wasp Solitaire strategy that matters
First, reveal hidden cards. The first four columns contain the unknowns, and each reveal gives you a clearer map of the deal. A move that uncovers a hidden card is usually more valuable than a move that only makes the visible tableau look tidier.
Second, use spaces actively. Because any packet can move into an empty column, you can create temporary room for short tactical sequences. Move a packet into a space when it frees a hidden card, releases a same-suit connector, or lets another column take shape.
Third, protect connectors. Same-suit building gives each card a specific job. The 8 of spades needs the 9 of spades; no other 9 will do. Before you bury a connector under a long packet, check whether its lower neighbor can still reach it later.
Finally, do not let the relaxed space rule make you casual. Wasp gives you more motion than Scorpion, but too much motion can still turn the tableau into a maze of packets that no longer expose anything important.
Mistakes
Common Wasp Solitaire mistakes
- Forgetting that non-empty columns build by suit, not by alternating color.
- Using an empty column as storage when it could reveal a hidden card.
- Moving a large packet only because Wasp allows it.
- Dealing the tail before the first three columns are ready for extra cards.
- Burying a same-suit connector under cards that cannot help the run.
- Polishing one visible run while hidden cards remain covered elsewhere.
Winnability
Is Wasp Solitaire winnable?
Wasp Solitaire is not always winnable from a random shuffle. It gives you more escape routes than Scorpion, but hidden cards, exact suit requirements, and the one-time tail can still leave a deal with no legal path forward.
This page does not publish a fixed win rate because a meaningful number should come from measured deals in this exact implementation. The relaxed empty-column rule, automatic run clearing, undo, and tail timing all affect practical difficulty.
Difficulty
How difficult is Wasp Solitaire?
Wasp is easier to maneuver than Scorpion but still sharper than many casual solitaire games. The rules are quick to learn: build down by suit, move face-up packets, and use spaces freely. The challenge is deciding which legal moves actually improve the board.
If you like Yukon-style packet movement but want a suit-run finish, Wasp is a good fit. If Scorpion feels too locked down by king-only spaces, Wasp offers the same basic puzzle with more room to breathe.
Variants
Wasp variants and house rules
Wasp is usually described as a Scorpion variant. The shared structure is the seven-column deal, the three-card tail, same-suit descending building, and free movement of face-up packets. The rule that defines Wasp is the open space: any card or sequence can fill it.
Some digital versions leave completed king-to-ace runs in the tableau, while this page clears them automatically after they are assembled. Related games include Scorpion, which uses king-only spaces, and Three Blind Mice, which changes the layout and hidden-card pattern.
Nearby games
How Wasp compares with Scorpion, Yukon, and Spiderette
Scorpion is the closest comparison: same deal, same tail, same-suit packet building, but stricter empty columns. Yukon shares the generous packet movement, yet builds by alternating color and uses foundations. Spiderette shares the one-deck suit-run finish, but its stock deals rows across the tableau rather than a single three-card tail.
Choose Wasp when you want a compact sequence game with enough flexibility to recover from awkward columns. Choose Scorpion when you want the same family with a harder space rule.