Double Solitaire

2 players. Play online with family and friends, over the internet or across a home network

Double Solitaire is a two-player fast-paced card game. The object of this double solitaire game, also known as "Spit", is to get rid of all your cards, playing as fast as you can to the two discard piles, while your opponent is also playing as fast as they can onto the same two discard piles. Discards must be played in sequence, either up or down, regardless of suit. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins.

Start the Game

Before you can play the game, one player, the host, must start a game. Learn more about hosting this game.

After the host has started the server, each player should start the Double Solitaire game on their own computer and enter the port, IP address, and player name exactly as instructed by the host.

Dealing the Cards

Players are arranged in the order in which they join the game. Cards will be deealt when the last person arrives.

One standard deck of fifty-two cards is dealt to two players. Each player starts with a draw pile of eleven cards, and five stockpiles of five, four, three, two, and one cards. Only the top card of each stockpile is face up.

Object

The object of the game is to get rid of all your cards, both your draw pile and your stockpiles, playing as fast as you can to the two discard piles in the middle, while your opponent is also playing as fast as they can onto the same two discard piles.

Moving Cards

Move cards by dragging them with your mouse and dropping them at least halfway over their intended destination. For example, to drop a card on a discard pile, you must overlap your dragged card at least halfway onto the marked discard area. The server will determine whose card was dropped on the discard pile first.

Playing the Game

To begin the game, both players must drag a card from their draw pile to a discard pile. Both players may then start playing their stock pile cards.

You must eventually play a stock pile card if you have one that plays. The game will tell you to "Play a card" if it sees a card that plays, even if it is just to move a card to a different stockpile or to turn a card face up.

Legal Moves:

• Other than when you have to draw a card, you may move only face-up cards to the two discard piles.
• Discards must be played in sequence, either up or down, regardless of suit. For example, you may play 2, 3, 2.
• Discards may "turn the corner". For example, you may play K, A, 2, 3.
• If a top stockpile card is face down, click it to turn it face up.
• You may move any face-up stockpile card to an empty stockpile.
• You may move a stockpile card to another stockpile only if its top card is the same rank. For example, you may place a 4 on another stockpile showing a 4.

When Nothing Plays

If neither player can play a card, both players will be prompted to play a card from their draw pile. At that time, players that have cards remaining in their draw pile must drag a card from their draw pile to a discard pile before play resumes.

Empty Stock Piles

Play stops if one player gets rid of all their stockpiles but still has cards in their draw pile. Their opponent must then click either discard pile to indicate they are aware that the other player played all their stockpiles. The cards from the smaller discard pile will then be given to the player who played all their stockpiles, and the cards from the larger discard pile will be given to their opponent. Each player's cards are then shuffled and laid out into new draw piles and stockpiles, and play resumes.

Winner

The winner is the first player to get rid of all their draw pile cards and all their stockpile cards.

Tips

• Play fast.
• Be ready to play as soon as both players play a card from their draw pile.
• Keep an eye on what the other player wants to play. Play cards that will help you before playing cards that will help your opponent.
• Would you like to customize this game or learn to write other multiplayer games? Complete instructions for writing this Double Solitaire game and several other multiplayer games are provided in our Do-It-Yourself Multiplayer Java Games book.
• You can play this game without conversing with other players, but you may find it more enjoyable if you use some other form of audio or video communication while you play this game. For example, Zoom, Discord, or phone.
• If one person leaves the game early or loses their internet connection, the game will automatically end for everyone.
• If anyone leaves the game and others want to play again, the host must stop and restart the game server (click Stop then click Start) or close the server and start it back up again.

More Games

We have more games available for Windows computers.

Learn to Write Your Own Computer Games

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Do-It-Yourself Java Games: An Introduction to Java Computer Programming

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