What is Black Hole Solitaire?

Black Hole is a game of removing cards into a single pile in the center. You may play a card that is one rank higher or lower than the current center card.[1]

PlayersOne
Decks1
DifficultyIntermediate
FamilyRank adjacency

How to set up the cards

Start with the following arrangement.[1]

  1. Place the Ace of Spades face up in the center. This is the Black Hole pile.
  2. Deal the other 51 cards face up into seventeen small piles of three cards each.
  3. There is no stock to draw from. You will move cards from the outer piles to the center.

How to play

Follow these rules for the version described here.[1]

  1. Look at the card in the center pile, called the Black Hole.
  2. Move an exposed card from any column onto it if that card is one rank higher or lower.
  3. Suits and colors do not matter.
  4. King and Ace count as neighboring ranks, so an Ace can follow a King and a King can follow an Ace.
  5. Remove all 51 cards from the outer piles to win.

An example of a move

If the center pile shows a Queen, you may place any exposed Jack or King on it.

If the center pile shows a King, you may place either a Queen or an Ace because this game connects King and Ace.

When two cards of the same rank are available, look at which one would uncover another card you can play next.

Tips for playing

These tips can help you decide what to do next. They are suggestions, not guaranteed ways to win.

  • Look at the card that will be exposed after each move, not only the card you can play now.
  • Remember that you can move between King and Ace.
  • Try to keep a chain of playable cards going instead of leaving yourself with no next move.

Common mistakes

  • Do not match suits; only the rank matters.
  • Do not borrow Golf’s rules: in Black Hole, King and Ace can connect.
  • You may only move the exposed card at the top of each outer pile.

Popular variations

Black Hole is related to Golf, but the layout is different and King connects directly to Ace. This guide follows the familiar arrangement with one center card and seventeen piles of three cards.[2]

The story behind the game

History & origins

What we knowCreated by David Parlett

Black Hole is an original patience game created by card-game historian David Parlett. He describes it as an adaptation of Golf, also called One Foundation.[3]

Parlett’s own rules place the Ace of Spades in the center and the remaining cards in seventeen fans of three. The game allows movement between Kings and Aces.[3]

Researchers at the University of St Andrews later studied Black Hole as a planning problem in a paper published in AI Communications in 2007.[1]

Frequently asked questions

How many cards start in the hole?

One; the other 51 begin in the tableau.

Does King connect to Ace?

Yes. In this version, you may play an Ace on a King or a King on an Ace.

Is there a stock to draw from?

No, the entire remaining deck is dealt into the tableau.

Sources & further reading

  1. 01
    Ian P. Gent, Tom Kelsey, Chris Jefferson, Inês Lynce, Ian Miguel, Peter Nightingale, Barbara M. Smith & S. Armagan Tarim (2007). Search in the Patience Game “Black Hole”.

    AI Communications, 20(3), 211–226 / University of St Andrews Research Portal · Peer-reviewed article

    View source ↗
  2. 02
    Charlie Blake & Ian P. Gent (2024). The Winnability of Solitaire and Patience Games (v5), Appendix A, Table 6.

    University of St Andrews / arXiv preprint · University working paper

    View source ↗
  3. 03
    David Parlett (undated (author retrospective)). Black Hole — original patience game.

    David Parlett, original author’s rules and notes · Creator primary account

    View source ↗