Play Scorpion Tail Solitaire Online for Free (No Signup Required)

Same stinging dig as Scorpion, but everything builds by alternating color instead of suit. Chase red-black-red runs across one deck and seven piles to the foundations.

Scorpion Tail Solitaire is a color-flipped cousin of the classic Scorpion. Where the original asks you to build down in a single suit, this version has you build down by alternating color, both on the tableau and on the foundations. That one twist changes the whole feel of the game: the buried face-down cards that make Scorpion so notorious are still there, but freeing them now means chasing red-black-red sequences across the seven piles.

The game is played with a single deck. Seven piles hold the entire board, the first four dealt three face-down cards under four face-up cards, and the last three dealt seven cards all face-up. Three extra cards wait in a small reserve that is dropped onto the first three piles in a single deal when you run out of moves. Because you can lift a group of cards regardless of the order sitting beneath the card you grab, planning your digs ahead of time is everything.

Skill matters more than luck here. A completed descending alternating-color run of thirteen cards ships off to a foundation, and unpicking the tangle in the right order is what separates a clean win from a stuck board.

If you enjoy Scorpion Tail, try Scorpion Solitaire, the build-down-in-suit original, or Scorpion Head Solitaire, another sharp variation on the theme.

If you run into anything odd or have an idea that would make the game better, please contact me.

Have fun!

How to play Scorpion Tail Solitaire

Layout:

4 foundation piles: Build down by alternating color. A completed 13-card run moves here automatically, all at once.

7 tableau piles: The first four piles are dealt three face-down cards under four face-up cards; the last three piles are dealt seven face-up cards each.

Reserve: Three cards held back at the start. When you can make no more moves, they are dealt one to each of the first three piles.

Foundation:

There are four foundation piles, and they begin empty.

A pile is cleared to a foundation only when a full descending alternating-color sequence, running a high card down through thirteen ranks, sits on it. You do not build the foundations one card at a time; the completed run moves as a whole.

The top card of each foundation can be moved back into play if another pile will accept it.

Tableau:

Seven tableau piles make up the board. Only face-up cards are available to move.

A card can be added to a tableau pile only if it's one rank lower and the opposite color of the pile's current top card, so the only card that fits on a red 8 is a black 7. Uncovering a face-down card turns it face-up.

You may pick up a group of cards and move it regardless of the order of the cards beneath the one you grab. This is the heart of the game, as it lets you dig out buried cards. An empty pile can be filled only with a King.

Stock and waste:

There is no ongoing stock or waste. The three reserve cards form a single one-time deal.

When you are out of moves, use the deal to drop one card face-up onto each of the first three piles. There are no redeals after that.