Play Black Hole Solitaire Online
Black Hole gathers a full deck into one center pile. The Ace of spades begins in the middle, while the other 51 cards sit face up in 17 fans of 3. An exposed card can enter the center when its rank is one step above or below the card already there. Suit and color have no part in the match.
David Parlett invented Black Hole as a relative of Golf, but removing the stock changes its character. Every card is present from the opening and every play uncovers the next card in one fan. The table looks calm, yet a single choice can decide which ranks remain available several moves later.
One Center Pile and 17 Open Fans
The center pile is the whole destination. Black Hole has no 4-suit foundations, stock, waste or redeal. Each fan begins with 3 overlapping cards, and only its exposed end card can move. Playing that card shortens the fan and reveals the card beneath it. Empty fans stay empty for the rest of the deal.
This compact structure makes the board easy to inspect without making the result automatic. At any moment, the available edge consists of at most 17 cards. The cards behind them are known, but they cannot be reached until the front of the relevant fan has been absorbed.
Any Suit, Any Color
A 7 in the center accepts any 6 or any 8. Hearts can follow clubs, and a red card can follow another red card. The direction may change on every move, so a sequence can descend for several cards, rise for one and then descend again.
Kings and Aces Connect
The rank order wraps at both ends. A King can follow an Ace, and an Ace can follow a King. This keeps the center pile moving around a 13-rank cycle instead of stopping whenever a sequence reaches the top or bottom of the deck.
The Center Card Sets the Next Move
Each play sets the rank the next card has to match. If a 9 enters the center, the next move must be an 8 or 10. Playing the 8 then asks for a 7 or 9. Several legal cards may show the same rank, but they are not interchangeable because each choice opens a different card behind it.
The screenshot below shows a real deal after the opening chain has begun. Some fans are still 3 cards deep, while others have exposed their middle or final card. The center rank has already changed several times, but every later card remains visible on the table.
Coming From Golf or TriPeaks
Golf Solitaire also accepts cards one rank above or below the waste, but Golf deals 35 tableau cards into 7 columns and keeps a stock in reserve. Black Hole deals every card immediately and permits the King-Ace wrap. There is no stock card waiting to rescue a stalled sequence.
In TriPeaks, cards higher in the peaks become playable only once the cards covering them are gone. Black Hole uses 17 short, independent fans instead. It plays more like an open fan puzzle. The order within each group of 3 is fixed, and you decide how the groups feed a single shared sequence. Players who enjoy clearing exposed pairs in Pyramid may like the same quick scan across many available cards, although Black Hole matches ranks rather than totals.
Short Fans Show What Comes Next
A 3-card fan is small enough to read at a glance. Its outer card can be used now, its middle card is next and its inner card is last. As fans shorten at different speeds, the table becomes a record of earlier choices. A cleared fan contributes no more ranks, while an untouched fan still holds its complete 3-card order.
Planning a Black Hole Chain
With every card in view, you can plan several plays ahead instead of reacting to each new center card. Before each play, look one card deeper than the edge. When 2 fans show the rank you need, take the one whose next card keeps the chain going.
Keep an eye on how many cards of each rank are left. There are only 4 of each. If every 6 goes into the center while several 5s and 7s are still buried, those cards lose one of their 2 possible neighbors, and the chain can stall around them. Fans that still hold 3 cards deserve attention too, because they have the most left to give.
Every Winnable deal can be cleared, which you can check at any time with Is it winnable?. A Random deal may not be. A signed-in win without hints or undo goes on the Black Hole leaderboard. If you are curious, there is a short explanation of how we check that a deal can be won.
The Last Few Cards Use the Same Cycle
Near the finish, there may be only a handful of fans left, but the same cyclic rule remains in force. The center can pass through King and Ace repeatedly, and a direction change may still be required before the last fan opens. The board becomes sparse without changing the rules underneath it.
The Complete Black Hole Rules
The Black Hole Solitaire rules guide explains the deal, legal moves, wrapped rank order, dead ends and a full turn sequence with separate teaching screenshots. For a broader comparison with tableau, pairing and stock games, use the types of Solitaire guide.