Objective
Move all 52 cards to the four foundation piles, building each foundation up by suit from Ace to King.
Setup
- 7 tableau columns are dealt with 1–7 cards (left to right). Only the top card of each column starts face-up.
- The remaining cards form the stock (face-down). The waste pile starts empty.
Piles (what each area is)
- Stock: face-down draw pile (click to draw up to 3 cards at once).
- Waste: face-up pile of drawn cards (only the top card is playable, even though up to 3 are visible).
- Foundations: four suit piles (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs) built up from Ace → King.
- Tableau: 7 columns where most play happens; cards build down in alternating colors.
Allowed moves
- Tableau builds: place a card onto a tableau column if it is one rank lower and the opposite color (example: 8♥ on 9♣). Empty tableau columns accept Kings only.
- Move stacks: you can move a face-up sequence of cards between tableau columns only if that whole sequence is a valid descending, alternating-color run.
- Foundations: place a card onto a foundation if it is the same suit and one rank higher (Ace starts an empty foundation).
- From waste: only the top waste card can be moved to a foundation or to a tableau column.
- From foundations: you can move the top card of a foundation back to a tableau column if legal.
- Flip: when a tableau column's top card is face-down, you can flip it face-up.
Stock / redeal (Draw 3)
- Click Stock to draw up to 3 cards to Waste at once. Only the top waste card is playable.
- When Stock is empty, clicking it recycles the entire Waste back into Stock (reversed and face-down). This can be done any number of times.
- Because three cards are drawn at once, useful cards are often buried under two unplayable ones — plan ahead before drawing.
Controls and helpers
- Drag and drop: drag a card (or valid stack) to a tableau column or foundation.
- Double-click / double-tap: attempts an automatic move for the selected top card (to a foundation if possible; otherwise to the first legal tableau column).
- Undo / redo: Undo is available in the HUD and via Cmd/Ctrl+Z; Redo via Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z (or Ctrl+Y on Windows).
- Hint: suggests a legal move when one exists.
Auto-finish
Auto-finish becomes available when Stock is empty, Waste is empty, and all tableau cards are face-up. It then repeatedly moves available top tableau cards to foundations automatically.
Saving and sharing
- Your progress auto-saves locally in the browser and restores if you refresh or reopen the tab.
- Use Share to copy a short link that recreates the same starting deal (seed-based).
What is Draw 3 (Turn 3)?
Draw 3 (also called Turn 3) means three cards are revealed at once from the stock. Only the top waste card is playable at any time — the other two visible cards are blocked until the top card is moved. This forces you to manage the waste pile carefully across multiple redeals.
Draw 3 is generally harder than Draw 1 because useful cards can be buried for several passes through the deck. An unlimited redeal rule (as used here) partially offsets this — you can cycle through the stock as many times as needed.
Strategy tips for Draw 3
- Track your waste pile position. Unlike Draw 1, each stock pass reveals cards in groups of three — knowing which card is one draw away helps you plan when to act versus when to cycle.
- Uncover face-down tableau cards first. Each flip opens more options and reduces your dependence on the stock.
- Build foundations evenly. Keep all four suits within one or two ranks of each other to avoid blocking future moves.
- Use empty columns for maneuvering. An empty column is valuable — place a King there only when you have a sequence ready to build on it.
- Redeal deliberately. Moving cards out of the waste can change which cards become reachable on later passes, so plan one pass ahead when you can.
Draw 3 vs Draw 1 — which is harder?
Draw 3 is consistently harder than Draw 1. In Draw 1, every stock card becomes playable immediately. In Draw 3, useful cards are often blocked behind two unplayable cards and can only be reached after cycling through the rest of the deck.
Published player-data estimates for Klondike variants usually put Draw 3 below Draw 1, but exact rates depend on the rule set and the players being measured. If you find Draw 3 frustrating, Draw 1 Klondike is a good starting point before returning to the harder variant.
Is every Draw 3 deal winnable?
No — as with all Klondike variants, some deals are unwinnable. Draw 3 with unlimited redeals is more solvable than limited-pass variants, but the grouping of three cards still means some deals block all useful cards simultaneously across all passes.
If you are completely stuck after several redeals through the full deck, starting a fresh game is the right call.
Related solitaire games to try next
If you like Klondike Draw 3, these Solitarium games explore nearby skills: easier stock play, complete-information planning, and longer tableau sequencing.
Sources and further reading
These references informed the rules, history, and strategy notes on this page.