Play Klondike solitaire (Draw 3)

Klondike Draw 3 is the more demanding way to play classic solitaire. The layout is exactly the same as Draw 1, but each draw turns three cards from the stock and only the top one can be played, so plenty of cards stay out of reach until a later pass. Deal Klondike Draw 3 now and play it right here in your browser, free and without an account.

Your round in progress is saved automatically on your own device and resumes when you come back. Draw 3 keeps its own statistics, separate from Draw 1: rounds played, rounds won, best time and fewest moves for wins.

How to win

Build all 52 cards onto the four foundations, one per suit, from Ace up to King. When every card is face up and both the stock and the waste are empty, the game offers Finish and plays the remaining cards to the foundations automatically.

Rules

The deal

• One 52-card deck is used.
• Seven tableau columns: column 1 has 1 card, column 2 has 2, up to 7 cards in column 7. Only the top card of each column is face up.
• The remaining 24 cards form the stock. The four foundations start empty.
• Each deal shows its deal number, so it can be replayed.

Moving cards

• Foundations build up by suit from Ace to King.
• The tableau builds down in alternating colours, such as a black 8 on a red 9.
• A face-up run that is in descending, alternating order can be moved together.
• Only a King, or a run headed by a King, may fill an empty column.
• A face-down card that becomes the top of its column turns face up automatically.
• You may move a card from a foundation back to the tableau if the colour and rank rules allow it.

The stock in Draw 3

• Each Draw turns three cards from the stock to the waste, or the remaining one or two if fewer are left.
• Only the top waste card is playable. The card beneath it becomes playable once the card above it has been played.
• When the stock is empty, Draw turns the whole waste back over into the stock (a recycle). Recycles are unlimited.
• A draw and a recycle each count as one move, just like a card move.

End of the round

• Won: all 52 cards are on the foundations.
• Lost ("No moves left"): the stock and waste have been cycled once completely without any card moving to the tableau or foundations, and no tableau or foundation move exists.
• Starting a new deal part-way through counts the unfinished round as abandoned.

Controls

• Tap or click a card, then tap where it should go; or drag and drop it.
• Double-click or double-tap a card to send it to its foundation when legal.
• Draw (D) turns the next three stock cards, or recycles the waste when the stock is empty.
• Hint (H) highlights one legal move but does not make it; Auto move (A) makes that move for you.
• Undo (U) is unlimited, right back to the deal; New deal is N.
• Keyboard players can use Tab to move between piles, Enter or Space to select and place, and Esc to cancel.

Tips

1. Know which cards you can reach. A full stock of 24 cards takes eight draws to go through. On a pass where you play nothing from the waste, only the top card of each group of three is ever playable, so two out of every three stock cards stay buried.
2. Playing from the waste reshuffles your groups. When you take a card off the waste, the card beneath it becomes playable, and on the next pass the stock splits into different groups of three. Cards that were stuck in the middle of a group can then land on top, so one waste play can change what you see for the rest of the round.
3. Look at the tableau before every recycle. A move between columns, or a card brought back from a foundation, can create a home for the top waste card.
4. Uncover hidden cards early. The deal hides 21 face-down cards, and moves that reveal one usually beat moves that only shuffle face-up cards around.
5. Keep empty columns for Kings. Only a King or a King-headed run can fill a gap, so plan which King goes there before you clear a column.
6. Use Hint before giving up. A round is only lost when a full cycle passes with no useful move and no tableau or foundation move exists. If you are unsure, Hint shows whether a legal move remains.

New to solitaire terms such as waste or recycle? The glossary covers them, and the how to play page explains the basics.

Related games

• Klondike Draw 1 is the same game with one card per draw, a good place to learn the layout.
• Yukon keeps the Klondike tableau but drops the stock entirely.
• Spider One Suit is another long-form patience game built around descending runs.