Klondike solitaire, Draw 3

Klondike, Draw 3 at Solitaire Club

Classic Klondike with the stock turned three cards at a time. It is the slower, more thoughtful way to play: only the top card of each packet is yours until you play it.

What Draw 3 changes

The columns and foundations work exactly as in Draw 1. The difference is the stock: each tap turns over three cards and only the top one can be played. The 24 cards of the stock come round as eight packets of three, so on a first pass without plays from the waste you can reach only every third card.

Playing from the waste moves the packets

Each card you play from the waste shifts every later card by one place, so the next pass groups the stock differently. A card that was buried in the middle of a packet can surface on top. When the card you need is stuck, playing an earlier waste card is often the way to bring it up.

Every deal here can be won

All 120 Draw 3 deals at this table have a winning line: a solver found one and it was replayed move by move under these rules before the deal was published. Your moves can still make a position unwinnable, but undo goes all the way back to the deal.

Tips for Draw 3

Look at the columns before you turn the stock: a move that turns over a face-down card can change which stock card you want. Count the stock as you go and notice which cards stay out of reach. Keep an empty column for a king that frees something. Passes are unlimited here, so there is no rush to play every card you can.

Questions

Is Draw 3 harder than Draw 1?

Usually, yes. You see the same cards, but you can only reach a third of the stock at a time, so you need to plan which waste cards to play and when.

How many times can I go through the stock?

As often as you like. When the stock runs out, tap it again to turn the waste back over in the same order.

Can I switch to Draw 1?

Yes. Use the Draw 1 button above the table. Each mode keeps its own unfinished deal.

Klondike solitaire, every mode →

Table notes

• Turn over hidden cards firstWhen two moves look equally good, choose the one that turns over a face-down card. Every hidden card you expose is information you did not have a moment ago, and it often decides your next three moves.
• Dig in the tallest columnThe right-hand columns start with the most face-down cards. Freeing them early pays off, because a long hidden stack late in the game is where Klondike deals usually stall.
• Empty a column when a king is readyAn empty column only accepts a king. Clearing one is worth most when a king is waiting, in the waste or on top of hidden cards. Without a king to place, the space just sits there.
• Send cards home at a steady paceAces and twos are always safe on the foundations. With higher cards, check whether a card of the other colour and one rank lower might still need somewhere to land before you move them up.
• Draw 1: the stock comes round againIn Draw 1 you can turn the stock as many times as you like, one card at a time. A card you pass over is not lost; it returns on the next pass, in the same order.
• Draw 3: playing a card reshuffles the packetsIn Draw 3 the stock turns over three cards at a time and only the top one can be played. Each card you play from the waste shifts which cards come up on the following pass, so a stuck card can surface later.
• Choose which card fills a spotWhen two cards could take the same place, such as two red sixes for one black seven, pick the one whose move turns over a hidden card or empties a column.
• Look at the table before the stockBefore you turn the stock, scan the columns. A tableau move that exposes a new card can change which stock card you actually want.
• Pick your king carefullyWhen a column empties and two kings could fill it, move the king that frees more: one sitting on hidden cards, or one whose queen is ready to follow.
• Undo is part of the tableUndo goes all the way back to the deal. Every starting position here has a winning line checked by a solver, so stepping back to try another route is a fair way to play.