Klondike Solitaire Turn 3 (Draw Three)
Klondike Solitaire Turn 3 is classic Klondike with the stock turned three cards at a time, and only the top card of each three can be played. Players also call it draw three, three-card solitaire, or Klondike by Threes. The game above deals in turn 3 with unlimited passes through the stock, free and with no download.
Everything else is ordinary Klondike: 28 cards in seven columns, 24 in the stock, columns built down in alternating colors, and only a King in an empty column. If turn 3 feels too tight, the same game turning one card at a time is on the Klondike Turn One page, and the full setup and rules are on the main Klondike page.
How Turning Three Cards Works
Each click on the stock turns three cards onto the waste, and only the last of the three, the one on top, can be played. Our game shows just that top card; the two beneath it come into view one at a time as you play the card above. A full 24-card stock takes exactly eight turns, and once cards have left the waste, the last turn of a pass may hold only one or two.
So the order of the stock decides what you can reach. With nothing played, every pass turns up the same eight cards: the 3rd, 6th, 9th, and so on to the 24th. Take one card out of the waste and every card behind it moves up a place, so the next pass shows a different set. Here is the first pass of a real deal from our game, the same one pictured on the main Klondike page:
| Turn | Three cards turned | Playable | Playable next pass, after taking the Ace of clubs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 of diamonds, 4 of clubs, 4 of hearts | 4 of hearts | 4 of hearts |
| 2 | 8 of spades, 8 of clubs, Ace of clubs | Ace of clubs | 7 of hearts |
| 3 | 7 of hearts, 3 of hearts, Queen of diamonds | Queen of diamonds | 6 of hearts |
| 4 | 6 of hearts, 2 of clubs, King of hearts | King of hearts | Ace of diamonds |
| 5 | Ace of diamonds, 8 of diamonds, 6 of spades | 6 of spades | 5 of spades |
| 6 | 5 of spades, 7 of diamonds, 2 of hearts | 2 of hearts | 8 of hearts |
| 7 | 8 of hearts, 9 of spades, 10 of clubs | 10 of clubs | 9 of hearts |
| 8 | 9 of hearts, Queen of clubs, King of clubs | King of clubs | King of clubs |
The Ace of clubs shows on turn 2 and goes straight to its foundation. That single card shifts everything behind it: the Ace of diamonds, 13th in the stock, becomes 12th and shows on the fourth turn of the next pass. The King of clubs, last in the stock, shows on every pass whatever you do.
Turn 3 Strategy
Count places to reach a buried card
A stock card shows when its place in the stock is a multiple of three, or when it is the last card. A card sitting one place too deep, like the Ace of diamonds at 13th, comes into reach when you take out one card anywhere before it. A card two places too deep needs two taken out. Once you know where the card you need sits, pick the waste plays that bring it to the top.
Play from the waste when it opens something
Every waste card you use re-sorts the rest of the stock, so play one because it turns a face-down card over, fills a spot you need, or brings a wanted card into reach, rather than because it happens to fit. A waste card placed on a column also takes a landing spot a column card might need later.
An Ace in the waste can wait
An Ace is never needed on the tableau, so it is always safe on its foundation. In turn 3, though, taking it out of the waste also moves every card behind it. If the current order is about to hand you a card you need, play that card first and collect the Ace on a later pass.
Work the columns before the stock
Moves between columns never disturb the stock, and each one that turns a card over gives the waste new places to go. Make every column move that uncovers a card, then turn the stock, and check the columns again after each playable waste card.
Know when the cycle is dead
Our game allows unlimited passes, but if a whole pass gives you nothing to play and no column move changes anything, the order will never change again and the deal is stuck. In standard scoring the first two passes are free and each pass after that costs 20 points, so a stuck deal also bleeds score.
How Often Can You Win Turn 3?
About four deals in five, if you could see every card. Charlie Blake and Ian Gent's solver tested a million turn 3 deals under our exact rules (three cards per turn, unlimited passes, no card taken back off a foundation) and found 81.5% winnable. Turning one card at a time, the figure is 90.2%.
Our own solver played 500 random deals through this game's engine in turn 3. It found a winning line in 352, proved 49 unwinnable, and left 99 unsettled in the time allowed, so at least 70.4% of our turn 3 deals can be won. Every win was replayed move by move to check it.
Players cannot see the hidden cards and do far worse. In one documented test under the same rules as ours, a skilled player won 189 of 442 turn 3 games, 43%.
Klondike Turn 3 FAQ
Do you turn 3 cards in solitaire?
In turn 3 Klondike, yes: each click turns three cards from the stock and only the top one can be played. Turning one card at a time, called turn one, is the other standard way, and Windows Solitaire offered both from its first version in 1990. The game on this page turns three.
Is 3 card solitaire harder?
Yes. Turning three cards at a time, you can reach only every third stock card on a pass, so the card you need can stay buried for several passes. A solver study of a million deals found 81.5% of turn 3 deals winnable with every card known, against 90.2% when turning one card at a time.
Is there a trick to winning turn 3 solitaire?
The trick is controlling which cards come up. With nothing played, every pass shows the same eight cards. Taking one card out of the waste moves every later card up one place, so a card sitting one place too deep comes into reach. Choose which waste card to play so the one you need lands on top.
Is 3 card solitaire always winnable?
No. Even with every hidden card known, about 18.5% of turn 3 deals cannot be won under our rules, and our own solver proved 49 of 500 random deals unwinnable. A deal is lost when a card you need stays trapped under another, in a column or in the stock cycle.
More Ways to Play Klondike
The New Game menu's difficulty levels, Super Easy to Insane, serve deals graded in turn one, and they open on the main Klondike page. Choose Random for a new turn 3 deal here.