Klondike Solitaire Rule Variations

Ask ten people how they play solitaire and you’ll hear a few different answers. Some turn three cards, some one. Some go through the deck forever, others only once. This page explains the common differences, which ones you can choose in our game’s Settings, and a few house rules you may remember from home.

Our Game’s Options

Draw 1

You turn over one card from the deck at a time. Every card in the deck can be played as it comes up, so you’re never stuck waiting for a card that’s buried. This is the easier way to play and the way our game starts.

Draw 3

You turn over three cards at a time, and only the top one can be played. Cards underneath come free only when you play the one on top, or on a later pass when the order has shifted. Draw 3 is the traditional way many people learned with a real deck, and it’s noticeably harder. See our strategy guide for Draw 3 tips.

Limited Passes

A pass is one trip through the deck. When the deck runs out, you turn the pile of used cards over and start again. Our game allows unlimited passes unless you turn on Limited passes. With it on:

These limits come from the old casino-style rules and make each deal a real challenge.

Standard Scoring

Scoring is off to start with. Turn on standard scoring and you earn points as you play: +5 for moving a card from the waste to a column, +10 for any card to a foundation, +5 for turning over a hidden card, −15 for taking a card back off a foundation, and −100 (Draw 1) or −20 (Draw 3) each time you turn the waste over for a new pass. Your score never goes below 0. The full rules have a table.

Winnable Deals Only

Not every shuffle can be won. Experts estimate that roughly 8 in 10 random Draw 1 deals can be won with perfect play when you know where every card is, and fewer in practice, because real players can’t see the face-down cards.

With Winnable deals only on, which is how our game starts, every deal is first played out by a built-in solver using Draw 1 and unlimited passes. You only get the deal if the solver finds a win. If you play with Draw 3 or limited passes, a deal checked this way may still be impossible under those stricter rules. Turn the option off for completely random deals, just like shuffling a real deck.

Auto-Move to Foundations

With this option on, which is how our game starts, cards that are safe to put on the foundations go there by themselves. A card is moved only when no lower card of the opposite color still needs it. For example, the 6♥ goes up on its own only after both black 5s are on the foundations, since nothing else could ever use it as a place to land. Turn it off if you like to move every card yourself. Either way, once every card is face up, the game finishes the deal for you.

Other Ways People Play

Vegas Scoring

In this old casino style, you “buy” the deck for a set amount at the start, then earn a set amount back for every card you get onto the foundations. You usually play Draw 3 with three passes, or Draw 1 with a single pass, and the running total carries from game to game. Our game doesn’t use money-style scoring, but our limited passes option gives you the same pass limits.

Thoughtful Solitaire

Every card is dealt face up, including the ones in the columns and the deck. With nothing hidden, the game becomes a pure puzzle of planning ahead. If that appeals to you, try FreeCell, which is built around the same idea.

Any Card in an Empty Column

The standard rule says only a King may fill an empty column. Many families let any card or run go there instead. It makes the game a good deal easier and is a gentle way to teach children. Our game keeps the King-only rule.

Moving Cards Back Off the Foundations

Some people treat the foundations as final: once a card goes up, it stays. Others allow the top card of a foundation to come back down onto a column. Our game allows it, and standard scoring takes 15 points off when you do.

Family rule: some players allow themselves one “cheat” per game, like peeking under a face-down card. Our unlimited Undo is the friendly modern version: try a move, and take it back if it doesn’t work out.

Klondike’s Relatives

Klondike belongs to a big family of patience games. Two of the best known:

• FreeCell deals every card face up into eight columns and gives you four free cells to park cards in. Almost every deal can be won. Read the FreeCell rules.
• Spider Solitaire uses two decks and ten columns. You build full runs from King down to Ace to clear them away. Read the Spider rules.