What Turn 3 solitaire is

Turn 3, also called draw 3 or three-card draw, is Klondike with one rule changed: the stock is dealt three cards at a time. The deal, the columns and the foundations are the same as in Turn 1. What changes is how many cards of the stock you can reach, and with it the whole game.

How three cards come from the stock

One click, three cards. They go face up onto the waste pile and lie there in a fan, each a little to the right of the one under it.
Only the top card plays. It is the one furthest to the right. When it goes to a column or to a foundation, the card under it becomes the top one and can be played next.
The last draw may be short. With fewer than three cards left in the stock, the click turns the one or two that remain.

Passes through the stock

The stock starts with 24 cards, which is eight draws of three. On a pass in which you play nothing from the waste pile you see all 24 cards, but can reach only eight of them: the top card of each draw.

When the stock is empty, click its place. The waste pile turns over and becomes the stock again, in the same order. This game sets no limit on the passes. Each draw is counted as one move, and so is each turn of the waste pile.

Why the cards change from pass to pass

If you play nothing, the next pass brings the same cards to the top. Play one card from the waste pile, and every card after it moves up one place: the draws are cut in different places, and the next pass puts cards on top that were covered before. This is the heart of Turn 3. A card you cannot reach now may come up after you take another card first.

How the strategy differs from Turn 1

Read the whole stock once. On the first pass, note where the cards you need lie and which cards cover them.
Think before you take a card from the waste pile. In Turn 1 it changes nothing else. Here it shifts every later draw, which can free a card you want or cover one you were about to reach.
Play from the columns first. A move between columns uncovers face-down cards and leaves the order of the stock alone.

The two modes side by side: Turn 1 vs Turn 3 solitaire. Tips for both: solitaire strategy.

Why Turn 3 is harder

In Turn 1 every card of the stock is within reach on every pass. In Turn 3 two cards of every draw are covered, and you get at them only by playing the card above. Not every deal can be won in either mode: the cards are shuffled at random, and nothing checks that a deal has a solution. If you would rather meet every card of the stock on every pass: Play Turn 1 Klondike solitaire.

The rules in short

28 cards are dealt into seven columns, the last card of each face up, and 24 go to the stock.
Columns are built down in alternating colours.
Only a king, or a run that starts with one, goes to an empty column.
The four foundations are built up by suit from the ace to the king. The game is won when all 52 cards are there.

Your Turn 3 game is saved on your device apart from your Turn 1 game, and so are its best time and fewest moves. The full rules, the controls and what the game keeps for you are in the guide to Klondike solitaire on the home page.

Questions and answers

How many times can I go through the stock in Turn 3?

As many as you like: the game sets no limit on the passes. Each turn of the waste pile is counted as one move.

Which of the three cards can I play?

Only the top card of the waste pile, the one furthest to the right in the fan. Play it, and the card under it is next.

Does Undo take back all three cards of a draw?

Yes. A draw of three is one move, and one press of Undo puts all three back on the stock. The press is counted as a move itself.

Is every game winnable?

No. Every new game is a random shuffle of the 52 cards, and the game does not check that a deal can be won. Some deals of Klondike cannot be solved whatever you do, and others are lost by one wrong choice. When a game is stuck, Undo takes moves back, Restart deals the same cards again and New game shuffles new ones.

Is my game saved if I close the page?

Yes, once it has a move in it. The game is kept in the storage of your browser, one game for Turn 1 and one for Turn 3, and is on the table again when you come back, with its time, its moves and its Undo history. It stays on this device and in this browser, and clearing the data of the site erases it.

About Ace to King Solitaire

Ace to King Solitaire is a free Klondike solitaire that runs in your browser, with two ways to draw and nothing to download. There is more on the About page, and bug reports and ideas are welcome at hello@acetoking.com.