Klondike Solitaire Online – Free Classic Card Game
Play Klondike Solitaire online for free.
Enjoy the classic version of solitaire you know and love — fast loading, no downloads, no signup required. Whether you're a beginner learning the rules or an experienced player sharpening your strategy, this version of Klondike Solitaire is built for smooth, distraction-free play.
👉 Start playing instantly and see how often you can win.
▶️ Play Klondike Solitaire
Use Undo, Hint, and New Game at any time. Your progress and stats are saved automatically.
What Is Klondike Solitaire?
Klondike Solitaire is the most popular and widely played version of solitaire in the world. When people say "solitaire," they are almost always referring to Klondike.
The goal is simple: move all 52 cards to the four foundation piles, building each pile from Ace to King in the same suit.
What makes Klondike so enduring is the balance between skill and luck. While not every deal is winnable, strong decision-making dramatically improves your odds.
How to Play Klondike Solitaire
Klondike Solitaire is played with a standard 52-card deck.
Setup
- 7 tableau piles are laid out from left to right
- The first pile has 1 card, the second has 2, and so on
- Only the top card of each pile is face-up
- The remaining cards form the stock pile
Objective
Build four foundation piles (one per suit), starting with Aces and ending with Kings.
Basic Rules
- Cards in the tableau are built descending in rank (King → Queen → Jack → …)
- Tableau cards must alternate colors (red on black, black on red)
- Only Kings (or sequences starting with a King) may be placed into empty tableau columns
- You may move single cards or properly ordered sequences
- Cards from the stock can be drawn and played according to the draw mode
Klondike Solitaire Draw Modes
Different versions of Klondike use different draw rules:
✔ Draw 1 (Easier)
One card is drawn at a time from the stock
Higher win rate
Recommended for beginners
✔ Draw 3 (Harder)
Three cards are drawn at once
Only the top card is playable
Requires more planning and memory
This version of Klondike lets you focus on strategy without unnecessary complexity.
Not sure which mode to choose? Read our full breakdown: Draw 1 vs Draw 3 — Which Is Harder?
Klondike Solitaire Strategy – Expert Tips
Winning consistently at Klondike isn't about speed — it's about decision quality.
- Focus on revealing face-down cards: Surfacing as many cards as possible increases your options for making moves and allows you to plan ahead
- Check the stock pile first: Turn over the first card from the stock before making any moves - it may create sequences that help reveal other cards
- Survey the tableau: Before making a move, check the entire tableau in conjunction with your waste pile to assess all possible moves
- Play Aces and 2s immediately: Start your foundation piles as soon as possible by moving Aces and 2s right away
- Target larger columns first: Focus on revealing cards in the larger tableau columns, as they contain more face-down cards that may be crucial to solving the game
- Keep cards in the tableau when useful: Don't rush to move cards to foundations - you might need them to build sequences and reveal face-down cards first
- Move foundation cards back if needed: You can replay cards from foundation piles back to the tableau to open more options for play
- Clear columns for Kings: Empty tableau columns can only hold Kings, so prioritize clearing columns to create spaces for Kings when they become available
- Use hints and undo: Take advantage of our smart hint system to identify optimal moves and the unlimited undo feature to try different strategies
Is Every Klondike Solitaire Game Winnable?
No — not every Klondike deal can be won, even with perfect play.
However:
- A large percentage of Draw 1 games are solvable
- Smart play dramatically improves your win rate
- Tracking your stats helps you improve over time
Klondike is a game of probabilities, patience, and pattern recognition.
Why Play Klondike Solitaire on SolitaireMastery.com?
If you're serious about enjoying and improving at solitaire, you're in the right place.
Klondike Solitaire scoring
The classic Windows scoring system, which most online versions follow, awards points based on specific actions. Moving a card to a foundation pile scores 10 points. Moving a card from the waste pile to the tableau scores 5 points. Turning over a face-down tableau card also scores 5 points. In timed mode, the game applies a -15 point penalty each time you recycle the stock pile, which discourages looping through the deck repeatedly without making progress.
There's also a time bonus calculation: if you finish a game with a score above 0, the system applies a bonus using the formula 700,000 / seconds played. A fast win can add hundreds of points. This rewards both efficiency and speed, not just getting cards to the foundation.
Solitaire Mastery uses a different approach. Points are awarded per move (5 points each), with a larger bonus granted on completion. Your final score combines move count with elapsed time — finishing in fewer moves with a faster time earns a higher result. The leaderboard ranks games by this composite score, so grinding through the stock pile 10 times before winning won't put you at the top even if you technically win.
The practical takeaway: avoid recycling the stock unnecessarily, move cards to the foundation when it doesn't block tableau play, and try to clear face-down cards quickly. These habits improve your score regardless of which system you're playing under. For a deeper look at how the numbers work, see Klondike Solitaire scoring explained.
Common Klondike Solitaire mistakes
Most losses in Klondike aren't random bad luck — they come from a handful of recurring errors. Recognizing them early makes a noticeable difference.
Emptying columns too early
Creating an empty tableau column feels like a win, but it's only useful if you have a King ready to place there. Clearing a column when you don't have a King available (or when one isn't accessible from the waste pile) just locks up a space that could have been used to build sequences. Before emptying a column, ask yourself whether you actually have something to put there. If not, it's usually better to use those cards to extend existing sequences instead.
Moving aces to the foundation too slowly
Some players leave Aces on the tableau longer than necessary, thinking they might need them for building. You can't place any card on an Ace in the tableau — it's the lowest rank — so leaving one face-up in a column just wastes that column's top position. Move Aces and 2s to the foundation the moment they become available. The foundation slots open up options rather than restricting them.
Ignoring face-down cards
The face-down cards buried in the tableau are the whole game. Every move you make that doesn't flip a new card is, in a sense, a move that delays your information. Players who focus on foundation-building early often find themselves stuck later because the tableau is still mostly hidden. Prioritize sequences that flip the deepest face-down cards, especially in the longer columns on the right side of the tableau.
Not planning around the stock pile
The stock pile isn't just a backup — it's part of your overall hand. Before committing to a tableau move, check whether drawing from the stock would give you a better option. In Draw 3, this matters even more: the card you can play right now depends on where you are in the cycle, so burning through the stock to reach a specific card has real costs. Keep track of which cards you've seen and factor the stock into your planning rather than treating it as a last resort.
For a full breakdown of strategy including these and other patterns, see our Klondike Solitaire strategy guide.
Klondike Solitaire variations
Klondike is the starting point, but the broader solitaire family is worth knowing — each game plays differently and gets difficult in its own way.
Draw 1 vs Draw 3
These are both Klondike, just with different stock rules. Draw 1 lets you see every card in the stock on each pass and is noticeably more forgiving. Draw 3 restricts you to one playable card out of every three, which means planning ahead and remembering what's buried in the stock. If you're new to Klondike, start with Draw 1 and switch to Draw 3 once you're comfortable. The strategic gap between them is larger than it looks. See our full comparison: Draw 1 vs Draw 3 — which is harder?
1-suit Klondike (easy mode)
1-suit Klondike uses only one suit instead of four, which drastically reduces the complexity of the alternating-color rule. Because all cards are the same suit, you don't need to think about color placement — just descending rank. It's a good option for players who want to learn the basic mechanics without the cognitive load of tracking four suits at once.
Spider Solitaire
Spider Solitaire is a different game entirely: 104 cards across 10 tableau columns, with the goal of building complete same-suit sequences from King to Ace. There are no foundation-to-tableau transfers — once a sequence is complete, it leaves the board. Spider rewards patience and long-range planning more than Klondike does. The 1-suit version is a reasonable starting point if you want to try it.
FreeCell
FreeCell is the most analytically demanding of the common solitaire variants. All 52 cards are dealt face-up from the start, so there's no hidden information — every move is a choice made with full knowledge. The four "free cells" act as temporary holding spaces, and nearly every deal is theoretically winnable. If you find Klondike too luck-dependent, FreeCell is worth trying.
Klondike Solitaire questions & answers
What is the difference between Klondike and regular Solitaire?
There isn't one, really. "Solitaire" is a broad term for any single-player card game, but in everyday use it almost always refers to Klondike. The version bundled with Windows for decades was Klondike, which is why the name became synonymous with the whole category. Other solitaire games like FreeCell, Spider, and Pyramid are technically also "solitaire" games, but Klondike is the one most people picture when they hear the word.
How many cards are in Klondike Solitaire?
Klondike uses a standard 52-card deck — four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs), each with 13 ranks from Ace to King. At the start of a game, 28 cards are dealt across the 7 tableau columns, and the remaining 24 form the stock pile. All 52 cards need to reach the foundation piles for you to win.
What is the win rate for Klondike Solitaire?
Computer analysis puts the theoretical win rate for Draw 1 Klondike at somewhere between 79% and 91% of deals being solvable with perfect play, though human win rates in practice are much lower — typically 10–30% depending on skill and the draw mode. Draw 3 is harder: solver data suggests only around 8–11% of games are won in practice. The gap between theoretical solvability and actual human performance is mostly down to missed moves and poor sequencing, which is why strategy practice matters. See Klondike Solitaire rules for more background.
Can I play Klondike Solitaire for free?
Yes. Solitaire Mastery is completely free — no account required, no ads interrupting gameplay, no paywalled features. You can play Draw 1 or Draw 3, use unlimited undo, get hints, and track your stats without paying anything. The game runs in your browser on desktop and mobile.
What is Draw 3 mode?
In Draw 3 mode, clicking the stock pile flips three cards at once instead of one. Only the top card of that three-card group is available to play. Once you use or move past that card, the next one becomes accessible. You cycle through the entire stock in groups of three, and when the stock runs out you flip it over and start again. The main challenge is that many cards stay buried in the stock for long stretches, so you need to remember what you've seen and plan moves in advance. It's significantly harder than Draw 1 and produces a lower win rate.
Klondike Solitaire – Frequently Asked Questions
What is Klondike Solitaire?
Klondike Solitaire is the most popular version of solitaire in the world. When people say "solitaire," they almost always mean Klondike. The goal is to move all 52 cards to four foundation piles, built from Ace to King in each suit.
How do you play Klondike Solitaire?
Deal 7 tableau columns (1–7 cards each, top card face-up). Draw from the stock pile and build descending, alternating-color sequences on the tableau. Move Aces to foundations first, then build each suit upward through King to win.
What is the difference between Draw 1 and Draw 3?
In Draw 1, one card is flipped from the stock at a time — easier, with a higher win rate. In Draw 3, three cards are turned at once but only the top card is playable — harder and requires more planning. See our full comparison: Draw 1 vs Draw 3 — Which Is Harder?
Is every Klondike Solitaire game winnable?
No. Some deals are unwinnable even with perfect play. However, Draw 1 games are solvable at a high rate, and strong strategy significantly increases your win percentage.
What is a good Klondike Solitaire score?
A good score depends on your draw mode, move count, and completion time. Moving cards to the foundation scores the most points. Read our full guide: How Does Solitaire Scoring Work?
Can I play Klondike Solitaire on mobile?
Yes. This version is fully touch-optimized and works on all modern smartphones and tablets — no app download required.
Related Guides
Looking for a Bigger Challenge?
If you enjoy Klondike, try Spider Solitaire for a deeper strategic experience — 104 cards across 10 columns, with sequence-building rules that reward careful planning. Start with the 1-suit version and work your way up. Or try FreeCell, where every card is visible from the start and nearly every deal is winnable with the right strategy.