Klondike is the game the whole world pictures when it hears the word solitaire. It shipped on millions of computers, it is played on phones and paper alike, and it remains the definitive single-player card game. Yet its rules are often half-remembered, learned by trial and error rather than actually taught. This guide lays out the complete Klondike solitaire rules in plain language, so you understand not just what moves are legal but why each one matters.
By the end you will know how the board is dealt, every move you are allowed to make, how the stock and waste work, and precisely what it takes to win. Keep a game of Klondike open and follow along; the rules stick far faster when you see them in action. If you have never played any solitaire before, start with our overview of how to play solitaire first.
The Objective
The goal of Klondike is simple to state: build all four suits up on the foundations, each from Ace to King. You have won the moment every card in the deck sits on a foundation, with each pile running Ace, 2, 3, and so on up through Queen and King in a single suit. Everything else in the rules exists to help you reach that arrangement. It is worth keeping that single picture in mind as you play, because every legal move is really a step toward freeing the cards you need and getting them, in order, onto those four piles. When you feel unsure what to do next, asking which move brings you closer to a complete foundation is usually enough to point the way.
Setting Up the Board
Klondike uses one standard 52-card deck. The deal creates three areas you will use throughout the game.
The Tableau
Deal seven columns left to right. The first column gets one card, the second two, the third three, and so on up to seven cards in the last column. The top card of each column is turned face up; every card beneath it stays face down until uncovered. This staircase of columns is the tableau, where most of the game happens.
The Stock and Waste
After the tableau is dealt, 24 cards remain. These form the stock, a face-down reserve. When you cannot or do not want to move anything in the tableau, you draw from the stock into a face-up waste pile beside it. The top card of the waste is always available to play.
The Foundations
Four empty foundation slots sit above the tableau, one for each suit. You fill them over the course of the game, and completing all four is how you win.
The Legal Moves
Klondike allows only a few types of move. Learn these and you know the whole game.
- Play to a foundation: Start each foundation with an Ace, then add cards of the same suit in ascending order, one rank at a time.
- Build down the tableau: Place a card onto a tableau column if it is one rank lower and the opposite color. A black 8 accepts a red 7.
- Move ordered groups: A run of face-up cards already in correct down-and-alternating order can be moved together to another column.
- Fill an empty column: Only a King, or a valid group led by a King, may be placed in an empty tableau space.
- Draw from the stock: Turn cards from the stock to the waste to reveal new options when the tableau stalls.
Notice the two opposite directions. The tableau builds down in alternating colors, while the foundations build up in matching suits. Confusing those two rules is the most common Klondike mistake.
How the Stock Works: Draw One vs Draw Three
Klondike comes in two main flavors that change the difficulty considerably.
Draw One
In the draw-one game, each click turns a single card from the stock to the waste. You cycle through the stock as many times as you like, and because you see every card in turn, this version is far more forgiving. It is the friendliest way to learn.
Draw Three
In the draw-three game, cards come off the stock three at a time and only the top one of each group is playable. This restricts which stock cards you can reach and demands more planning. It is the classic tournament setting and a real step up in challenge. You can usually pick your preferred mode before dealing on the Klondike table.
Playing a Turn: A Reliable Routine
Because Klondike offers many possible moves each turn, a consistent order of checks keeps you from missing anything. Follow these steps:
- Send up any Aces and playable low cards to start and grow the foundations, but only when you will not need them below.
- Prioritize moves that flip a face-down card, since each one reveals fresh options.
- Build tableau sequences in alternating colors to keep runs alive and open columns.
- Place a King in any empty column to reclaim the space productively.
- Draw from the stock only when stuck, then repeat the checks with the new card showing.
This loop is the heart of skilled Klondike play, and we expand on the thinking behind it in solitaire strategy basics.
How You Win and When You Lose
You win Klondike when all 52 cards have reached the foundations, each suit complete from Ace to King. You lose, or stall, when no legal moves remain and drawing from the stock produces nothing playable. Not every Klondike deal can be won even with perfect play, which is a natural feature of the game rather than a flaw; we look at the odds in are solitaire games winnable. Draw-one Klondike is winnable a large share of the time, while draw-three is tougher. If a deal ends in a dead position, it is worth pausing to ask whether an earlier choice cost you the game, since Klondike often hinges on a single key decision, such as which face-down pile to attack first or when to commit a card to the foundations. Learning to spot those turning points is what separates a casual player from a consistent winner, and it comes only with practice on real deals.
How Klondike Compares to Other Variants
Klondike's mix of hidden cards and a limited stock gives it a distinctive feel. FreeCell removes the hidden cards entirely and is almost always solvable, while Spider uses two decks and same-suit runs for a longer game. If you enjoy Klondike's tableau but want no luck of the draw, Yukon deals every card face up and lets you move whole groups freely. Exploring these side by side, as in the types of solitaire compared, deepens your feel for what makes Klondike tick.
Conclusion
The rules of Klondike come down to a clear structure: seven tableau columns, a stock to draw from, and four foundations to build up by suit from Ace to King. Build down in alternating colors, uncover hidden cards, save empty columns for Kings, and draw from the stock only when you must. Master that routine and the classic game opens right up. Ready to play? Deal a fresh game of Klondike solitaire now, or browse every free game on the free-solitaire.co homepage.