About Free Printable Solitaire (Klondike) Rules
In Turn-1 you turn one stock card at a time, so every card becomes playable in order. In Turn-3 you turn three at once and only the top one is playable until it is moved. Turn-3 is the traditional default and is much harder.
By the ToolFluency team · Updated October 2026
Want to play instead? Play Solitaire online, free in your browser. Klondike Solitaire is the classic one-player patience game played with a standard 52-card deck and no jokers. You win by moving all 52 cards onto four foundation piles, Ace to King in each suit, while building the seven tableau columns down in alternating colours. A deal takes about 10 to 20 minutes. The full printable rules sheet with layout and legal-move diagrams is on this page.
How to play Klondike Solitaire
- Shuffle and deal 28 cards into 7 tableau piles from left to right: 1 card in the first pile, 2 in the second, up to 7 in the seventh. Turn the top card of each pile face up. Put the remaining 24 cards face down as the stock, leave room beside it for the waste, and keep four spaces for the foundations.
- Build the tableau down in alternating colours: a red 6 goes on a black 7, a black 4 on a red 5. A correctly ordered run of face-up cards can be moved together as one unit.
- Whenever a face-down tableau card is uncovered, turn it face up. It is now in play.
- Move any available Ace to a foundation, then build each foundation up by suit: A, 2, 3 and so on to the King.
- Only a King, or a run headed by a King, may fill an empty tableau column.
- When you need cards, turn the stock onto the waste: one card at a time in Turn-1 or three at a time in Turn-3. Only the top waste card is playable. When the stock is empty, flip the waste over to make a new stock, within the redeal limit you agreed.
- You win when all four foundations run Ace to King. You lose when the stock is used up under your redeal limit and no legal moves remain.
Klondike Solitaire scoring (standard and Vegas)
| System | Action | Value |
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| Standard | Waste to tableau | +5 points |
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| Standard | Waste to foundation | +10 points |
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| Standard | Tableau to foundation | +10 points |
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| Standard | Turn over a tableau card | +5 points |
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| Standard | Foundation back to tableau | -15 points |
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| Standard | Recycle stock (Draw-1 only) | -100 points per redeal |
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| Vegas (classical) | Buy-in | -$50 per deal, break-even at 10 cards |
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| Vegas (modern apps) | Buy-in | -$52 per deal, break-even at 11 cards |
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| Vegas | Card to foundation | +$5 per card |
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Examples
Strategy tips
- Prefer moves that turn over a face-down tableau card; uncovering buried cards matters more than clearing the waste.
- Work on the longest columns first, since that is where most face-down cards are hidden.
- Do not empty a column unless you have a King, or can soon expose one, to fill it; only a King can go there.
- Send Aces and 2s to the foundations right away, but think twice before moving mid-rank cards up if a tableau column still needs them to hold a red or black card.
- In Turn-3, notice which cards sit in second and third place in each trio; playing one card from the waste changes which cards come up on the next pass.
Example: a Vegas deal
You pay the classical $50 buy-in and get 14 cards onto the foundations before you run out of moves. That pays 14 x $5 = $70, so you finish the deal $20 ahead. With only 9 cards up you would collect $45 and finish $5 down. A perfect game returns $260.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Turn-1 and Turn-3 Solitaire?
In Turn-1 you turn one stock card at a time, so every card becomes playable in order. In Turn-3 you turn three at once and only the top one is playable until it is moved. Turn-3 is the traditional default and is much harder.
What can go in an empty column?
Only a King, either alone or at the head of a correctly ordered run. Lower cards can never start a new column.
How many times can you go through the stock?
It depends on the rule set you choose before dealing: unlimited passes in Turn-1 or Turn-3, Turn-3 with only 3 passes, or a single pass with no redeals as in Vegas. Unlimited Turn-1 is the friendliest way to learn.
Can you move a card back down from a foundation?
In most table rules, yes, if it helps you build the tableau. Many computer versions do not allow it, and standard scoring takes off 15 points when you do.
How often can you win Klondike?
Studies put the win rate with perfect play at about 52% for Turn-1 and about 18% for Turn-3. One experiment found a skilled human player won about 43% of Turn-3 games.
How does Vegas Solitaire scoring work?
You pay a buy-in, $50 in the classic version or $52 in many apps, and earn $5 for every card you get to the foundations. You get one pass through the stock with no redeals, so most deals end with a loss.
When can a game of Solitaire be finished automatically?
Once every card is face up, with nothing hidden in the tableau, stock or waste, the game can be completed mechanically. That is why many digital versions auto-complete from that point.
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