Triple Klondike Solitaire Turn 3 – Triple the Fun! 🎉

Welcome to Triple Klondike Solitaire Turn 3 – a supersized, fun twist on the classic solitaire you know and love! In this three-deck version of Klondike (156 cards total), everything is tripled: more cards, more piles, more chances for epic moves. Don’t worry though – it’s still a single-player game (the “triple” refers to the decks, not players) and the goal remains the same: move all the cards onto foundation piles by suit from Ace to King. In fact, with so many cards and moves available, some say Triple Solitaire can be easier to win than the one-deck game (you have more options, so winning is a bit more likely). You’re currently on the Triple Solitaire (Draw 3) game page at SolitaireX.io (yes, you can play it right here in your browser 😊), so get ready to shuffle up three decks and enjoy triple the challenge and triple the fun!

(P.S. If you’re curious to explore other solitaire games, stick around – we’ll mention more at the end, or you can hop over to the SolitaireX.io main page anytime.)

How to Play Triple Klondike Solitaire (Turn 3)

Even if you’re new to the triple-deck version, gameplay will feel familiar. Here’s a quick, clear rundown of how to play Triple Klondike Solitaire (Turn 3):

Setup the Deal: Shuffle three standard 52-card decks together (156 cards total). Deal out 13 tableau columns: the 1st column gets 1 card, 2nd gets 2 cards, 3rd gets 3 cards, and so on up to the 13th column with 13 cards. Only the top card of each column is face-up; the rest in that column stay face-down. All remaining cards after dealing (156 minus 91 dealt to tableau) become the stock pile (face-down off to the side). Also leave space for 12 foundation piles above the tableau (these start empty).
Start Foundations with Aces: Scan the tableau for any Aces showing face-up. When you spot a face-up Ace, move it to an empty foundation pile to start building one of the suit stacks (foundations must begin with Ace). As you move cards and free up face-down cards beneath, flip those cards face-up so they become available to play. You’ll eventually have up to 12 foundations (three per suit, since there are three Aces of each suit in play) where you’ll build each suit up from Ace to King.
Build Down on the Tableau: On the tableau (the 13 columns of cards), you build descending sequences in alternating colors (just like classic Klondike). For example, you can move a black 9 onto a red 10, or a red Queen onto a black King. You can move single cards or drag a whole ordered sequence of face-up cards at once, as long as it continues the proper descending-alternating pattern. Whenever you expose a face-down card (with no card covering it), flip it face-up – revealing hidden cards is key to opening up more moves!
Use Empty Columns for Kings: If you manage to clear all cards from a tableau column, that column becomes an empty space. Only a King can be placed into an empty column (you can either move a single King or even a group of cards that starts with a King). So, whenever you free up a column, try to immediately fill it with a King (or a sequence starting with a King) if you have one available. This opens up new avenues to maneuver cards. Tip: Don’t leave an empty column unused for long – an empty spot is wasted until a King occupies it, so it’s best to clear a pile when you have a King ready to drop in.
Draw from the Stock (Turn 3 Draw): When you run out of moves with the face-up cards on the tableau, click or tap the stock pile to draw cards. In Turn 3 mode, you flip three cards at a time from the stock onto the waste pile (the top card of those three is playable). Check the top waste card and see if you can play it either onto a tableau column (if it fits the descending-alternate sequence) or directly to a foundation (if it’s the next needed rank of a suit). If a waste card isn’t immediately useful, you can continue flipping three at a time. Don’t forget, in Triple Solitaire you usually have unlimited re-deals – if you reach the end of the stock, you can recycle the waste pile back into a new stock and keep going. Take your time and use these unlimited passes through the deck wisely to eventually dig out the cards you need.
Keep Building Foundations: Any time you uncover or draw a low card that can go to the foundation (like an Ace or 2), play it up! Start new foundation piles with Aces and continue stacking cards in ascending order (Ace, 2, 3, ... up to King) on each foundation by suit. For instance, if you have an Ace of Hearts on a foundation and later free a 2 of Hearts, move that 2♥ up onto the Ace. Progressing the foundations is how you ultimately win, and it also frees up space in the tableau. Generally, it’s good to move cards to the foundations whenever possible – especially low cards – since it rarely hurts to get them out of the way. (Just be mindful of the balance; we’ll cover a tip about advancing foundations evenly in the Tips & Tricks section.)
Winning the Game: Continue the cycle – flip cards, move cards on the tableau, and build up those foundations – until hopefully all 156 cards are sorted into the 12 foundation piles. To win, every card needs to end up on the foundations from Ace all the way to King in each suit. The game is won once no cards remain in the tableau or stock because you’ve successfully stacked everything onto the foundations. 🎊 Congratulations! 🎊 If you reach a point where you absolutely have no legal moves left (and the stock is empty or just cycling uselessly), then unfortunately that deal is unsolvable – it happens sometimes, so don’t lose heart. Triple Solitaire actually has a pretty high win rate if played smartly (many deals are winnable), so just shuffle and try again if you get stuck.

That’s all there is to it! By following these steps, you’ll get the hang of playing Triple Klondike Solitaire. It’s a longer game with more moving parts than the regular version, but once you get into the rhythm of managing three decks at once, it’s incredibly satisfying to play. Good luck and enjoy the process! 👍

Rules of the Game 📜

If you’re wondering about specific rules for Triple Klondike (Turn 3), here’s a clear breakdown. The rules are essentially the same as classic Klondike Solitaire, just scaled up for three decks:

Objective: Move all the cards to the foundation piles. In Triple Klondike, that means 156 cards must end up on 12 foundations (instead of the usual 52 on 4). Complete all twelve Ace-to-King suits to win.
Foundation Piles (12): These are the goal piles. There are twelve foundation slots (three for each suit) since we have three of every suit from the three decks. Each foundation must be built in ascending order by suit, starting with Ace, then 2, 3, and so on up to King. Only an Ace can start an empty foundation pile. You’ll ultimately have (for example) three separate piles for Hearts (Ace♥→King♥), three for Spades, etc., one for each deck’s worth of each suit.
Tableau (13 Columns): The tableau is the main play area with 13 columns of cards dealt out (column 1 has 1 card, column 2 has 2 cards, ... column 13 has 13 cards). Within each column, cards are stacked in descending rank (King down to Ace) and must alternate colors (red card on black, black on red). You may move the top card of a tableau pile or even a whole sequence of face-up cards as a unit, as long as the sequence is in proper descending alternating order. If you expose a face-down card in a column (by moving away the cards above it), flip it face-up and it can be played. An empty column (when you clear all cards from a pile) can only be filled by a King or a valid sequence starting with a King. (Remember, with three decks you have multiple Kings to juggle – use those empty spots wisely!)
Stock & Waste: After setting up the tableau, you’ll have 65 cards leftover which form the stock (face-down draw pile). In Turn 3 mode, when you click the stock you flip 3 cards at a time onto the waste pile (also known as the discard pile). Only the top card of the waste is available to play at any given time. You can play the top waste card either onto a tableau column (if it fits the descending/alternating sequence) or directly to a foundation (if it continues the suited sequence). If the stock runs out, you can redeal: take all cards from the waste, turn them face-down to form a new stock, and go through it again. Unlimited redeals are allowed in most Triple Solitaire games, so you can cycle through the deck as many times as needed. (Some traditional rules might limit redeals, but online versions typically let you reshuffle endlessly, which is helpful given the huge number of cards.)
Waste: The waste pile holds the cards you’ve drawn from the stock. Only the top card of the waste pile is playable at any time. If you move the top waste card to either the tableau or foundation, the next card in the waste (if any) becomes the new top and can then be played. When you recycle the waste back into the stock for a redeal, the order of cards is preserved (i.e. they don’t get shuffled, they just get turned back face-down in the stock). Managing the waste pile effectively – timing when to draw and when to redeal – is an important part of the strategy (more on that below in Tips & Tricks).

In summary, Triple Klondike Turn 3 follows the classic Klondike rules: build down in alternating colors on the tableau, build up by suit on the foundations, draw from the stock when you need new cards, and only place Kings in empty columns. The big difference is simply the scale: you’re dealing with three times as many cards, so there are more piles (13 tableau columns, 12 foundations) and three copies of each card rank to manage. But if you know how to play regular solitaire, you’ll pick this up quickly – it’s the same game logic, just extended to a grand scale!

History of Klondike & Triple Solitaire 📚

Klondike Solitaire (the classic single-deck game most people just call “Solitaire”) has been around for a long time. The exact origins of Klondike are a bit murky, but it likely dates back to the 19th century. The name "Klondike" is believed to come from the Klondike Gold Rush region in Canada, where the game supposedly became popular among prospectors in the late 1800s. By the early 20th century, Klondike was a well-known patience game. Fast forward to 1990, and Klondike Solitaire’s popularity exploded worldwide when it was included as the default solitaire game on Microsoft Windows – introducing millions to this addictive card game. Since then, Klondike has remained the iconic solitaire variant that most people know and love.

Over the years, many solitaire variations emerged, including multi-deck versions. Using more than one deck wasn’t very common in old-fashioned manual play (imagine shuffling and dealing 3 decks by hand – not easy!), but it became more popular in the mid-20th century. For example, the famous Spider Solitaire (which uses 2 decks) was introduced in 1949, and other two-deck games like Forty Thieves also gained a following. Still, juggling multiple decks with physical cards was cumbersome, so these variants truly flourished with the rise of computer solitaire in the late 20th century. Computers could handle the setup and management of extra cards, making multi-deck solitaire games much more accessible.

It was during this boom of digital card games that Triple Klondike Solitaire (the three-deck version) came into existence as a formal variant. Notably, Triple Solitaire was invented by Thomas Warfield, a well-known solitaire game designer and programmer. Warfield created many solitaire variants and included Triple (along with related Double and even Quadruple Klondike) in his software collections, helping to standardize the rules and spread the game’s popularity among solitaire enthusiasts online. Thanks to efforts like his, Triple Solitaire started appearing in various PC solitaire suites and websites as an advanced option for players craving a bigger challenge than the classic game.

Interestingly, even though Triple Solitaire uses three times the cards, it isn’t necessarily three times as hard. In fact, because you have so many possible moves, the win rate for Triple Klondike is actually quite high if you play skillfully. Some analyses have rated Triple Solitaire as very winnable – with around 98% of deals being solvable by an expert player! (Compare that to classic Klondike, which has a much lower percentage of winnable deals.) Of course, Triple Solitaire games take longer to play through, and you’ll need patience and strategy to manage all those cards. But for many solitaire fans, the extra complexity makes it more fun. Today, Triple Klondike (along with its two-deck cousin “Double Klondike”) has a solid place in the solitaire world as a go-to variant when the standard game feels too quick or easy. It’s a great example of how a timeless game can evolve – keeping the core gameplay we love while multiplying the scale to create a new epic twist on a classic.

Tips & Tricks for Winning 🏆

Playing Triple Klondike Solitaire can be an exciting challenge, but with the right strategies you can greatly improve your chances of success. Here are some helpful tips and tricks to boost your winning odds:

🔍 Prioritize Flipping Face-Down Cards: In the tableau, every face-down card is hiding something useful (or at least, blocking a card you might need). Focus on moves that uncover hidden cards as early as possible. Especially target the deeper columns (those with many cards stacked face-down) – the sooner you reveal those buried cards, the more options you’ll have for moves. For example, if you have a choice between two moves, consider the one that flips a card in the largest pile. Each newly revealed card could open up multiple opportunities elsewhere on the board.
♠️ Get Aces (and 2s) to Foundations ASAP: Low cards belong in the foundations, not clogging up your tableau. The moment you free an Ace, move it to an empty foundation pile right away to start that suit’s stack. Similarly, place the 2 of that suit onto the Ace as soon as it appears. These cards don’t help you in the tableau and are needed in the foundation, so moving them immediately is almost always beneficial. Plus, clearing Aces and 2s out of the tableau makes room for higher cards and sequences, helping to unjam your piles.
⚖️ Build Foundations Evenly: This might sound counterintuitive, because you want to get cards onto the foundations. But try to advance all the foundation piles somewhat evenly instead of completely stacking up one suit while others lag behind. Why? If you rush to build one suit all the way up, you might remove too many cards of one color from the tableau, which can make it harder to continue alternating colors in your sequences. For instance, if you move all the low black cards (Clubs/Spades) to the foundations quickly, you could end up with mostly red cards left in the tableau that have nothing to stack on. So, by all means, use those foundations, but keep an eye on balance. It’s often wise to pause occasionally and make sure you’re not starving the tableau of needed cards from a particular suit or color.
👑 Free Up Columns (and Use Kings Wisely): Clearing a tableau column (making it empty) is powerful because it gives you a place to put a King (one of the biggest cards) and by extension, free up more moves. Actively look for chances to empty a pile by moving its cards elsewhere. Once you do clear a column, immediately fill that space with a King or a sequence starting with a King, if you have one ready. This will maximize the number of moves you can make next. However, a word of caution: don’t empty a column if you don’t have a King available to occupy it. Leaving an empty column with no King to put in means you temporarily lose one tableau pile entirely, which can stall progress. So try to time your big sequence moves to coincide with having a King to play. With three decks, you’ll have up to 12 Kings in the game – use them to your advantage by always occupying open spaces as soon as possible.
♻️ Use the Stock & Waste Smartly: The stock and waste pile are your safety net when you run out of moves on the tableau, but managing them well can be tricky. Each time you flip cards from the stock, pause and see if the top waste card can be played somewhere. Don’t ignore the waste pile – often you’ll find a crucial card there. If a needed card is not on top but is perhaps the second or third card in the waste stack, you might have to play the top card somewhere (even to a less useful spot) just to free the card beneath it. This is a common Turn-3 strategy: sometimes you make a move with a waste card mainly to change the order and access the one below. Remember, you have unlimited passes through the deck in Triple Solitaire, so you can afford to cycle a few times. Use each pass through the stock to strategically expose the cards you need – don’t just blaze through it without thinking. And if the stock is not yielding anything useful, consider whether you’ve exhausted all tableau moves; you might need to undo or rethink a move to change which cards end up in the waste.
🤔 Plan Multiple Moves Ahead: With three decks in play, the puzzle gets complex – but also means you can set up some great chain reactions. Try to think a few moves ahead before you make a major move. For example, before you relocate a certain sequence, consider what card will be revealed and whether that helps you, or whether it opens a space for a King, etc. Likewise, before you instantly move a card to a foundation, consider if that card is currently useful in the tableau as a bridge (for building sequences). Generally you do want to move cards to the foundations, but if that 7♦ on the foundation could have sat on an 8♣ to free a hidden card first, maybe do that move in the opposite order. Always aim for moves that increase your options (either by revealing new cards or opening a slot). If a move doesn’t ultimately lead to unveiling a card or clearing a space, you might hold off and try something else first. By planning ahead a bit and asking “what will this do for me?”, you’ll avoid dead-ends and find smarter sequences to play.

By applying these strategies, you’ll find yourself completing Triple Solitaire deals more often and with fewer undo’s. 🎯 Even though there are a lot of cards to manage, remember that the fundamental tactics are similar to classic solitaire – it’s all about revealing hidden cards, moving things out of the way, and creating spaces for Kings. Stay organized, be patient, and enjoy the process of untangling the card layout. With practice, you’ll develop a sense for which moves to prioritize in this three-deck game. Before long, you might even find Triple Klondike to be your new favorite way to play Solitaire because of how deep and rewarding it is when you finally win! Good luck, and happy card-stacking! 😄

More Solitaire Games at SolitaireX 🎮

Enjoying Triple Klondike Solitaire? Great news – SolitaireX.io has a whole library of other solitaire games for you to explore! From classic one-deck Klondike (Draw 1 or Draw 3) to two-deck games like Spider, and other fun variants like FreeCell, Pyramid, TriPeaks and more, you can find them all in one place. Head over to the SolitaireX.io homepage to discover more free solitaire games. Each game on the site is playable right in your web browser (no downloads or sign-ups needed), so you can hop from one style of solitaire to another with ease. Whether you want to tackle another multi-deck challenge or unwind with a quick classic deal, SolitaireX.io has you covered. Have fun exploring and may the cards be ever in your favor! ♣️♥️♠️♦️