Draw 1 vs Draw 3 solitaire: what's the difference?

Klondike comes in two flavors: Draw 1 and Draw 3. The deal and the rules on the table are the same; the only difference is how cards come off the stock. That one difference changes the game a lot.

Draw 1: one card at a time

Each tap on the stock turns one card onto the waste. Every card in the stock becomes playable in turn, and because you can go through the stock as often as you like, you can reach any stock card eventually.

That makes Draw 1 the easier game: far more deals can be won, and planning is simpler.

Draw 3: three at a time, only the top one plays

Each tap turns three cards at once, fanned out on the waste. Only the top card of the three is playable. The two underneath wait until the top one has been played.

So a card you need might sit second in its group of three on every pass, never reachable, unless you play another waste card and shift the groups. That's why Draw 3 is the harder, more strategic game.

Which should you play?

• Draw 1 if you want relaxed games and a high win rate, or you're learning.
• Draw 3 if you like the classic challenge and thinking about the order of the stock.

In Deckfold you choose on the home screen, and the setting applies from your next new game.

Passes through the stock

When the stock is empty, tap it to turn the waste back over and go through it again. Deckfold allows unlimited passes in both modes. In Draw 1 each pass after you've emptied the stock costs 100 points, which rewards playing efficiently.

Scoring in Deckfold

The score never goes below zero. Time and moves are shown too, and your best of each is kept in Statistics.

Winnable deals

Some Klondike deals can't be won at all. With Draw 1, Deckfold can check each deal with a solver before you see it, so every game is winnable (this is on by default). Draw 3 deals are always random. Read how winnable deals work.