Play Canfield Solitaire Online for Free (Draw Three)
What is Canfield Solitaire?
Canfield is a classic draw-three patience game played with one deck. Thirteen cards are dealt to a reserve pile, four cards go to the tableau, and one card seeds the foundation to determine the starting rank for all four suit piles. Foundations wrap around: a game that starts on 7 builds 7-8-9-10-J-Q-K-A-2-3-4-5-6. Empty tableau columns are automatically filled from the reserve, and redeals are unlimited. The catch is a win rate around 30 percent, making Canfield a persistently challenging daily companion.
Canfield Solitaire history
Canfield takes its name from Richard A. Canfield, a 19th-century American casino owner who sold players a deck for $52 and paid $5 for every card placed on foundations. This gambling origin explains the game's design: it is beatable but only barely. British players know it as Demon, and that variant uses draw-one instead of draw-three. Canfield is sometimes confused with Klondike outside North America, but the two games have different setups and mechanics.
How to play Canfield Solitaire
The foundation starting rank is set by the first card dealt. All four foundations must begin at that same rank. Tableau builds down by alternating color, and sequences move as a unit. Three cards are drawn from the stock at once; unused draws cycle back into the stock indefinitely.
- Note the foundation starting rank. It appears on the first foundation card dealt at setup. Every subsequent foundation pile must start at that same rank in its own suit.
- Find any card on the tableau that matches the starting rank for an empty foundation. Play it up immediately, then look for the next rank in sequence.
- Build down by alternating color on the tableau to uncover buried cards. Sequences of correctly ordered cards can be moved as a unit.
- When a tableau column empties, the top card of the reserve automatically fills it. This is how the reserve is gradually depleted, so plan which columns to clear first.
- Draw three from the stock when no tableau moves remain. Cycle through the stock as many times as needed. Win by moving all 52 cards to the four foundations.
Strategies to win Canfield Solitaire
- Prioritize draining the reserve. The reserve is your hidden resource; each card that moves from reserve to tableau reveals new options. Plan tableau plays that empty columns to trigger reserve releases.
- Track the wrap-around sequence. With foundations that wrap, a card only one rank above the starting value is next in line after King. Keeping the full wrap sequence in mind prevents missing easy foundation moves.
- Avoid building long tableau runs that bury needed cards. Unlike Klondike, there is no face-down layer to flip; what you see is what you have. Deep runs block themselves.
- Use stock cycling strategically. Each pass through the stock with draw-three reveals only every third card, so plan two moves ahead to avoid cycling through a blocked stock repeatedly.
Canfield Solitaire rules and objective
Objective: move all 52 cards to four foundations. Foundations start at a random rank (same for all four suits) and build up by suit, wrapping from King back to Ace. Tableau builds down by alternating color; any valid sequence can move as a group. Empty columns auto-fill from the reserve. Stock draws three at a time; unlimited redeals.
Game setup
| Element | Setup |
|---|---|
| Deck | 1 standard 52-card deck |
| Reserve | 13 cards face-down (top card face-up) |
| Foundations | 4 piles; start rank random; build up by suit, wrapping |
| Tableau | 4 columns of 1 face-up card; build down, alternating color |
| Stock draw | 3 cards at once |
| Redeals | Unlimited |
| Win condition | All 52 cards on foundations |
Canfield Solitaire variants and similar games
Demon is the draw-one version of Canfield, which is harder because the stock reveals fewer cards per pass and the same wrapping foundation rules apply. FreeCell also requires thoughtful sequencing but has no hidden cards and far higher win rates. For a straightforward draw-one game, Classic Klondike Turn One is the most popular starting point.
How difficult is Canfield Solitaire?
Canfield is a hard game by design. Its casino origin required a low win rate to be profitable, and the draw-three rule, small tableau, and random foundation start combine to make most deals challenging. Many experienced players win between 25 and 35 percent of games with careful play. The randomness of the starting rank and stock order means that some deals are simply unwinnable regardless of strategy.
What is Canfield Solitaire win percentage?
Canfield wins roughly 30 percent of the time with skilled play, though estimates range from 25 to 40 percent depending on the player and redeal strategy. The draw-three rule and reserve mechanic create more dependency on deal luck than in Klondike, so a low win rate is normal and expected.
What is the difference between Canfield and Demon?
Canfield draws three cards from the stock at a time; Demon draws one. Both use the same wrapping foundation rule, 13-card reserve, and four tableau columns. Drawing one card per turn gives Demon players more visibility into the stock at the cost of cycling more slowly, which paradoxically makes Demon slightly harder than Canfield despite the extra information.
Canfield Solitaire FAQ
Why does Canfield have a random starting foundation rank?
The random start rank originated as a casino mechanic: players never knew whether their deal was favorable or not, which encouraged them to keep playing. The wrap-around foundation rule completes the design by ensuring every rank can theoretically start a valid game.
Can empty tableau columns be filled with any card in Canfield?
Yes, but automatically. When a tableau column is emptied, the top card of the reserve immediately fills it. You cannot manually choose what fills an empty column; it always comes from the reserve. Once the reserve is empty, an empty column stays empty until you drag a card into it from another tableau column or the waste.
Are there unlimited redeals in Canfield Solitaire?
Yes. When the stock is exhausted, the waste pile is turned over and becomes the new stock. You may do this as many times as needed. However, if the game is stuck (every possible move has been explored and nothing moves to a foundation), the deal cannot be won regardless of further cycling.
Do foundations wrap around in Canfield Solitaire?
Yes. If the starting rank is 8, foundations build 8-9-10-J-Q-K-A-2-3- 4-5-6-7 and are complete when they reach 7. This wrapping is the defining rule that separates Canfield from standard Klondike, where foundations always start at Ace.
How is Canfield Solitaire different from Klondike?
Canfield uses a 13-card reserve pile, a random foundation starting rank with wrap-around, only four tableau columns, and automatically fills empty columns from the reserve. Klondike starts foundations at Ace, uses seven tableau columns with face-down cards, and allows any King (or any card in some variants) to fill empty columns manually.
Other solitaire games I recommend
- Demon Solitaire - draw-one variant of Canfield
- Classic Klondike Solitaire - the most popular patience game
- FreeCell - open-information game with nearly 100% win rate
- La Belle Lucie Solitaire - fan game with same-suit building
- Forty Thieves Solitaire - two-deck same-suit challenge