What is the Stock Pile in Solitaire?
Stock Pile
The face-down pile of cards remaining after dealing the tableau. Click or tap the stock to draw cards into the waste pile, making them available for play.
How the Stock Pile Works
In Klondike Solitaire, after dealing 28 cards to the tableau, the remaining 24 cards form the stock pile:
- Click the stock to flip cards to the waste pile
- Only the top card of the waste pile can be played
- When the stock is empty, click it to recycle the waste pile back
Turn 1 vs Turn 3
The number of cards you draw affects difficulty:
- Turn 1 (Draw 1): Flip one card at a time - easier, you see every card
- Turn 3 (Draw 3): Flip three cards, only play the top one - harder, requires planning
Turn 3 Strategy
In Turn 3, if you need the second card in a group of three, you must first play or use the top card. Sometimes cycling through the entire stock multiple times is needed.
Games Without a Stock Pile
Some Solitaire variants have no stock pile at all:
- Yukon Solitaire: All 52 cards dealt to tableau at start
- Russian Solitaire: Same as Yukon - no stock
- FreeCell: All cards visible from the beginning