FreeCell solitaire is a classic card game and happens to be one of the most popular solitaire games of all time.  It is more interesting than Klondike solitaire in that you can beat every single game, without exception. Unlike nearly all other forms of solitaire, you can use your brainpower as a pose to relying on luck to beat the card game.  Learn how to play the FreeCell solitaire card game with our easy to read guide and video.

Requirements/statistics

Space: Moderate

Level: Easy

Cards: One standard deck of cards

Players: One

Layout

Deal cards from a 52 card deck with the card face up into 8 columns until all 52 cards are dealt. Cards can overlap as long as you can see what cards are underneath the top cards, this is a major difference between Freecell solitaire and Klondike solitaire, and what makes this variant easier. Choose where you will have space for 4 cards as a temporary holding place during the game (free cells). Determine where you will create 4 stacks of ascending cards to begin with the Aces of each suit to the King – the foundation row.   Finally, a row of eight cards is dealt face up to start the tableau and continuing to deal the remaining cards to have a final tableau with 4 rows with 7 cards and 4 rows with 6 cards.  Your layout should resemble the following image:

How to Play Freecell Solitaire

Look for the Aces of the 4 suits. Try to move the Aces to the foundation row as soon as possible. Play cards between each column by creating lines of cards in descending order, alternating colors between black and red cards. For example, you can place a red Nine of hearts on a black Ten of spades.

Place a card(s) into the ‘free cell’ (4 spaces to temporarily hold a card), this will give you access to cards in the columns and allows you to move in the columns to get to the Aces. Look for the lower numbers of each suit and move cards to gain access to the lower numbers. Move cards to the foundation piles as soon as possible. Try to increase the foundations evenly so you have cards to use in the columns.

As you put more cards in the free cells, the number of cards you can move decreases. For instance, if you don’t have any cards in the free cells, you can move up to four cards. If you have one card in the free cells, you can only move three cards, and so on.

To Win the Game

You win the game when you have 4 foundations with cards in ascending order from Ace to King in each suit.