How to Play FreeCell: Rules, Setup and Tips

Want to know how to play FreeCell? It is the solitaire game where every card is dealt face up from the start, so skill matters far more than luck. These FreeCell rules explain the layout, the four free cells, how cards move between columns and how to finish all four foundations. The rules are the same whether you deal a real deck at the kitchen table or play FreeCell on a computer or phone, and almost every deal can be won with careful planning.

Quick rules

• Deal all 52 cards face up into eight columns: four columns of 7 cards and four of 6.
• The goal is to move every card to four foundations, one per suit, built up from ace to king.
• In the columns, build down in alternating colors, such as a black 9 on a red 10.
• You have four free cells. Each holds one card at a time as a temporary parking spot.
• Move only one card at a time: the bottom (exposed) card of a column or a card from a free cell.
• Any card can go into an empty column.
• You win when all 52 cards are on the foundations.

What you need

• One standard 52-card deck with no jokers.
• A table with room for eight columns, four free cells and four foundations. A large tray or rug works too.
• One player. FreeCell is a solo game, though families often race on separate decks.

FreeCell setup

1. Shuffle the deck well.
2. Deal the cards face up from left to right in eight columns, overlapping each card so you can see every rank and suit. Keep dealing across the row until the deck is gone. The first four columns end up with 7 cards and the last four with 6.
3. Leave space above the columns for four free cells on the left and four foundation piles on the right. At the start all eight spaces are empty.

How to play FreeCell

Moving cards in the columns

1. Only the exposed card at the bottom of each column is available to move.
2. You may place an available card on the exposed card of another column if it is one rank lower and the opposite color. A red 6 can go on a black 7.
3. When a column is empty, you may place any single card there, not just a king.

Using the free cells

1. Any available card can be moved into an empty free cell. Each cell holds just one card.
2. A card in a free cell can later be moved to a column (following the alternating color rule), to an empty column, or to a foundation.
3. Free cells are your most precious resource. When all four are full, you have very few moves left.

Building the foundations

1. As soon as an ace is available, move it to an empty foundation.
2. Build each foundation up in the same suit: ace, 2, 3 and so on up to the king.
3. Cards on the foundations stay there in the standard game. Some computer versions allow you to bring one back, but table players usually do not.

Moving a sequence of cards

Officially you move one card at a time. A run of cards in proper order can still be moved by shifting cards through free cells and empty columns one by one. Most players and computer versions allow this as a single "supermove", as long as you have enough empty spaces to make it legally. The table below shows how many cards you can move at once.

Scoring

FreeCell has no official points. A deal is either won or lost, and many players keep a running tally of wins, losing streaks and the fewest moves used. The useful numbers to know are how many cards you can move as a group:

The formula is (empty free cells + 1) multiplied by 2 for every empty column. If you are moving a run into an empty column, that column does not count toward the total.

How to win

You win when all four foundations are complete, each running from ace to king in one suit. You lose when no legal moves remain and cards are still in the columns or free cells. FreeCell is famous for being very winnable: in the classic set of 32,000 numbered computer deals, only one is known to have no solution, so a lost game nearly always means a better line of play existed.

Variations

• Fewer free cells: play with three, two or even one free cell for a much harder game.
• Baker's Game: the older parent of FreeCell. Columns are built down in the same suit instead of alternating colors, which makes it far tougher.
• Kings only: only a king (or a run starting with a king) may fill an empty column.
• Two deck FreeCell: 104 cards, ten columns, eight foundations and more free cells. Expect a long game.
• Race FreeCell: two players deal identical layouts from two decks in the same order and race to finish first.

Tips and strategy

• Study the whole layout before your first move. Since every card is visible, you can plan several moves ahead.
• Free the aces and 2s early. Note where they are buried and work toward them.
• Keep free cells empty whenever you can. Use them as stepping stones, not storage.
• An empty column is worth more than a free cell, because it doubles the size of the runs you can move. Try to empty a short column early.
• Avoid filling an empty column with a single low card unless it opens up something important.
• Do not rush cards to the foundations if you still need them to hold lower cards of the other color in the columns.

Common mistakes

• Filling all four free cells in the first few moves and running out of room.
• Building down in the same color by accident. Red must go on black and black on red.
• Trying to move a long run without enough free spaces to do it legally.
• Burying a low card under a long run you cannot shift later.

Enjoy FreeCell? Try classic solitaire, the two-suit challenge of spider solitaire, or the fast multiplayer solitaire race of Nertz. For more ideas, browse our list of card games and card games for two.