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Free Online Freecell Solitaire Video Game

Play Freecell Solitaire Online for Free

Starting Your Game

After the loading progress has reacched 100% click on the white and black start button. This will load the game's welcome screen. Click on the blue and white button in the bottom ceter of the game's welcome screen to start your game.

The game interface offers four buttons in the upper right corner: new deal, how to play, sound control, and exit game.

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Game Features

Our Freecell Solitaire game automatically deals your cards to the Tableau. If you do not like a deal, or you are stuck on a game, you can click the new deal button near the top center of the screen. This game allows you to shuffle through the reserve pile an unlimited number of times. 

Your current score and number of moves is shown at the top left of the screen. This game has a control menu on the top right. Replay hand, help, turn sound on or off and restart game. 

Compete Against Other Players!

Expand Your Play

This game saves your high score on your local computer. We also offer multiple other versions of Freecell Solitaire where you can submit your score to the high score board and see how well you rank among millions of players around the world!

More Free Online Freecell Solitaire Games

The above games allow you to submit your high score.

Game Design

The playing field is organized with eight columns on the Tableau. All 52 cards are dealt into the game space.

Game Scoring

Layout

A Beginner's Guide To Freecell Solitaire

If you’ve played traditional Classic Solitaire, and looking to play one of the fun variations, you might want to take a look at Freecell Solitaire. 

Freecell Solitaire differs from Classic Solitaire in that the cards are dealt face-up. Also, unlike more challenging versions, such as Spider Solitaire, very few Freecell Solitaire games are unsolvable. 

In this article, we’ll look at: 

The History Of Freecell Solitaire

Solitaire, in its original form, emerged in the 1700s in northern Europe and was widely known as “Patience”. The game didn’t make its way across the Atlantic to the USA until 1870 where it became known as “Klondike Solitaire”, then just “Solitaire”. 

Freecell Solitaire is based on a 1968 version of Solitaire, called Eight Off. Eight Off then led to a variant called Bakers Off. In 1978, it was adapted for play on a computer. Instead of matching by suits, cards were matched by color, and thus Freecell was born.   

Freecell has been included with every popular Windows Operating system since 1995. 

How To Play Freecell Solitaire

“FreeCell” features four empty spaces, or cells, that are used for the temporary storage of cards. The FreeCells can be used to store single cards.

FreeCell is “open” in that the cards are dealt face up at the start of the game. This means that nearly every game can be won as players can plan their moves ahead.

Like Solitaire, the goal of the game is to stack cards into sequences. These sequences are based on suits and rank.  For example, the cards will be stacked K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A with other cards of identical suits.  

How Do You Deal? 

Use a standard deck of 52 cards. Start by placing the cards in eight piles. All of the cards should be face up. Four of the piles will have seven cards and the rest will have six. 

These columns are called the “Tableau” or “Table”. 

Above the Tableau leave spaces for four “Foundation” piles. Also leave space for four “free cells”.  

In computer versions of the game, this layout is created for you. 

Freecell Solitaire.

How Do You Move Cards? 

Start your Foundation piles as soon as possible. Move any Aces to a Foundation. Once you place a card on a Foundation pile, you cannot put it back in your Tableau or into one of of your free cells.

Your goal is to build Foundation piles, one for each suit, from Ace to King. 

What Are The Differences Between Freecell Solitaire And Classic Solitaire? 

In Classic Solitaire your goal is to turn all cards face up. In Freecell, the cards are all showing. 

Freecell adds “cells” as an option for moving cards. No other traditional version of Solitaire allows this. 

Hoye's Rules of Games suggests without using any undo moves players should be able to win roughly 1 in 30 turn 3 Classic Solitaire games. Extensive use of the undo button or playing in turn 1 mode can dramatically lift the odds of winning to above 80%.

In Freecell, almost all games are winnable by players with a good skill level.   

Why is it called Freecell Solitaire? 

Freecell Solitaire adds “free cells” that allow players a further option for moving cards. These cells are in addition to Foundation piles, as seen in traditional Solitaire games. 

How To Setup The Freecell Solitaire Game Space

The online version will set up the game-space for you. The Freecell Solitaire game space consists of these elements: 

A Table, or Tableau. These are either empty spaces or feature cards that are temporarily stored before being discarded. Create eight columns of cards in these spaces, face up. 

All 52 cards are used in the columns. 

The Foundations. Spaces where you move the sequences of cards.  

The four cell spaces.  

The Table Or Tableau

The Table is formed by eight piles of cards. The piles are built from left to right. After the deck has been shuffled, eight cards are dealt to each column, except the first four columns, which receive one more card than the rest. 

The Foundations

The Foundations are the piles onto which you arrange the Table stacks. 

The Free Cells

The four cells which you can also use to hold cards. 

Game Rules 

The rules of Freecell Solitaire are:

Scoring 

The fewer moves, the better your score. This isn’t important for the single player game as your aim is simply to clear the Table, however if you’re playing against others in an online tournament, the least moves or fastest time is how the winner would be decided. 

In computer tournaments, each player is typically given decks in the same shuffled order so that each player must play the game from the same starting position. 

Freecell Solitaire Strategy

Freecell is a strategic game. Unlike other variations of Solitaire, most games are winnable if you play well. 

Examine the Tableau carefully before making any moves. Plan your moves ahead. 

Free up all the Aces, especially if they are buried behind the higher cards. Move them to the Foundation cells as early as possible.

Once all free cells are filled, you will have little room to manoeuvre. So use them wisely. Make sure you play any alternative options first. 

Try to create empty columns. Empty columns are more valuable than free cells as each empty column can be used to store a sequence, as opposed to just a single card. 

If possible, fill an empty column with a long descending sequence that begins with a King.

Freecell Solitaire FAQs

What happens if you get stuck? 

You lose the game. Always try to keep as many options open as you can. Maintaining options is the key to winning Freecell Solitaire. 

How many cards are used? 

Freecell Solitaire uses a standard deck of 52 playing cards. 

Are Aces high or low? 

The Ace is low in Freecell Solitaire. The King is high.

What Are the Chances Of Winning?

Almost all games of FreeCell Solitaire are winnable. Unwinnable games are only eight out of a million.

Aret there any alternative versions?

There are a few different versions of Freecell Solitaire. Other names and versions include:

Some variations are played with fewer free cells or with cards dealt face down or hidden. We offer players dozens of different options. :)

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