FreeCell Strategy: How to Win (Almost) Every Deal
Almost every FreeCell deal can be won: of the 32,000 deals in the original Windows version, only #11982 is impossible. To win, plan before you move, dig out the Aces and low cards first, use free cells sparingly, and work towards an empty column, which is worth more than any free cell because it doubles how many cards you can move at once.
Is every FreeCell game winnable?
Nearly. FreeCell is famous for this: with every card face up and four free cells to work with, the classic Windows set of 32,000 numbered deals has just one that can't be solved, deal #11982. Computer studies of far bigger sets of deals have found other impossible ones, but they're extremely rare.
So when you lose a game of FreeCell, it's almost certainly a planning problem, not bad luck, which is exactly what makes it satisfying. On GameLake every deal comes from the first 600 classic numbers, and all of them can be won.
The strategies
1. Read the whole deal before your first move
Nothing is hidden, so the first minute is the most valuable one. Find the four Aces and the 2s, count how many cards sit on top of each, and look for a short column you could empty. Then plan the first handful of moves before you touch a card.
2. Free the Aces and low cards first
Low cards buried deep are what loses games: until the A♦ is home, no diamond can go up. Aim each early move at uncovering an Ace or a 2. In deal #1, putting the 3♦ and 2♣ from column 6 into free cells sends three cards home at once (see how to play FreeCell for that opening).
3. Treat free cells as expensive
A free cell is easy to fill and hard to empty: the card in it waits for exactly the right spot. Each filled cell also shrinks the runs you can move. Use a cell when it clearly gets you closer to a low card, and be very wary of filling the last one, which leaves you moving single cards only.
4. Fight for an empty column
An empty column takes any card or run, and it doubles the size of run you can move. With four empty free cells you can move 5 cards; add one empty column and it's 10. So the short columns (5 to 8 start with six cards) are worth clearing early, and once a column is empty, don't fill it with a single card unless that card unlocks something big.
| You have | Longest run you can move |
|---|---|
| 4 free cells, no empty column | 5 cards |
| 2 free cells, 1 empty column | 6 cards |
| 4 free cells, 1 empty column | 10 cards |
| 0 free cells, 2 empty columns | 4 cards |
5. Move whole runs in one go
You don't have to shuffle a run through the free cells card by card: if you have room, move it in one go and let the game do the steps. Before you do, check the limit, especially when cells are partly full.
6. Fill empty columns with long runs, ideally from a King
A King can never go on another card, so a King at the very back of a column is in its perfect place. When you do fill an empty column, a long run starting with a King is ideal: it never has to move again.
7. Don't bury low cards
Before you put cards onto a column, check what's underneath. Building a long run on top of a 2 means you'll have to move that whole run again later. Prefer to build on columns that hold only high cards.
8. Don't rush cards home
A red 6 on its foundation can't hold a black 5 any more. GameLake only sends cards home automatically once they can't be needed; send others up by hand only when it clearly helps. If you were too quick, you can drag the top card of a foundation back down onto a column.
9. Undo, and ask Hop
Because there's no luck, Undo is a learning tool: when a plan stalls, step back to where you chose it and try the other branch. GameLake keeps up to 60 moves. Teach me has Hop light up a good move and explain it, for example which buried low card it digs out, and it checks with a solver that the deal can still be won.
A quick checklist
- Send home any Ace or 2 you can.
- Make a move that uncovers an Ace or a low card, without using a free cell if possible.
- Empty a short column, or get one card away from it.
- Use free cells only for a clear gain, and keep at least one empty when you can.
- Fill an empty column with a long run, ideally one that starts with a King.
Start on Easy to practise the planning, then move up to Medium, Hard and the Daily. For the hidden-card cousins of FreeCell, see how to win Solitaire and Spider Solitaire strategy.
Frequently asked questions
Is every FreeCell game winnable?
Almost. Of the 32,000 classic Windows deals, only #11982 can't be won. Impossible deals exist in bigger sets too, but they're extremely rare. Every deal on GameLake can be won.
What is the hardest FreeCell deal?
Deal #11982 is the famous one, because it's the only impossible deal in the original 32,000. Among winnable deals, difficulty depends on how deep the low cards are buried; on GameLake, the Hard level picks deals a solver found hardest.
Is an empty column better than a free cell?
Yes. A free cell holds one card; an empty column holds any run and doubles the number of cards you can move at once.
What should you do first in FreeCell?
Look at the whole deal. Find the Aces and 2s, count the cards on top of them, and plan moves that free them while keeping free cells empty.
Is FreeCell luck or skill?
Almost all skill. Every card is visible from the start and almost every deal can be won, so the result depends on planning.