Freecell Solitaire Strategy (2024)

FAQs

What is the strategy for FreeCell solitaire? ›

Try to keep as many free cells empty as possible.

Once all free cells are filled, you have almost no space to maneuver. And your ability to maneuver is the key to this game. Make sure you have no alternative before placing any cards in the free cells.

The game is won after all cards are moved to their foundation piles. It is estimated that 99.999% of possible deals are solvable. Deal number 11982 from the Windows version of FreeCell is an example of an unsolvable FreeCell deal, the only deal among the original "Microsoft 32,000" which is unsolvable.

Engaging our brain's memory capabilities regularly is important for maintaining healthy cognitive functioning. Card games like Freecell – as well as other card games, board games, and brainteasers – are a great way to test your memory and keep your brain active.

FreeCell Solitaire is considered one of the hardest types of solitaire. The goal of this game is to get all the cards from all four suits (Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, and Clubs) onto your foundation piles, where each can hold only one suit.

You can't win Solitaire without getting all cards of each suit stacked in the four foundation piles, ordered from ace to king. Trying to arrange columns in your tableau so that the same-colored cards in each pile are of matching suits makes it easier to play Solitaire.

Most basic Freecell solver algorithm involves the use of Depth First Search involving atomic moves (moving one card at a time). The application of DFS in terms of Freecell is repeating legal move in sequence.

Looking at the rankings, it seems that somewhere around 40 moves and 140 card moves is typical. So 13 moves and 65 card moves is definitely much below average.

As a reference tool the following game numbers are not winnable: - #11982, #146692, #186216, #455889, #495505, #512118, #517776, and #781948. Below is an image of each of these games when dealt. You can use this to check and see if the random game you started playing is one of these impossible deals.

Not all Solitaire games are winnable, but the great majority is. On average, around 80% of every Solitaire game is winnable. FreeCell is the variant with the best odds, as around 99% of all games are winnable, for instance.

Why is FreeCell so addictive? ›

There is even a name for this: in Freecell circles several sequential wins are called a "streak". As the addiction progresses, a player who is "streaking" will become so obsessed with adding one more "win" to their streak that they are much like the crackhead waiting for their next "hit".

You shouldn't take it as any negative indication of your skill: Solitaire is a complex and very luck-based game. Still, there are some strategies players who wish to improve their gameplay can consider!

The Odds of a Solitaire Game

Some solitaire variations have higher odds of winning than others, with FreeCell having the highest chance and Pyramid Solitaire having the lowest. FreeCell has a win rate of around 99%, while Pyramid Solitaire ranges from 0.5-5.5%.

The maximum possible score would be 13,000 + 15,000 Bonus = 28,000 but only if you completed the game in the blink of an eye.

FreeCell is a card game on most Windows based computers. Unlike Solitaire, almost every deal is a winner. Reportedly, only game 11982 is unsolvable. The rest are solvable.