In FreeCell every card is dealt face up, so every deal is a puzzle you can think through. Of the 32,000 classic numbered deals, all but one can be won. These habits will win you most of them.
Free cells are precious
Each free cell holds one card, and a full set of cells leaves you stuck. Use a cell only when it achieves something now, like freeing an Ace or completing a move to a foundation, and plan how you’ll empty it again.
Empty columns are worth even more
An empty column can take any card and doubles how many cards you can move at once. You can move a run of up to (empty free cells + 1) × 2 for each empty column, so clearing a column is often the turning point of a deal.
Go after the Aces and Twos
Look at where the Aces and Twos are buried before your first move. The deal usually opens up once the low cards are out, so dig toward them first.
Plan several moves ahead
Before a move, ask what it frees and what it blocks.
Avoid burying a low card under a long run: you’ll need space to dig it out later.
Prefer building on columns that are already in order over breaking up good runs.
Try fewer free cells for a challenge
Classic FreeCell gives you four cells. Choose three, two or even one for a much harder game, which rewards careful planning even more. Fewer cells also means shorter runs can be moved at once. Your records are kept separately for each.
Replay a deal by its number
Every deal has a number from 1 to 32,000, the same as classic Windows FreeCell. If a deal beats you, restart it or type its number in New game and try a different plan.