How to Play Eight Off Solitaire: Rules and Strategy

Imagine FreeCell with twice as many free cells, except half of them are already full when the game starts. That is Eight Off, a one-deck solitaire where every card is dealt face up and almost every deal can be won if you plan ahead. Here are the full Eight Off rules, how runs and empty columns work, and the strategy that turns a stuck game into a win.

What Eight Off is

Eight Off solitaire is a patience game for one player, named after its eight reserve cells. It belongs to the same family as FreeCell, Baker’s Game and Seahaven Towers: games where every card is visible from the start and a few single-card cells give you room to work.

Because nothing is hidden, luck plays a smaller part than in Klondike. You can read the whole layout before your first move, and a careful player wins the large majority of deals. Wikipedia’s Eight Off article covers the layout and the game’s relatives.

The layout

Shuffle one standard 52-card deck with no jokers. Then set out the game in three areas:

• The tableau: eight columns of six cards each, all face up and overlapping so you can see every card. That uses 48 cards.
• The reserve: a row of eight cells, each of which can hold one card. The last four cards from the deck go into four of these cells, face up, so four cells start empty.
• The foundations: four spaces, one for each suit, which start empty.

There is no stock and no waste pile. Every card you will ever play with is on the table from the first move.

Eight Off rules: how to play

The goal is to move all 52 cards to the four foundations, building each one up in a single suit from Ace to King. These are the basic Eight Off rules for every move you can make.

Building on the tableau

Columns build down in the same suit. The 9 of hearts can go on the 10 of hearts, and the 4 of spades can go on the 5 of spades. The 9 of diamonds can’t go on the 10 of hearts, even though both are red.

This is the biggest difference from FreeCell, where columns build down in alternating colors. Same-suit building gives each card exactly one place it can go in the tableau, which makes the game tighter.

Using the reserve cells

You can move the top card of any column into an empty reserve cell. A card in a cell can go back onto a column where it fits, or straight onto its foundation, at any time. Each cell holds only one card.

Moving one card at a time

Strictly, only the top card of a column moves. To move a run of cards in the same suit, you shift them one by one through the free cells and rebuild them on the new column.

Most computer versions do this for you as a single “supermove”. The usual limit is the number of empty reserve cells plus one. With three free cells you can move a run of up to four cards, and with no free cells only one card can move.

Empty columns don’t add to that limit in Eight Off, because only a King can go into one. You can’t use an empty column to park a middle card of the run.

Filling empty columns

When you clear a column, only a King can go into the space. You can also move a run headed by a King, such as the King, Queen and Jack of clubs, as long as you have enough free cells to move it card by card.

Players who know FreeCell often get caught by this rule. In FreeCell any card can fill an empty column, so an empty column is a second set of free cells. In Eight Off it is only a home for a King.

Building the foundations

As soon as an Ace is free, it can go to a foundation. You then add the 2, 3 and so on of that suit up to the King. You can play to a foundation from the top of a column or from a reserve cell.

Winning and losing

You win when all four foundations run from Ace to King. You lose when no legal move is left: every reserve cell is full and no card can go to a column or a foundation.

Most deals can be won. Under these standard rules, a large share of deals has a winning line, though some are impossible no matter how you play.

Eight Off vs FreeCell

If you already play FreeCell, the quickest way to learn how to play Eight Off is to see what changes.

Rule	Eight Off	FreeCell
Columns	8 columns of 6 cards	8 columns of 6 or 7 cards
Cells	8, with 4 filled at the start	4, all empty at the start
Building	Down in the same suit	Down in alternating colors
Empty columns	Kings only	Any card
Foundations	Up by suit from Ace	Up by suit from Ace

The extra cells make Eight Off look easier, but the same-suit rule and the King-only columns balance it out. You have more room to park cards, and fewer places to put them back.

Eight Off strategy

Eight Off rewards planning more than speed. These habits win more deals.

Treat free cells as a budget

You start with four free cells. Every card you park costs one, and it also shrinks the longest run you can move. Before you use a cell, ask what the move actually unlocks.

Go after Aces and low cards first

Look at the layout and find where the Aces and 2s are buried. A column with an Ace near the top is often worth working on first. Every card that reaches a foundation is one fewer card that needs a home.

Empty cells before you fill new ones

Each time a column top changes, check whether a card in a cell now fits on it. Moving a card out of a cell gives you that cell back, plus room to move a longer run.

Spot cards locked under their own suit

Because columns build by suit, a low card under a higher card of the same suit is a real problem. If the 3 of clubs sits under the 9 of clubs, the 3 can only come out when the 9 has somewhere to go, which may mean building most of the clubs first. Find these early and plan around them.

Plan the King before you clear a column

An empty column is only useful for a King. Before you empty one, know which King, or King-headed run, will go there, and check that the move frees something you need.

Use undo to explore

Online versions with undo let you try a line and take it back. That is the fastest way to learn which cell moves pay off and which ones only bury you.

Play Eight Off online

Our free Eight Off Solitaire game runs in your browser on desktop or phone and follows the rules above: eight columns of six, four cards in the reserve, same-suit building and Kings only in empty columns. Runs move in one drag when you have enough free cells, and auto-move sends cards to the foundations for you. You also get unlimited undo, numbered deals, a daily deal, saved stats and a hint that tells you when the position can still be won.

If you want the alternating-color version with four cells and any card in an empty column, play FreeCell next and compare the two.

Frequently asked questions

How many cards are in the reserve in Eight Off?

There are eight reserve cells. Four of them get a card in the deal and the other four start empty. Each cell holds one card at a time.

Can any card go in an empty column in Eight Off?

No. Only a King, or a same-suit run headed by a King, can fill an empty column. This is one of the main differences from FreeCell.

How many cards can you move at once in Eight Off?

Under the strict rules, one. In practice you can move a same-suit run if there are enough free cells to move it card by card, which means up to the number of free cells plus one.

Is Eight Off harder than FreeCell?

It plays differently rather than simply harder. You get more cells, but same-suit building and King-only columns give you fewer places to put cards. Most players find both games winnable with careful play.

Can every game of Eight Off be won?

No, but most can. Some deals have no winning line at all, while the large majority can be solved with good planning. Undo and hints help you find the line.

Conclusion

Eight Off takes the open layout of FreeCell and swaps in eight cells, same-suit building and King-only columns. Learn to spend your free cells slowly and to plan around cards trapped under their own suit, and you will win most deals. For a quick break between games, the Chrome Dino game on our homepage is ready whenever you are.