How to Play FreeCell Three Deck Solitaire

A three-deck FreeCell with 156 cards, 12 foundation piles, 12 tableau columns, and 12 cells, offering a substantial step up in complexity from the standard game. The goal: Move all 156 cards to 12 foundation piles, building each suit from Ace to King with three cards of each rank.

Setup

1. All 156 cards are dealt face-up into 12 tableau columns
2. Twelve temporary cells sit above the tableau, each holding one card
3. Twelve foundation piles await cards built up by suit (three copies of each suit)

How to play

• Cards automatically move to foundation piles by suit once they can no longer be used elsewhere; you can customize this behavior in Settings
• In the tableau, build downward in alternating colors (red on black, black on red)
• Move the top card from any tableau pile to another pile, a cell, or a foundation—only one card moves at a time, so use cells to shuffle longer sequences
• Empty tableau columns accept any card and should be used strategically to unlock blocked cards

How to win

Objective: Move all 156 cards to 12 foundation piles, building each suit from Ace to King with three cards of each rank.

The game is won when all 12 foundation piles are complete, each holding a full Ace-to-King run in their respective suits.

Tips

• Plan your moves carefully—with 156 cards in play, even small mistakes can create unsolvable positions
• Use the 12 cells to gradually build long sequences; they're your most valuable resource
• Watch for opportunities to clear entire tableau columns, which dramatically increase your flexibility

Play FreeCell Three Deck free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes FreeCell Three Deck alongside 300+ other games. It saves every move as you play, so you can close the window and pick the game up later, replay any deal, and take on a new Daily Challenge deal every day. Browse every game in the Game Gallery.

Related games

More games from the FreeCell family:

• Triple FreeCell — Build all 156 cards to the foundations using temporary holding cells to maneuver around obstacles.
• Big FreeCell — Play FreeCell with two full decks spread across ten tableau piles and eight temporary cells, building foundations up by suit.
• Cell Eleven — FreeCell played with three shuffled decks, spread across 12 foundation piles and 11 holding cells instead of the usual four.
• Double FreeCell — This bigger take on FreeCell shares two decks across just four foundations, ten tableau columns, and six free cells.
• FreeCell Duplex — A two-deck version of FreeCell with 104 cards, 12 tableau piles, and 8 temporary cells, designed for players who want a longer, more complex puzzle.