Eight Off, rules and strategy
A solitaire game in which all cards are visible from the start, as in FreeCell, with eight cells for setting cards aside, sequences of the same suit, and empty columns reserved for kings. This site explains the app’s exact rules, strategy, and solved deals verified card by card. To play: Eight Off Solitaire, on iPhone, iPad, and Android.
Available on the App Store and on Google Play.
Eight Off at a glance
Eight Off is played solo with a deck of 52 cards: 48 are dealt face up into 8 columns of 6, and the last 4 into the 8 cells, each of which can hold one card aside. 4 foundations receive the cards of each suit, from ace to king. The game is won when all 52 cards have been moved to the foundations.
In the columns, a card is placed on the card of the same suit one rank higher: the 9 of hearts on the 10 of hearts. In FreeCell, you alternate red and black; here, each card has only one possible card it can be placed on, and an empty column accepts only a king. In return, the game gives you twice as many cells. The rules detail every move, and the strategy explains how to approach the game.
A deal from the app
Here is the deal with code EO1-C8-AAAAAFA exactly as the app deals it. Paste this code into the New Game window to play it; its solution in 108 moves is detailed on the Examples page.
Cells (8): 4 of clubs, 6 of spades, ace of hearts, 5 of spades, empty, empty, empty, empty. Foundations, cards placed: 0 spades, 0 hearts, 0 diamonds, 0 clubs. Column 1: 2 of spades, 4 of spades, jack of spades, 10 of diamonds, king of hearts, king of spades (top: king of spades); column 2: 9 of spades, 9 of clubs, 5 of hearts, 8 of spades, jack of diamonds, ace of clubs (top: ace of clubs); column 3: 3 of clubs, 5 of diamonds, 7 of spades, queen of clubs, ace of spades, queen of spades (top: queen of spades); column 4: 6 of diamonds, 10 of hearts, 10 of clubs, 8 of clubs, 2 of clubs, 3 of diamonds (top: 3 of diamonds); column 5: queen of hearts, jack of hearts, 4 of hearts, king of clubs, 7 of clubs, king of diamonds (top: king of diamonds); column 6: 2 of hearts, 2 of diamonds, ace of diamonds, jack of clubs, 3 of spades, 8 of hearts (top: 8 of hearts); column 7: 9 of hearts, 3 of hearts, queen of diamonds, 9 of diamonds, 7 of hearts, 6 of clubs (top: 6 of clubs); column 8: 8 of diamonds, 4 of diamonds, 6 of hearts, 10 of spades, 7 of diamonds, 5 of clubs (top: 5 of clubs).
Where to start?
The rules
The setup, the eight cells, sequences of the same suit, kings in empty columns, and the size of groups you can move.
Strategy
Free up cells, prepare an empty column for a king, and avoid burying low cards: principles for winning, backed by figures.
Solved deals
Actual deals from the app with their game codes, including a game won in 108 moves, replayed move by move.
Frequently asked questions
How does it differ from FreeCell? Why can only a king enter an empty column? Short answers.
On phone and tablet
The app is played in landscape orientation. It offers 8, 4, or 2 cells to adjust the difficulty, a code for each game to replay or share a deal, undo for the last 100 actions, and statistics.
