The playing area is composed of the tableau, the free cells, and the foundation :

The Four Free Spaces are given in order to place the waste cards which can be used later in the Game. A free cell can never contain more than one card. You can also move any free card into an empty column in the tableau. You can also save time by moving more than one card at a time if they are ordered. If you get stuck, you are finished with the game.
All 52 cards are dealt face-up in the 8 columns of the tableau. The bottom card in each column is free to be moved. A free card can be placed at the bottom of another column, provided that the last card in that column is one higher and of the opposite color. In other words, the 4 of hearts could be placed on either the 5 of clubs or the 5 of spades.