Spider Solitaire
How to play Spider Solitaire
- Choose one, two or four suits. One suit is a gentle game; four is hard.
- Click a card to move it, or the top card of a descending run in one suit to move the whole run.
- Click the stock to deal ten more cards, one onto each column. A run from king down to ace in one suit is cleared automatically.
Frequently asked questions
How do I win Spider Solitaire?
Clear all eight runs of king to ace. With two decks that is 104 cards, so the game is long: the thing to aim for early is emptying a column, because an empty column is the only place a king can go.
What can I move onto what?
Any card onto a card one rank higher, whatever the suit. But only a run that is all one suit and descending moves together, which is why four suits is so much harder than one.
Why can I not deal?
Because a column is empty. Every version has this rule: fill the gap first, which also stops you dealing away a column you worked hard to clear.
How many deals do I get?
Five, ten cards each, which is the 50 cards left after the opening 54.
Which suit count should I start with?
One suit to learn the shape of the game, then two. Two suits is the version most people play: winnable often enough to be worth trying, hard enough to be a game.
Is every deal winnable?
No. Unlike FreeCell, plenty of Spider deals cannot be won however well you play, especially at four suits. Undo as much as you like, and start again when a deal is clearly dead.