How to Play Spider Solitaire
Two decks, ten columns. Build eight complete runs from K♠ down to A♠. Each run vanishes when it's finished.
The table
- 10 columns, 54 cards dealt in. Only the bottom card of each is face up
- The stock, 50 cards, dealt 10 at a time
- No foundations. Completed runs simply leave the table
The rules
- Build down by rank, regardless of suit: any 7♦ onto any 8♣.
- Move a run as a block only if it's all one suit. Mixed sequences move one card at a time.
- An empty column takes anything.
- A full K-to-A run in one suit is removed from the game. Eight of those and you've won.
- Deal from the stock when stuck, but only if no column is empty.
Difficulty
| Suits | Feel |
|---|---|
| 1 suit | Gentle. Good for learning the shape |
| 2 suits | The usual game. Real decisions |
| 4 suits | Hard. Most deals are lost |
Quick tips
- Keep sequences in one suit wherever you can. A mixed pile is nearly frozen.
- Empty a column and guard it. It's the most valuable thing on the table.
- Turn face-down cards first, always.
- Think before dealing. Ten new cards land on top of everything and can bury work you've spent moves on.
Build in suit, always
The rule that decides Spider is the difference between what you may place and what you may move. You can drop any card onto a card one rank higher, of any suit. But only a run in a single suit can be picked up as a unit.
So a descending run of mixed suits isn't progress. It's a wall. The cards underneath are now buried by something you can't lift. Building in suit wherever you have the choice, even when it means passing up a move, is most of the difference between winning and losing at two suits and above.
The order to think in
- Make the move that turns over a face-down card, if it doesn't create a mixed run you'll regret.
- Build in suit rather than out of it, always, given a choice.
- Empty a column if you can. An empty column takes any card and is the only real freedom in the game.
- Unstack mixed runs while you still have somewhere to put the pieces.
- Deal only when you have to.
The stock, and why dealing hurts
You may deal at any time, provided no column is empty. A deal puts one card on every column at once. Straight on top of whatever careful sequence you have built.
This is the central tension of Spider. Every deal makes the board worse before it makes it better, and there are only five of them. The right time to deal is when you've exhausted the useful moves and have as much in-suit order as you can manage, not the moment you get stuck.
The constraint that no column may be empty is what stops you from hoarding an empty column across a deal. If you want to keep the space, you can't deal; if you want to deal, you must fill it.
Choosing a difficulty
One suit is a single suit repeated eight times. Every run is automatically in suit, so the only constraint is order. It's a good way to learn the shape of the game and most deals go out.
Two suits is where Spider becomes a real game. You now have to think about which suit you're building in, and mixed runs start to cost you. Losses are common and usually traceable to a specific decision.
Four suits is one of the hardest solitaires in common circulation. Every placement is constrained, mixed runs pile up almost immediately, and expert play still loses more often than it wins. Approach it as a puzzle you sometimes solve rather than a game you expect to win.
Empty columns
An empty column in Spider is worth more than in any other solitaire. It lets you unstack a mixed run one card at a time, park a king, or rescue a buried sequence. Getting one is usually worth several moves of preparation.
The catch is the deal rule: you can't deal with a column empty. So an empty column is a resource you spend before dealing, not one you save across deals.
Common variations
| Variation | What changes |
|---|---|
| One / two / four suits | The standard difficulty ladder |
| Spiderette | A single deck, seven columns; a much shorter game |
| Relaxed | Dealing is allowed with an empty column |
| Open Spider | All cards dealt face up |
All three difficulties are here, and changing difficulty deals a fresh game.
Frequently asked
Why can I place this card but not move it back? Placement ignores suit; movement doesn't. You may drop a red nine on any ten, but you can only pick up a nine-and-ten pair if they match suit.
Why will it not let me deal? Because a column is empty. Fill it. Any card will do, and the deal is allowed.
What happens when a run is complete? A king-to-ace run in a single suit is removed from the board automatically. Eight of them wins the game.
How many deals do I get? Five, of ten cards each. That's the fifty cards left after the initial deal of fifty-four.
Is four-suit Spider actually winnable? Yes, but not often. Win rates for strong human players sit well under half, and losing a four-suit game isn't evidence you played badly.
Last updated 2026-09-02