Spider Solitaire Rules & Strategy Guide

Spider uses two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total). The number of suits depends on difficulty: 1-suit uses only spades (all 104 cards are spades of varying ranks), 2-suit uses spades and hearts, and 4-suit uses all four suits. The tableau consists of ten columns. Columns 1–4 receive six cards each; columns 5–10 receive five cards each. Only the top card of each column starts face-up. The remaining 50 cards form the stock.

Cards in the tableau are built in descending order regardless of suit — a 7 of any suit may go on an 8 of any suit. However, only sequences built entirely in the same suit may be moved together as a group. Mixed-suit sequences can be created but must be moved one card at a time. A completed sequence from King down to Ace in a single suit is removed from the tableau and placed in one of the eight completion zones.

When no more moves are available (or you choose to deal), clicking the stock deals one card face-up to every non-empty tableau column. If any column is empty, you must fill it before dealing. The stock can be dealt five times, adding 50 cards across those five deals.

The game is won when all eight King-to-Ace sequences have been completed and removed. This requires clearing all 104 cards from the tableau.

Build in-suit whenever possible. Mixed-suit sequences feel like progress but they lock cards in place — you can't move a sequence of alternating suits as a unit, which will eventually strand critical cards.

Empty columns are even more important in Spider than in Klondike. An empty column can hold any single card as a temporary park, enabling sequence reorganization. Never fill an empty column without a very good reason.

Watch out for 'color locks' — situations where you have, say, all four 7s buried under cards you can't move. Identifying these bottlenecks early (before dealing from the stock) is the key skill that separates intermediate from advanced Spider players.

Delay dealing from the stock as long as possible. Each new row of cards adds complexity and can bury progress you've already made. Only deal when you're truly stuck, and ideally when all columns are relatively short.