How to Play Spider Solitaire
Spider Solitaire is the two-deck patience game that rewards planning. You can play it on Solitaire Bliss for
free with no download or account required. This page starts you on Spider Solitaire 1 Suit (easy), but you can
use the buttons on the top of the page to navigate to the
2 Suits (intermediate) and
4 Suits (advanced) versions.
Spider Solitaire Objective
To win the game, you must clear the tableau by creating complete same-suit sequences that descend from king to
ace within the tableau. As soon as you finish a run, Solitaire Bliss automatically lifts it off the tableau and
into one of the eight foundation piles. Fill all eight foundations and you win.
You can use the Hint button if you get stuck or the Undo button to reverse a mistake.
Spider Solitaire Setup
Spider Solitaire uses two full decks, for 104 cards in total.
-
Tableau: The tableau uses 54 cards dealt into ten columns, but only the last card in each column is
face up and playable. Sequence face-up cards in descending order by suit.
-
Stockpile: The stockpile is filled with 50 cards. If you get stuck, one face-up card is dealt to the
bottom of each column. With just 50 cards, you can only use the stockpile five times.
-
Foundation piles: You have to complete same-suit sequences (king to ace) in the tableau before you
can move them to one of eight foundation piles.
Spider Solitaire Basic Rules
-
Only face-up cards can be moved on the tableau. If you uncover a facedown card, it turns face up and
becomes a playable card.
-
Build down by one rank. You can move a face-up card on top of another card that’s one rank higher.
Click or drag and drop cards to sequence them.
-
You can move same-suit sequences that descend in order as a group. In 2- and 4-suit games, you can
stack mixed suits, but a mixed run can't be moved together.
- Empty columns can be filled with any rank of card or a descending sequence of cards.
- Deal from the stock when you're stuck. Each deal adds one card to every column.
-
Completed sequences (king to ace) clear themselves. A same-suit king-to-ace run moves to a foundation
pile automatically.
1 Suit vs. 2 Suits vs. 4 Suits
| Version |
Suits in play
|
Difficulty |
| 1 Suit |
8 sets of hearts |
Beginner. Every card matches, so any run you build can move as a group. You never have to
choose between suits, and a stock deal rarely ruins a run for good.
|
|
2 Suits
|
4 sets each of clubs and hearts |
Intermediate. Placing a heart on a club (or a club on a heart) is legal, but that mixed stack
can't move as one unit. You have to decide when a mixed move is worth it and plan how to untangle it
later, usually with an empty column.
|
|
4 Suits
|
2 sets of each suit |
Advanced. Only 2 of the 8 cards at the rank you need also match your suit, so most moves
create mixed stacks. Runs get locked in place, empty columns become essential, and each stock deal
scatters four suits across the board.
|
Spider Solitaire Tips and Strategies to Win
Spider Solitaire requires careful planning. Use these
strategies to increase
your chances of winning.
-
Focus on building sequences on higher-ranking cards. If you try to start sequences on higher-ranking
cards like tens or nines as opposed to fives or fours, you open up the possibility of building longer
sequences with more room to grow.
-
Prioritize revealing facedown cards. Only 10 of the 54 tableau cards are face up at the start of the
game. Every card you reveal is a new option, so favor moves that flip a card over
-
Empty columns quickly. Because you can move any card or sequence of cards into an empty column,
depleting a column opens another space for arranging cards. Use it to free blocked cards or rearrange the
tableau.
-
Use empty columns effectively. Assess the tableau and your needs before putting anything into an
empty column. Placing a high-ranking card into the column is typically more effective than a lower rank so
you can build a longer sequence, but a single card placed into an empty column can help you reveal a
facedown card you might need.
-
Use the stockpile as a last resort. Drawing a new card sounds helpful, but this stockpile puts a new
card at the bottom of each column, blocking sequences and potential moves. So be sure you can’t make any
more moves before accessing the stockpile, and remember that you can only use it five times.
-
Use the undo or hint buttons if needed. Everybody needs a little help from time to time, so when you
get stuck, first use the hint button to see if you missed a play. You can also use the undo button if you
get stuck or if you notice a better move. Using these buttons helps you practice different strategies and
may help you win.
More Games Like Spider Solitaire
-
Scorpion: Spider's closest
cousin, played with one deck. You can move any face-up card, even from the middle of a column, along with
every card on top of it.
-
Spiderette: Spider shrunk to
a single deck and an eight-column Klondike layout. Fewer cards and fewer columns make every move count.
-
Simple Simon: A
Spider-style game with every card dealt face up and no stockpile. You can see everything from the start, so
it's pure planning.
-
Easthaven: A mix of Klondike
and Spider. You build down in alternating colors, and the stock deals a card onto every column, just like in
Spider.
