Everything you need to know about Spider Solitaire. Rules, suit variants, win rates, strategy tips and common questions answered.
Everything you need to know about Spider Solitaire. Rules, suit variants, win rates, strategy tips and common questions answered.
Q: How do you set up Spider Solitaire?
Spider Solitaire uses two standard 52-card decks shuffled together — 104 cards in total. Fifty-four cards are dealt face-down into ten tableau columns, with the last card of each column turned face-up. Columns one through four receive six cards each; columns five through ten receive five cards each. The remaining 50 cards are set aside as the stock in five groups of ten, dealt one group at a time as the game progresses. There are no foundation piles at the start — completed sequences are removed automatically when they form. For full rules and setup see our how to play Spider Solitaire page.
Q: What are the basic rules of Spider Solitaire?
The goal is to build thirteen-card sequences from King down to Ace within the ten tableau columns. When a complete sequence is formed in correct rank order, it is automatically removed from the tableau. Build by placing any accessible card onto another card one rank higher — in Spider 1-Suit, suit does not matter; in Spider 2-Suit and 4-Suit, only same-suit sequences can be moved as groups, though mixed-suit builds are still legal. When no useful move is available, deal one card from the stock onto each of the ten columns. The game is won when all eight suits have been completed and removed.
Q: What is the difference between Spider 1-Suit, 2-Suit and 4-Suit?
Spider 1-Suit uses all 104 cards in spades only — suit is irrelevant and any descending sequence can be moved as a group. This is the easiest variant and is ideal for beginners learning the game structure. Spider 2-Suit uses spades and hearts; only same-suit sequences move freely as groups, but mixed-suit builds are legal. Spider 4-Suit uses all four suits from both decks; the same-suit-only group move rule applies and mixed-suit sequences become permanent obstacles that must be carefully managed. Win rates drop dramatically across the variants: roughly 90–95% in 1-Suit, 50–60% in 2-Suit, and 30–40% in 4-Suit with strategic play. Play all three variants in our free Spider Solitaire game.
Q: Can you move groups of cards in Spider Solitaire?
Yes, but only if the group forms a valid same-suit sequence in correct descending rank order. In Spider 1-Suit, any correctly ordered descending sequence can be moved as a group regardless of suit. In Spider 2-Suit and 4-Suit, a group of cards can only be moved together if every card in the group is the same suit and in correct descending rank order. A mixed-suit sequence — for example, a red 7 on a black 8 — is a legal build but cannot be moved as a group; each card in it can only be moved individually to a valid single-card destination.
Q: When do you deal new cards from the stock in Spider?
You may deal from the stock at any time, but standard play requires that no tableau column is empty when the deal occurs — all ten columns must have at least one card before a stock deal is permitted. Each stock deal places one new card face-up on each of the ten columns simultaneously. There are five stock deals available in total. After all five deals and the initial fifty-four card layout, all 104 cards will have been in play.
Q: What happens when a Spider sequence is completed?
When a complete thirteen-card sequence from King down to Ace in the same suit is formed anywhere in the tableau, it is automatically removed from the game and placed in a completion zone. Each completion counts as one of the eight suits cleared. The game is won when all eight sequences have been completed and removed. Completing a sequence also frees the column space beneath it, which may create a fully empty column — one of Spider's most valuable positional resources.
Q: Can you undo moves in Spider Solitaire?
Most digital implementations of Spider Solitaire include an undo function. Whether undo is available and how many moves can be undone varies by implementation. Our free Spider Solitaire game includes undo, which experienced players use as a structured hypothesis-testing tool — trying a move, observing its effects several moves later, and undoing to compare alternatives rather than using it purely to correct mistakes.
Q: What percentage of Spider Solitaire games are winnable?
Win rates vary significantly by suit configuration. Spider 1-Suit: roughly 90–95% of deals are winnable with reasonable strategy. Spider 2-Suit: roughly 50–70% are winnable depending on skill level. Spider 4-Suit: approximately 30–40% are winnable with strong strategic play; the remainder are either genuinely unwinnable or require a level of precision that exceeds practical human play. These figures assume strategic play — casual play produces significantly lower rates in all three variants. See our solitaire win rates guide for a full comparison across games.
Q: Is Spider Solitaire always solvable?
No. A meaningful proportion of Spider 4-Suit deals — and a smaller proportion of 2-Suit deals — are genuinely unwinnable regardless of play quality. The most common cause of an unwinnable position is a circular dependency: suit A needs a column position that suit B is occupying, suit B needs a position occupied by suit C, and suit C needs a position occupied by suit A, with no remaining flexibility to break the cycle. When a game reaches this state and the stock is exhausted, the deal cannot be won. Recognising this state early and resigning efficiently is a legitimate part of expert Spider play.
Q: What is a good Spider Solitaire win rate?
For Spider 1-Suit: below 75% suggests room to improve; 85–90% is strong. For Spider 2-Suit: below 35% is beginner; 50–60% is competent; above 65% is strong strategic play. For Spider 4-Suit: below 15% is beginner; 25–30% is competent; above 35% is strong. Because Spider 4-Suit has a genuine unwinnable-deal rate of approximately 60–70%, win rates above 40% in that variant represent near-ceiling human performance regardless of skill level.
Q: Why do I keep losing Spider 4-Suit even when I feel close to winning?
The most common cause is suit competition that was not identified and resolved early enough — two or more suits needing the same column position simultaneously with insufficient empty column flexibility to accommodate both. The second most common cause is dealing new stock cards into a position with too many rigid column tops (column tops with no valid tableau destination), which compounds existing rigidity rather than creating new options. The third cause is mixed-suit build accumulation — too many mixed-suit sequences across the tableau reduces group-move flexibility to the point where suits cannot be extracted even when their cards are all accessible. See our advanced Spider strategy guide for techniques to address all three.
Q: What is the most important Spider Solitaire strategy tip?
Build same-suit sequences wherever possible and treat mixed-suit builds as a cost rather than a neutral choice. In Spider 2-Suit and 4-Suit, every mixed-suit build reduces the mobility of the cards involved — they can no longer be moved as a group, only one at a time. The habit of pausing before every build and asking "is this same-suit or mixed-suit, and if mixed, what specifically does it achieve?" is the single most impactful change an intermediate player can make. For the full beginner strategy framework see our Spider Solitaire beginner strategy guide.
Q: Should I always try to empty a column in Spider?
Emptying a column is one of the most valuable positional achievements in Spider — an empty column can receive any card or sequence, enabling reorganisations that are otherwise impossible. However, emptying a column at the wrong moment — before it can be used for a specific planned purpose — can be counterproductive if the empty column is immediately filled with a card that serves no strategic function. The expert habit: when a column is close to empty, identify specifically what the empty column will be used for before completing the last card removal. An empty column used deliberately for a planned same-suit sequence completion is worth far more than an empty column filled reactively with whatever card happens to be most accessible.
Q: When should I deal new cards from the Spider stock?
Deal when the tableau is in a strong position: at most one column with a rigid top card (a card with no valid tableau destination), at least one empty or near-empty column, and at least three active same-suit building sequences in progress. Avoid dealing when three or more column tops are rigid — dealing into a rigid position places ten new cards on already-stuck positions, compounding the rigidity. The pre-deal check takes ten seconds and prevents the most common Spider losing pattern: repeated deals into progressively more rigid positions until the game is irretrievably stuck. For the full deal-timing framework see our advanced Spider strategy guide.
Q: Is it worth playing Spider 1-Suit if I want to get better at Spider 4-Suit?
Yes, but with a specific purpose in mind. Spider 1-Suit builds column management habits — maintaining flexibility across ten columns, using empty columns deliberately, sequencing deals to avoid rigid positions — that transfer directly to 2-Suit and 4-Suit. What Spider 1-Suit does not teach is suit discipline: the habit of classifying every build as same-suit or mixed-suit and evaluating mixed-suit builds for their specific cost. Transitioning from 1-Suit competence to 2-Suit practice, where suit discipline becomes consequential, is the recommended development path for players who want to improve at Spider 4-Suit.
Q: What does it mean when cards in Spider cannot be moved as a group?
In Spider 2-Suit and 4-Suit, a sequence of cards can only be moved as a group if every card in the sequence is the same suit in correct descending rank order. When a sequence contains cards of more than one suit — even if all the rank relationships are correct — the sequence is a mixed-suit build and each card can only be moved individually to a valid single-card destination. This means a mixed-suit sequence of five cards requires five separate moves to relocate, consuming five turns and potentially requiring free column space that may not exist. Mixed-suit builds are therefore strategically expensive in 2-Suit and 4-Suit and should only be made when the specific benefit — uncovering a face-down card, accessing a critical card — outweighs the mobility cost.
Q: How do I deal with empty columns in Spider Solitaire?
Treat every empty column as a planned staging resource rather than a space to fill immediately. Before placing any card or sequence in an empty column, ask what specific move the empty column enables: uncovering a face-down card, completing a same-suit sequence, resolving a rigid column top. If you can name a specific purpose, use the empty column for it. If you cannot, leave it empty while you continue scanning. An empty column held in reserve for one or two moves to identify its optimal use is more valuable than one filled immediately with a convenient but strategically neutral card.
Q: How is Spider Solitaire different from Klondike?
The structural differences are significant. Spider uses two decks (104 cards) and ten tableau columns; Klondike uses one deck (52 cards) and seven columns. Spider has no separate foundation phase — completed same-suit sequences are removed automatically when formed. Klondike has a stock that is drawn from throughout the game and separate foundation piles that are built incrementally. Spider requires managing ten columns simultaneously with suit discipline in 2-Suit and 4-Suit; Klondike requires managing seven columns with face-down card reveals and stock timing. Spider 4-Suit is generally considered harder than Klondike Turn 3. Play Klondike in our free Klondike Solitaire game.
Q: How is Spider Solitaire different from FreeCell?
FreeCell deals all 52 cards face-up at the start — no hidden information — and provides four free cells as temporary card-holding spaces. Spider deals many cards face-down at the start and has no free cells; the only staging resource is empty columns, which are rarer and harder to create than free cells. FreeCell uses one deck, eight columns, and a single-suit foundation build; Spider uses two decks, ten columns, and no separate foundation phase. FreeCell is theoretically winnable for 99.999% of deals; Spider 4-Suit is winnable for roughly 30–40%. Play FreeCell in our free FreeCell game.
Q: What are the main variants of Spider Solitaire?
The three suit configurations — 1-Suit, 2-Suit, and 4-Suit — are the primary variants, varying in difficulty from beginner to expert. Beyond suit count, Spiderette is a smaller single-deck version played on seven columns rather than ten. Scorpion and Wasp are close relatives that use slightly different deal layouts and movement rules. Our advanced solitaire variants guide covers the full family of Spider-adjacent games.
Q: Is Spider Solitaire harder than Klondike?
It depends on the variant. Spider 1-Suit is easier than Klondike Turn 1 — its win rate is higher and the absence of hidden-card uncertainty makes it more predictable. Spider 2-Suit is roughly comparable to Klondike Turn 1 in difficulty. Spider 4-Suit is substantially harder than any standard Klondike variant — its combination of suit discipline requirements, ten-column management, and the absence of free cells makes it one of the most demanding mainstream patience games available. Most players who are comfortable with Klondike Turn 3 find Spider 2-Suit a natural progression before attempting Spider 4-Suit.
Q: Can Spider Solitaire be played with physical cards?
Yes — Spider is traditionally played with two standard decks shuffled together. The physical setup follows the same deal pattern as the digital version. The main practical difference is that completed sequences must be manually removed and set aside, and the stock deals must be executed by hand rather than automatically. Keeping track of face-down cards and ensuring suit discipline is consistent in physical play requires more attention than in digital versions where the game enforces the rules automatically.
Q: How is Spider Solitaire scored?
Scoring systems vary by implementation. A common approach awards 500 points at the start of the game, subtracts one point for each move made, and adds 100 points for each completed suit sequence removed. A perfect game — completing all eight sequences with the minimum possible moves — would therefore score close to the maximum 1,300 points. Our free Spider Solitaire game displays the scoring system in use at the start of each session.
Q: What does it mean when Spider Solitaire says no moves are available?
A no-moves notification means the game engine has determined that no legal move exists in the current tableau and that dealing from the stock is either not permitted (because a column is empty) or not possible (because the stock is exhausted). This state can occur either because the deal is genuinely unwinnable, or because an earlier sequence of moves created a position from which no productive path forward exists. When the stock is exhausted and no moves are available, the game is over — starting a new hand is the appropriate response.
Spider Solitaire uses two standard 52-card decks shuffled together — 104 cards in total. Fifty-four cards are dealt face-down into ten tableau columns, with the last card of each column turned face-up. Columns one through four receive six cards each; columns five through ten receive five cards each. The remaining 50 cards are set aside as the stock in five groups of ten, dealt one group at a time as the game progresses. There are no foundation piles at the start — completed sequences are removed automatically when they form. For full rules and setup see our how to play Spider Solitaire page.
The goal is to build thirteen-card sequences from King down to Ace within the ten tableau columns. When a complete sequence is formed in correct rank order, it is automatically removed from the tableau. Build by placing any accessible card onto another card one rank higher — in Spider 1-Suit, suit does not matter; in Spider 2-Suit and 4-Suit, only same-suit sequences can be moved as groups, though mixed-suit builds are still legal. When no useful move is available, deal one card from the stock onto each of the ten columns. The game is won when all eight suits have been completed and removed.
Spider 1-Suit uses all 104 cards in spades only — suit is irrelevant and any descending sequence can be moved as a group. This is the easiest variant and is ideal for beginners learning the game structure. Spider 2-Suit uses spades and hearts; only same-suit sequences move freely as groups, but mixed-suit builds are legal. Spider 4-Suit uses all four suits from both decks; the same-suit-only group move rule applies and mixed-suit sequences become permanent obstacles that must be carefully managed. Win rates drop dramatically across the variants: roughly 90–95% in 1-Suit, 50–60% in 2-Suit, and 30–40% in 4-Suit with strategic play. Play all three variants in our free Spider Solitaire game.
Yes, but only if the group forms a valid same-suit sequence in correct descending rank order. In Spider 1-Suit, any correctly ordered descending sequence can be moved as a group regardless of suit. In Spider 2-Suit and 4-Suit, a group of cards can only be moved together if every card in the group is the same suit and in correct descending rank order. A mixed-suit sequence — for example, a red 7 on a black 8 — is a legal build but cannot be moved as a group; each card in it can only be moved individually to a valid single-card destination.
You may deal from the stock at any time, but standard play requires that no tableau column is empty when the deal occurs — all ten columns must have at least one card before a stock deal is permitted. Each stock deal places one new card face-up on each of the ten columns simultaneously. There are five stock deals available in total. After all five deals and the initial fifty-four card layout, all 104 cards will have been in play.
When a complete thirteen-card sequence from King down to Ace in the same suit is formed anywhere in the tableau, it is automatically removed from the game and placed in a completion zone. Each completion counts as one of the eight suits cleared. The game is won when all eight sequences have been completed and removed. Completing a sequence also frees the column space beneath it, which may create a fully empty column — one of Spider's most valuable positional resources.
Most digital implementations of Spider Solitaire include an undo function. Whether undo is available and how many moves can be undone varies by implementation. Our free Spider Solitaire game includes undo, which experienced players use as a structured hypothesis-testing tool — trying a move, observing its effects several moves later, and undoing to compare alternatives rather than using it purely to correct mistakes.
Win rates vary significantly by suit configuration. Spider 1-Suit: roughly 90–95% of deals are winnable with reasonable strategy. Spider 2-Suit: roughly 50–70% are winnable depending on skill level. Spider 4-Suit: approximately 30–40% are winnable with strong strategic play; the remainder are either genuinely unwinnable or require a level of precision that exceeds practical human play. These figures assume strategic play — casual play produces significantly lower rates in all three variants. See our solitaire win rates guide for a full comparison across games.
No. A meaningful proportion of Spider 4-Suit deals — and a smaller proportion of 2-Suit deals — are genuinely unwinnable regardless of play quality. The most common cause of an unwinnable position is a circular dependency: suit A needs a column position that suit B is occupying, suit B needs a position occupied by suit C, and suit C needs a position occupied by suit A, with no remaining flexibility to break the cycle. When a game reaches this state and the stock is exhausted, the deal cannot be won. Recognising this state early and resigning efficiently is a legitimate part of expert Spider play.
For Spider 1-Suit: below 75% suggests room to improve; 85–90% is strong. For Spider 2-Suit: below 35% is beginner; 50–60% is competent; above 65% is strong strategic play. For Spider 4-Suit: below 15% is beginner; 25–30% is competent; above 35% is strong. Because Spider 4-Suit has a genuine unwinnable-deal rate of approximately 60–70%, win rates above 40% in that variant represent near-ceiling human performance regardless of skill level.
The most common cause is suit competition that was not identified and resolved early enough — two or more suits needing the same column position simultaneously with insufficient empty column flexibility to accommodate both. The second most common cause is dealing new stock cards into a position with too many rigid column tops (column tops with no valid tableau destination), which compounds existing rigidity rather than creating new options. The third cause is mixed-suit build accumulation — too many mixed-suit sequences across the tableau reduces group-move flexibility to the point where suits cannot be extracted even when their cards are all accessible. See our advanced Spider strategy guide for techniques to address all three.
Build same-suit sequences wherever possible and treat mixed-suit builds as a cost rather than a neutral choice. In Spider 2-Suit and 4-Suit, every mixed-suit build reduces the mobility of the cards involved — they can no longer be moved as a group, only one at a time. The habit of pausing before every build and asking "is this same-suit or mixed-suit, and if mixed, what specifically does it achieve?" is the single most impactful change an intermediate player can make. For the full beginner strategy framework see our Spider Solitaire beginner strategy guide.
Emptying a column is one of the most valuable positional achievements in Spider — an empty column can receive any card or sequence, enabling reorganisations that are otherwise impossible. However, emptying a column at the wrong moment — before it can be used for a specific planned purpose — can be counterproductive if the empty column is immediately filled with a card that serves no strategic function. The expert habit: when a column is close to empty, identify specifically what the empty column will be used for before completing the last card removal. An empty column used deliberately for a planned same-suit sequence completion is worth far more than an empty column filled reactively with whatever card happens to be most accessible.
Deal when the tableau is in a strong position: at most one column with a rigid top card (a card with no valid tableau destination), at least one empty or near-empty column, and at least three active same-suit building sequences in progress. Avoid dealing when three or more column tops are rigid — dealing into a rigid position places ten new cards on already-stuck positions, compounding the rigidity. The pre-deal check takes ten seconds and prevents the most common Spider losing pattern: repeated deals into progressively more rigid positions until the game is irretrievably stuck. For the full deal-timing framework see our advanced Spider strategy guide.
Yes, but with a specific purpose in mind. Spider 1-Suit builds column management habits — maintaining flexibility across ten columns, using empty columns deliberately, sequencing deals to avoid rigid positions — that transfer directly to 2-Suit and 4-Suit. What Spider 1-Suit does not teach is suit discipline: the habit of classifying every build as same-suit or mixed-suit and evaluating mixed-suit builds for their specific cost. Transitioning from 1-Suit competence to 2-Suit practice, where suit discipline becomes consequential, is the recommended development path for players who want to improve at Spider 4-Suit.
In Spider 2-Suit and 4-Suit, a sequence of cards can only be moved as a group if every card in the sequence is the same suit in correct descending rank order. When a sequence contains cards of more than one suit — even if all the rank relationships are correct — the sequence is a mixed-suit build and each card can only be moved individually to a valid single-card destination. This means a mixed-suit sequence of five cards requires five separate moves to relocate, consuming five turns and potentially requiring free column space that may not exist. Mixed-suit builds are therefore strategically expensive in 2-Suit and 4-Suit and should only be made when the specific benefit — uncovering a face-down card, accessing a critical card — outweighs the mobility cost.
Treat every empty column as a planned staging resource rather than a space to fill immediately. Before placing any card or sequence in an empty column, ask what specific move the empty column enables: uncovering a face-down card, completing a same-suit sequence, resolving a rigid column top. If you can name a specific purpose, use the empty column for it. If you cannot, leave it empty while you continue scanning. An empty column held in reserve for one or two moves to identify its optimal use is more valuable than one filled immediately with a convenient but strategically neutral card.
The structural differences are significant. Spider uses two decks (104 cards) and ten tableau columns; Klondike uses one deck (52 cards) and seven columns. Spider has no separate foundation phase — completed same-suit sequences are removed automatically when formed. Klondike has a stock that is drawn from throughout the game and separate foundation piles that are built incrementally. Spider requires managing ten columns simultaneously with suit discipline in 2-Suit and 4-Suit; Klondike requires managing seven columns with face-down card reveals and stock timing. Spider 4-Suit is generally considered harder than Klondike Turn 3. Play Klondike in our free Klondike Solitaire game.
FreeCell deals all 52 cards face-up at the start — no hidden information — and provides four free cells as temporary card-holding spaces. Spider deals many cards face-down at the start and has no free cells; the only staging resource is empty columns, which are rarer and harder to create than free cells. FreeCell uses one deck, eight columns, and a single-suit foundation build; Spider uses two decks, ten columns, and no separate foundation phase. FreeCell is theoretically winnable for 99.999% of deals; Spider 4-Suit is winnable for roughly 30–40%. Play FreeCell in our free FreeCell game.
The three suit configurations — 1-Suit, 2-Suit, and 4-Suit — are the primary variants, varying in difficulty from beginner to expert. Beyond suit count, Spiderette is a smaller single-deck version played on seven columns rather than ten. Scorpion and Wasp are close relatives that use slightly different deal layouts and movement rules. Our advanced solitaire variants guide covers the full family of Spider-adjacent games.
It depends on the variant. Spider 1-Suit is easier than Klondike Turn 1 — its win rate is higher and the absence of hidden-card uncertainty makes it more predictable. Spider 2-Suit is roughly comparable to Klondike Turn 1 in difficulty. Spider 4-Suit is substantially harder than any standard Klondike variant — its combination of suit discipline requirements, ten-column management, and the absence of free cells makes it one of the most demanding mainstream patience games available. Most players who are comfortable with Klondike Turn 3 find Spider 2-Suit a natural progression before attempting Spider 4-Suit.
Yes — Spider is traditionally played with two standard decks shuffled together. The physical setup follows the same deal pattern as the digital version. The main practical difference is that completed sequences must be manually removed and set aside, and the stock deals must be executed by hand rather than automatically. Keeping track of face-down cards and ensuring suit discipline is consistent in physical play requires more attention than in digital versions where the game enforces the rules automatically.
Scoring systems vary by implementation. A common approach awards 500 points at the start of the game, subtracts one point for each move made, and adds 100 points for each completed suit sequence removed. A perfect game — completing all eight sequences with the minimum possible moves — would therefore score close to the maximum 1,300 points. Our free Spider Solitaire game displays the scoring system in use at the start of each session.
A no-moves notification means the game engine has determined that no legal move exists in the current tableau and that dealing from the stock is either not permitted (because a column is empty) or not possible (because the stock is exhausted). This state can occur either because the deal is genuinely unwinnable, or because an earlier sequence of moves created a position from which no productive path forward exists. When the stock is exhausted and no moves are available, the game is over — starting a new hand is the appropriate response.