Spider Solitaire deals two full decks into ten columns and asks for something audacious: build complete King-to-Ace runs in a single suit, eight times over. It’s the marathon of solitaire — endlessly replayable, never the same twice.
Start with one-suit Spider to learn the rhythm, then graduate to two and four suits when you’re ready for the real climb.
How to Play Spider Solitaire by Yourself
- Deal 54 cards into ten columns; only each column’s top card is face up.
- Build columns downward by rank — suit doesn’t matter for placing single cards.
- Move runs together only when they share one suit and descend in order.
- Complete a King-through-Ace run in one suit and it flies off the board.
- When you’re stuck, deal a new row of ten cards from the stock.
- Clear all eight suit runs to win.
Rules of Spider Solitaire
- Played with 104 cards (two standard decks), in ten tableau columns.
- Any top card can be placed on a card one rank higher, regardless of suit.
- Only same-suit descending runs move as a group.
- A completed K-to-A same-suit run is removed automatically.
- Dealing from the stock requires no empty columns.
- Difficulty comes in one-suit, two-suit, and four-suit variants.
Winning Strategies for Spider Solitaire
- Build same-suit runs whenever possible — off-suit stacking is a loan you must repay later.
- Empty columns are everything: use them to re-sort mixed stacks.
- Flip face-down cards early; each reveal compounds your options.
- Delay stock deals as long as possible — every deal buries your work under ten new cards.
- Move Kings onto empty columns only with purpose; they can never be placed on anything.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I play Spider Solitaire by myself?
Yes — Spider is a classic single-player game. This version runs free in your browser with smooth animations and unlimited undo.
Why does Spider use two decks?
Two decks (104 cards) give the game its scale: eight complete suit runs must be built, which is what makes Spider so much deeper than one-deck solitaires.
What do the difficulty levels mean?
One-suit Spider uses only spades (easiest), two-suit adds hearts, and four-suit uses the full mix — the hardest widely-played solitaire variant.
Can every Spider game be won?
Most one-suit deals are winnable with careful play. Four-suit deals are genuinely hard, and even strong players win only a fraction — that challenge is the appeal.
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