How to Play Spider Solitaire
Build each suit from king down to ace across ten columns and clear eight full runs.
Also known as Spider
Learn Spider Solitaire: 104 cards in 10 columns, runs that move only in one suit, dealing from the stock and the 1, 2 and 4-suit games. Work through one deal, then play in your browser.
A run that cannot move yet
In the 2-suit game column 4 ends in 10♠ 9♠ 8♥ 7♥ and column 7 ends in the J♠. The 10♠ fits on the J♠, but the 4 cards are not one suit, so only the 8♥ 7♥ can move as a pair and the 10♠ 9♠ stay put. Move the 8♥ 7♥ onto a 9 elsewhere, or into an empty column, and then the 10♠ 9♠ go onto the J♠ together.
| Move | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| A single 7♥ onto an 8♠ | Yes: any suit, one rank higher |
| The run 9♠ 8♠ 7♠ onto a 10♥ | Yes: one suit in sequence |
| The stack 9♠ 8♥ 7♥ as a group | No: only the 8♥ 7♥ move together |
| Dealing from the stock with a column empty | No: fill every column first |
| A whole column into an empty column | No: it would change nothing |
A complete king-to-ace run in one suit goes to a foundation by itself the moment it forms, and it never comes back. The deal is lost the moment no legal move is left; Undo takes moves back as often as you like.
Practise this game in your browser🎯 Objective
Build all 104 cards into eight complete runs from king down to ace in one suit. Each run leaves the table by itself, and eight of them win the deal; if you don't finish, your score is the cards on the foundations.
🃏 Spider Solitaire Setup & Rules
- Two 52-card decks, 104 cards. The Suits option on the setup screen sets what they hold: 1 suit (all spades, the default), 2 suits (spades and hearts) or all 4 suits.
- The app deals 54 cards into ten columns, 6 in each of the first four and 5 in each of the other six, with only the top card of each column face up.
- The other 50 cards are the stock, dealt ten at a time, one card onto every column. It is a solitaire for one: no other seats to fill and no app opponents.
▶ How to Play Spider Solitaire
- Tap the card or run you want to move, then the column it goes to. Any card goes on a card one rank higher, whatever the suit: a 7♥ on an 8♠ is fine.
- A group of cards moves together only when it is a run in one suit, stepping down one rank at a time. A mixed-suit stack moves one card at a time.
- Any card or one-suit run can go into an empty column, but never a whole column. When the last face-up card leaves a column, the app turns the next card face up.
- Tap the stock to deal one card face up onto every column. The stock deals only while no column is empty, so fill every gap first.
- A column that holds a complete run from king down to ace in one suit sends it to a foundation at once; you do not move it yourself.
- Auto makes the move the app's own policy would make, Undo takes back the last move, and Give up ends the deal as a loss.
🎬 Watch: How to Play Spider Solitaire
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📖 Detailed Guide
Setting up your table
- From the game menu choose Spider. It is a solitaire for one, so there are no other seats to fill and no app opponents.
- The one option is Suits: 1 (all spades), 2 (spades and hearts) or 4 (two full decks). It defaults to 1, the easiest game; 4 is the classic one.
- There is no deal number to enter, no timer and no scoring variant. The app shuffles 104 cards and deals 54 into ten columns, 6, 6, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, only the top card of each face up.
- The 50 cards left are the stock, enough for five deals of ten. Eight foundations wait for the completed runs.
Moving cards
- Tap a card, then tap the column it goes to. Tap it again to put it back, or tap another card to pick that one instead.
- A card goes on any card one rank higher, whatever its suit. A run moves as a group only when it is one suit in sequence: tap the card where the run should start and everything below it comes along.
- Any card or one-suit run can go into an empty column, but never a whole column: that would change nothing.
- A face-down card is turned up only when everything on it is gone; once face up, a card stays face up.
Dealing from the stock
- Tap the stock to deal ten cards, one face up onto every column, whether or not they fit.
- The stock deals only while no column is empty: fill every gap first, with any card at all if you must.
- There are five deals in the stock, 50 cards; after the fifth the stock is gone and you finish with what is on the table.
- Each deal covers every column, so make every useful move before you tap the stock.
Ending the deal
- A complete run from king down to ace in one suit leaves its column for a foundation the moment it forms, and a run on a foundation never comes back.
- You win when all eight runs are on the foundations; the summary shows how many moves it took.
- The deal is lost the moment no legal move is left. Your score is the cards on the foundations, out of 104.
- Auto plays one move of the app's own policy each time you tap it, and concedes the deal when it finds no way on. Undo takes back the last move, as many times as you like; Give up ends the deal where it stands.
📊 Spider Solitaire Scoring
You win when all eight runs are on the foundations, and the summary counts your moves. The deal is lost the moment no legal move is left, or when you give up; either way the score is the cards on the foundations, out of 104. There are no points, no timer and no deal number: the app shuffles a fresh layout every time.
❓ Spider Solitaire — Frequently Asked Questions
How many players do you need for Spider Solitaire?
Spider Solitaire is a solitaire game for one player — just you and the deck.
How many suits does the app's Spider use?
You choose on the setup screen: 1 suit, 2 suits or 4 suits, always 104 cards. 1 suit is the default and the easiest, since every run is one suit; 2 suits uses spades and hearts; 4 suits is the classic game with 2 full decks.
When can you deal from the stock in Spider?
Whenever the stock still has cards and no column is empty. A tap deals 10 cards, 1 face up onto every column, and the stock holds 50 cards, so there are 5 deals. If a column is empty, fill it first; any card will do.
Which cards can move together in Spider?
Only a run in 1 suit stepping down 1 rank at a time, such as 9♠ 8♠ 7♠. A single card goes on any card 1 rank higher, whatever its suit, so mixed-suit stacks can be built but move only 1 card at a time. Any card or run can go into an empty column, but never a whole column.
What ends a Spider deal?
Winning, when all 8 runs from king down to ace are on the foundations, or losing, the moment no legal move is left; Give up ends it early, and Auto concedes when it finds no way on. Either way the score is the cards on the foundations, out of 104, and a win also counts your moves.