How to play Spider Solitaire
Spider is a one-player solitaire played with two decks: 104 cards in ten columns. Cards can go on each other whatever their suit, but what you need to build is full runs of one suit, from king down to ace. As soon as one is complete, it leaves the table. The game has been around since at least the middle of the 20th century and became popular through Windows, where it appeared in the early 2000s alongside Klondike and FreeCell.
Play Spider here free with no sign-up, right in the browser on your phone, tablet or computer. There are three difficulties — one, two and four suits — plus hints, unlimited undo, a timer and numbered hands you can replay. This page is one-suit Spider, the most relaxed way to play.
The goal
Build all 104 cards into eight runs from king down to ace, each of a single suit. A finished run moves to the foundations by itself, so the game is won when the table and the stock are both empty.
The layout
The table has three areas:
- The tableau. Ten columns holding 54 cards: six in each of the first four and five in the rest. Only the bottom card of each column is face up; the others are face down.
- The stock. The other 50 cards wait in the corner: five deals of ten. Each deal puts one face-up card on every column.
- The foundations. Eight places for finished runs. A full run of one suit from king to ace moves here by itself.
Spider rules
You play the face-up cards at the bottom of the columns:
- Build down, on any suit. A card goes on one a rank higher: a nine on any ten, a jack on any queen. Colour and suit don’t matter.
- Only runs of one suit move together. Cards in descending order and all of one suit can be moved as a group, however many there are. If the suits in a run are mixed, it has to be moved in parts.
- An empty column takes any card. A cleared column can be filled with any card or one-suit run, not only a king as in Klondike.
- Dealing from the stock. When you run out of moves, tap the stock to deal one face-up card onto every column. You can only deal when every column has a card, so fill any empty columns first.
- A full suit leaves the table. As soon as a column ends in a run of one suit from king to ace, the run moves to the foundations. Face-down cards turn over by themselves once nothing is left on top of them.
One, two or four suits
Spider is always played with two decks, but they can hold a different number of suits, and that sets the difficulty. With one suit (this page) all 104 cards are spades, so any descending run will one day become a full suit and nearly every hand can be won. Two-suit Spider adds hearts, so you have to watch which suit you build on. Four-suit Spider uses two full decks and is one of the hardest solitaires there is: winning takes patience, planning and plenty of undos.
Strategy: how to win at Spider
These habits help you win more often, with one suit or four:
- Clear columns. An empty column is the most powerful tool in Spider: somewhere to park cards, untangle a mixed run or move a long one. It often pays to start with the shortest column and clear it completely.
- Build on the same suit when you can. If a card can go on two different ones, pick the one of its own suit: that run moves as a whole and will one day become a full suit.
- Turn over face-down cards. A move that turns a face-down card over is nearly always better than one that only shifts face-up cards around. Every card you turn up gives you new options.
- Don’t rush kings. A king can’t go on another card, so a king in an empty column ties it up for a long time. Move a king there only when you can build a run below it.
- Get ready before you deal. Before dealing, make every useful move and build one-suit runs where you can: the new deal covers every column with another card.
- Use hints and undo. Hint shows a useful move or suggests dealing from the stock, Undo takes back as many moves as you need, and Redo plays them again. Tap a card and it moves, with the cards below it, to the best place by itself.
Questions and answers
Why is it called Spider?
It’s said to be for the eight foundations you have to fill, like a spider’s eight legs. In Ukraine many players also know it by its Russian Windows name, «Паук».
How many suits should I pick: one, two or four?
If you’re new to Spider, start with one suit: the rules are the same and you can win almost every time. Two suits is the middle ground for anyone who finds one too easy. Four suits is for experienced players: hands take longer and wins are much rarer. Switch with the buttons above the board; each opens in its own tab.
Can every hand of Spider be won?
Not every one, but with one suit nearly all of them, if you take your time and use undo. The more suits, the more often a hand can’t be finished. If no moves are left, we’ll tell you and offer to undo or start a new hand.
Why won’t the stock deal?
Under Spider’s rules you can only deal when every column holds at least one card. Put any card or run into the empty columns and the stock will deal again. The exception is the end of the game: with fewer than ten cards left on the table, you don’t need to fill every column.
How is Spider scored?
As in Windows Spider: you start with 500 points, every move, dealing included, costs one, and every finished suit adds 100. So a win is worth 1,300 points minus your moves, plus a bonus for speed. Your profile earns XP from the total: twice as much with two suits, three times with four, and a quarter for a hand you’ve already solved.
Do I need to sign up or download anything?
No. Spider here is completely free and runs right in your browser, on a phone, tablet or computer. Signing in is optional: do it only if you want to keep your wins and XP on your profile. All it takes is an email address; we’ll send you a sign-in link.
What happens to my game if I close the page?
The hand is saved in your browser with every move and the time on the clock, separately for each number of suits, so after a reload you carry on from the same spot. Solved hands get a tick next to their number, and if you’re signed in, they and your XP are kept on your profile.
More solitaires
пасьянс.укр also has classic Klondike Solitaire, dealing one card at a time, the harder Solitaire Turn 3, and FreeCell, where every card is face up from the first move.