Spider Solitaire

How to play Spider Solitaire

Spider is a two-deck solitaire game and one of the most popular in the world. The goal is to build eight complete runs, King down to Ace, each in a single suit.

1. The deal. 54 cards are dealt into ten columns, with only the top card of each face up. The other 50 cards wait in the deck.
2. Build down. Put a card on one that’s one rank higher, in any suit: a 7 on an 8.
3. Move runs of one suit. A run of cards in order and all the same suit can be moved together. Mixed-suit runs can’t.
4. Turn over cards by moving the cards on top of them away.
5. Fill empty columns with any card or run.
6. Deal a new row from the deck when you’re stuck. It puts one card on every column, so every column must have at least one card first.
7. Complete a run from King to Ace in one suit and it’s cleared away. Clear all eight to win.

Choose 1 suit to learn (all spades), 2 suits for a real challenge, or 4 suits for experts.

Quick tips for winning

• Build in suit whenever you can. A same-suit run can move as one; a mixed run is stuck.
• Empty a column. It’s the most powerful thing you can have for reorganising runs.
• Uncover face-down cards first. Every new card turned over gives you more options.
• Make all your moves before dealing. A new row covers everything, so do what you can first.

Spider Solitaire FAQ