How to play Spider Solitaire

Play Spider Solitaire now

Play the variants

How to play Spider Solitaire

Spider deals 54 cards into ten columns from two packs. Your goal is to build eight complete king-to-ace runs in a single suit and clear the whole table.

The layout

Ten columns hold five or six cards each, with only the top card face up. The remaining fifty cards form the stock, dealt ten at a time — one to every column.

Legal moves

Any card may be placed on a card one rank higher, regardless of suit, but only same-suit sequences can be moved as a group. Empty columns accept any card.

Completing runs

When a king-through-ace run of one suit forms in a column it is removed to a foundation. Eight completed runs wins the game.

Difficulty

One suit is a gentle introduction, two suits is the popular middle ground, and four suits is the full challenge that experienced players prefer.

Tips from the table

  • You can only deal from the stock when no column is empty, so deal before you clear your last column.
  • Prefer same-suit stacking even when an off-suit move looks tempting — mixed piles freeze up fast.
  • Uncover face-down cards at every opportunity; information is everything.
  • Keep one column empty as workspace whenever the deal allows it.