Building runs
You build down in rank regardless of suit, but you can only move a run of cards when every card in it shares a suit. Complete King-to-Ace in one suit and the run clears itself off the board.
Spider Solitaire, two suits
Two-suit Spider uses two decks of spades and hearts across ten columns. It is the version most players settle on: one suit is a warm-up, four suits is a grind, and two suits is where the game becomes a real puzzle without becoming punishing.
Play 2-suit SpiderDealing from the stock
The stock adds one card to every column at once, and it only deals when no column is empty. That rule is why you should not leave a deal until the board is tidy.
Clearing eight runs
Two decks make eight complete runs. Clear all eight to win — most losses come from mixed-suit stacks built early that can never be moved again.
Tips that actually help
- Keep one column empty as a working space for as long as you can afford to.
- Prefer same-suit builds even when an off-suit build looks faster.
- Before dealing a new row, unstack whatever mixed piles you still can.
- Undo an early mixed-suit build the moment it blocks a face-down card.
Common questions
- Is two-suit Spider harder than Klondike?
- Different rather than harder: there is no luck of the stock to wait on, so almost every loss traces back to a build order you chose.
- How many suits should a beginner start with?
- Start on one suit to learn the run mechanics, then move to two as soon as you win consistently.
- Can I change difficulty mid-session?
- Yes, the one, two and four-suit tables are one click apart in the toolbar.