How to play Spider Solitaire
Build runs from King down to Ace in one suit to clear the table.
Goal
Spider uses two decks (104 cards) dealt into 10 columns. Build runs from King down to Ace in a single suit: K, Q, J, 10… down to A. When a column holds such a full run of 13 cards, the whole run flies to the top-left corner. Clear all 8 runs to win.
At the start the 4 left columns have 6 cards and the other 6 columns have 5, with only the bottom card face up. The remaining 50 cards sit in the stock at the top right and can be dealt 5 times, one new card onto every column each time.
Rules
- Place a card on a card exactly one rank higher, of any suit (for example 7♥ on 8♠).
- Several cards can only be moved together when they form a descending run of the same suit (for example 9♠ 8♠ 7♠).
- An empty column accepts any card or run. Face-down cards turn over by themselves once uncovered.
- You can only deal when there are no empty columns.
Controls
- Computer: click a card to send it (with the cards on top of it) to the best legal place, joining the same suit first. Or drag and drop it with the mouse onto the column you want. Click the stock or the Deal button to deal. Shortcuts: Ctrl+Z or U undo, H hint, D or Space deal.
- Phone: tap a card to send it away automatically, or hold and drag it with your finger. Long columns squeeze together so they always fit on the screen.
- Undo works for as many steps as you like. Hint flashes a good move; when there is none left it reminds you to deal.
Difficulty, score and records
- Press Play to start right away in 1 suit mode (easiest, every card is ♠). For more of a challenge, use the difficulty button at the top to pick 2 suits (♠ ♥) or 4 suits.
- The score starts at 500, every move (deals and undos included) costs 1 point and every completed run adds 100.
- Wins, best score and fastest time are kept separately for each number of suits. An unfinished game is saved automatically so you can continue later.
Tips
- Join cards of the same suit whenever you can — only same-suit runs can be moved.
- Focus on turning face-down cards over; empty columns are precious, use them to rearrange runs rather than filling them in a hurry.
- Make every useful move before dealing, because each deal covers every column with another card.