Spider Solitaire

1 Setup

Spider uses two standard decks (104 cards total). Deal 10 columns:

• Columns 1–4: 6 cards each (top card face-up, rest face-down)
• Columns 5–10: 5 cards each (top card face-up, rest face-down)

The remaining 50 cards form the stock. Foundation area holds 8 slots (for 8 completed suit sequences).

2 Gameplay

Move face-up cards between columns to build sequences. Rules:

• Any face-up card (or group of cards) may be moved onto a card of one rank higher
• In 4-suit mode: Groups may only be moved if all cards in the group are the same suit in sequence (e.g., 7♠ 6♠ 5♠ can move as a unit)
• In 1-suit or 2-suit mode: Groups can be moved regardless of suit as long as ranks are in descending sequence
• When you uncover a face-down card by moving all face-up cards off it, flip it face-up
• An empty column can be filled with any card or valid group

3 Completing Suits

When you build a complete sequence from King down to Ace all in the same suit, it is automatically removed to the foundation. This is true in all difficulty modes, even 1-suit mode requires the final sequence to be in one suit to remove it.

You need to complete 8 such sequences (one per suit per deck) to win.

4 The Stock

When no useful moves remain, deal from the stock, one card face-up to each of the 10 columns. You cannot deal if any column is empty. You have 5 deals available (50 cards ÷ 10 columns = 5 deals).

5 Difficulty Modes

6 Strategy

Empty Columns Are Gold

Empty columns act as free temporary storage, you can move any card or group there. Create empty columns as early as possible by clearing one column's cards and moving them strategically.

Build in Suit When Possible

Even in 1-suit mode, organizing by suit whenever you can makes it easier to build completable sequences. In 4-suit mode, mixing suits creates unmovable blocks that clog the board.

Don't Fill Empty Columns Recklessly

An empty column is precious, don't fill it with a King that has no sequence attached. Use empty columns as way-stations to reorganize other columns, not as permanent homes.

Think Before Dealing

Each deal adds 10 cards on top of existing columns. Before dealing, try to clear as many columns as possible and sort what's there, new cards landing on organized sequences are much easier to work with.