Here's a truth that separates winning Spider Solitaire players from everyone else: empty columns aren't just nice to have. They're your lifeline. If you've been treating empty spaces as happy accidents, you're leaving wins on the table.

Think of an empty column as a safety deposit box. It's temporary storage that gives you the freedom to tear apart messy stacks, sort cards properly, and put everything back together. Without that breathing room, you're stuck shuffling cards around with nowhere to go.

Let's dig into why clearing columns should be your obsession, how to do it efficiently, and the critical trade-offs you'll face when you finally get one.

The Power of Empty Columns

When you clear a column completely, something magical happens. You've created flexibility. That empty slot can accept any single card or any valid sequence you want to move. It's the Swiss Army knife of Spider Solitaire.

Here's what you can actually do with an empty column:

• Park a King temporarily: Need to access cards buried under a King? Move the King to the empty column, grab what you need, then deal with the King later.
• Break apart mixed-suit sequences: You've got a beautiful run of 9-8-7-6-5 but there's a heart jammed in the middle of your spades. Use the empty column to hold cards while you sort the mess.
• Flip hidden cards faster: Sometimes the only way to reveal a face-down card is to move an entire stack somewhere temporarily. That's your empty column's job.
• Set up chain reactions: Moving one card to an empty column can unlock a sequence of moves that clears multiple cards and reveals several hidden ones.

Without empty columns, your options shrink dramatically. You're forced to build on top of whatever's showing, whether it helps your overall game or not.

Target the Small Columns First

Not all columns are created equal when the game starts. The four leftmost columns have 6 cards each. The six rightmost columns have only 5 cards each. That one-card difference matters more than you'd think.

The 5-card columns are your best targets for creating empty spaces. One fewer hidden card means one fewer obstacle between you and an empty column. When you're deciding where to focus your early game energy, those smaller columns should get priority.

Early in the game, scan for columns where the visible card can immediately move to another column. If a 5-card column starts with a 7 and there's an 8 showing elsewhere, that column just got easier to empty. Make that move and start working on the hidden cards underneath.

For more foundational tactics like this, check out our complete strategy guide.

The King Problem

Here's where things get tricky. You've finally cleared a column. That beautiful empty space is calling to you. And then you realize the only card you can usefully move is a King.

Kings are special. They're the only cards that can sit in an empty column without needing another card above them (since nothing ranks higher than a King). But that's also the problem. Once a King moves into an empty column, that column is blocked until you complete an entire King-to-Ace sequence.

So the question becomes: is it worth using your precious empty column on a King?

The ideal scenario is having multiple empty columns. That way you can dedicate one to a King while keeping others available for maneuvering. But in most games, you'll be lucky to maintain even one open space, so guard it carefully.

Using Empty Columns as Temporary Storage

The real power of empty columns shows up when you use them to untangle mixed-suit sequences. This is where average players get stuck and good players pull ahead.

Picture this: you've got a column with 10♠, 9♠, 8♥, 7♠, 6♠, 5♠ from top to bottom. That 8 of Hearts is ruining everything. You can't move the whole sequence because the suits don't match. But with an empty column, here's what you do:

1. Move the 7♠-6♠-5♠ sequence to a temporary empty column
2. Move the 8♥ onto a 9 of any suit elsewhere on the board
3. Bring back your 7♠-6♠-5♠ onto the 10♠-9♠

Now you've got a clean same-suit sequence that can move as a unit. That's the magic of temporary storage. You couldn't do this without somewhere to park those lower cards.

Managing these mixed sequences is one of the trickier parts of the game. Our guide on handling mixed-suit sequences covers more advanced techniques for these situations.

Protecting Your Empty Column

Getting an empty column is hard work. Don't waste it on the first card that could legally go there. Every time you're about to fill an empty column, ask yourself: is this the best use of my flexibility?

Here's a checklist before filling that empty space:

• Does this move flip a hidden card? If not, you might be trading flexibility for nothing.
• Is there another way? Sometimes you can achieve the same result by building on existing columns instead.
• Can I empty this column again quickly? If you're placing a single low card that can immediately move elsewhere, that's often fine.
• Am I about to deal from the stock? If so, filling the empty column might be necessary anyway (you can't deal with empty columns in most versions).

The players who consistently win are the ones who treat empty columns like precious resources. They don't fill them impulsively. They wait for moves that actually advance their game state.

When to Sacrifice Your Empty Column

Sometimes you have to let it go. Here are legitimate reasons to fill your empty column even when it hurts:

You're about to deal. Most Spider Solitaire implementations won't let you deal new cards from the stock while any column is empty. You have to fill it before you can get fresh cards. In this case, put something there that you can easily move later, ideally a low-value card sitting alone.

You'll immediately create another empty column. If filling one empty column lets you clear a different column entirely, that's a fair trade. You're essentially converting your empty column into something better.

You can complete a full sequence. If putting a card in your empty column triggers a chain of moves that completes a King-to-Ace sequence (removing 13 cards from the board), do it without hesitation. Completing sequences is the whole point.

You're stuck otherwise. When the alternative is dealing new cards onto a messy board, using your empty column for temporary relief might be the lesser evil.