Spider Solitaire Empty
Column Strategy
Empty columns are workspace, not trophies. Use them to expose cards, untangle stacks, and decide when a stock deal is worth giving up the hole.
Quick Answer
Empty columns are temporary workspace, and standard Spider requires every tableau column filled before a stock deal
Create empty columns to reveal hidden cards, separate mixed stacks, and make room for reorganizing the tableau. Keep them open only while they improve the board, because a standard Spider deal cannot happen until every tableau column has at least one card.
Here's the core rule that matters: empty columns are valuable because they give you board space, but standard Spider Solitaire still expects every tableau column to be filled before you deal from the stock. That combination is what makes empty columns a strategic resource instead of a permanent parking spot.
Think of an empty column as temporary workspace. It gives you a place to move a King, split a messy stack, or expose a hidden card so you can rebuild the board in a better order.
The best empty-column play is usually not the flashiest one. It's the move that creates more usable information or better sequence control than you had a moment earlier.
This article is different from the shorter empty-columns practice page. That page explains the rule and gives a playable route. This page focuses on the harder decision: whether to spend the hole, preserve it, or refill it before the stock.
What We Can Prove From the Data
We do not have a full win-rate study for empty columns yet, so this article does not claim that a specific empty-column move increases your win rate. The defensible evidence is narrower: our 75,000-deal opening-board simulation shows that same-suit mobility falls sharply as the game gets harder, which makes flexible workspace more important in 2-suit and 4-suit Spider.
| Evidence | Observed value | Empty-column takeaway |
|---|---|---|
| Opening-board study | 75,000 seeded deals: 25,000 starts each for 1-suit, 2-suit, and 4-suit Spider. | The data does not prove empty-column win rates, but it gives a baseline for how much movable same-suit structure exists before any column is cleared. |
| Same-suit mobility split | 1 suit averaged 6.46 same-suit top moves; 2 suits averaged 3.20; 4 suits averaged 1.61. | Empty columns are more valuable as suit friction rises because they create workspace to rebuild mixed stacks into movable same-suit runs. |
| Short-column setup fact | Six tableau columns start with 5 cards; four start with 6 cards. | The 5-card columns usually need one fewer reveal before they can become empty-column candidates. |
| Stock rule constraint | Standard Spider requires all 10 tableau columns to contain a card before a stock deal. | A hole is valuable only until the next stock row; then you must either spend it productively or refill it deliberately. |
Method note: the study used this site's seeded shuffle and deck model, then measured opening-board legal moves, same-suit top moves, zero-move starts, visible ranks, visible suits, and first-stock-row move potential. It did not simulate full games.
Three Seeded Boards to Study Before You Clear a Column
To keep this page grounded in first-party observations, we also checked reproducible boards from the live site's seeded deal model. These examples are narrower than a screenshot library or a full-game test, but they are useful for the exact decision this page covers: whether the board has enough same-suit mobility to spend an empty column immediately, or whether you should preserve it as workspace.
| Seed | Mode | Visible top cards | Observed opening | Empty-column takeaway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| empty-columns-2s-a | 2 suits | 8s, 7h, 5h, 8h, 6h, Kh, 9s, Kh, 10h, 4s | 8 legal opening moves, 4 same-suit opening moves. | This is the kind of board where an empty column helps you separate the heart stack from the spade follow-ups instead of spending the first legal move you see. |
| empty-columns-2s-b | 2 suits | 4h, 5s, 5h, 7s, 10h, 10s, 8h, Jh, 3s, 5s | 7 legal opening moves, but only 2 preserve suit order. | When same-suit mobility is this thin, an empty column is more valuable as staging space than as a permanent home for a King or random low card. |
| empty-columns-4s-b | 4 suits | 6c, 9h, 7c, 9c, Kc, Ah, Kc, 5h, 9d, 4d | Only 3 legal opening moves and 1 same-suit move. | This is the hard-mode pattern to watch for: the board looks playable, but very little moves cleanly. Empty-column planning matters more because you have fewer ways to rebuild after a careless fill. |
Method note: these examples use deterministic seeds from the same shuffle logic as the playable game. The counts above are opening-board observations, not win-rate claims, user testing, or screenshot-based annotations.
Empty Column Decision Matrix
Use this decision matrix before you spend or protect an empty column. The point is to keep the board moving toward cleaner same-suit sequences, not to fill space for its own sake.
| Situation | Check | Best move |
|---|---|---|
| Column can be emptied now | Will this move reveal a hidden card or unlock a clean sequence? | Take the move if it improves access or creates usable workspace. |
| Empty column is already open | Do you need that workspace to split a mixed stack or park a King? | Preserve the empty column until it has a clear purpose. |
| Stock deal is coming up | Are all tableau columns filled right now? | Standard Spider requires every column filled before dealing again. |
| Only a random fill is available | Does the move help reveal cards, improve suit order, or create a better chain? | If not, keep the column open and look for a stronger move. |
Four Empty-Column Board Examples
Use these as text board examples, not screenshots or player data. They show the decision pattern to practice on the live board: spend the hole only when it reveals, untangles, completes, or prepares the next legal deal.
| Board state | Move to test | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| One empty column, one mixed stack | Use the hole to lift the lower same-suit tail, move the off-suit blocker, then rebuild the clean run. | The empty column is spent on untangling, not storage. You end with a more movable same-suit sequence. |
| One empty column, no reveal available | Preserve the hole unless filling it creates another empty column or prepares a required stock deal. | A random fill trades flexibility for no new information. That is usually a bad exchange. |
| Empty column plus exposed King | Place the King only if it reveals buried cards, starts a buildable run, or you have another hole. | A King can trap the only workspace because it cannot move onto another rank later. |
| Ready to click stock | Refill every empty column only after scanning for reveals, same-suit rebuilds, and column swaps. | The stock deal is illegal with a hole, but filling too early can bury the best pre-deal move. |
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.
Quick Math
A 5-card column has 4 hidden cards to flip plus 1 face-up card to move. A 6-card column has 5 hidden cards to flip plus 1 face-up card. That extra card compounds into multiple additional moves before you can clear the column.
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 a focused version of this tactic with a playable practice path, use the dedicated Spider Solitaire empty columns guide, then connect it to the broader Spider Solitaire guide and the practical how to win checklist.
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 because they can start a long descending stack in an empty column, but they are not the only legal fill. In standard Spider Solitaire, any single card or valid same-suit run can move into an empty column. The King problem is commitment: once a King moves into your only open space, that space can stay tied up until you build it down toward Ace.
So the question becomes: is it worth using your precious empty column on a King?
Place the King If...
- • Moving the King reveals multiple hidden cards
- • You have another empty column (or can make one)
- • The King already has same-suit cards below it
- • You're late in the game and need to consolidate
Avoid the King If...
- • It's your only empty column
- • The King has mixed suits underneath
- • You'll need that space for sorting soon
- • You can make a different productive move
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. Without open space, a mixed stack often has to stay exactly where it is.
Picture this: you've got a column with 10♠, 9♠, 8♥, 7♠, 6♠, 5♠ from top to bottom. That 8 of Hearts is breaking the clean run. You cannot move the whole sequence together because Spider only moves same-suit stacks as a unit. But with an empty column, here's what you do:
- Move the 7♠-6♠-5♠ sequence to a temporary empty column
- Move the 8♥ onto a 9 of any suit elsewhere on the board
- 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 value of temporary workspace: it gives you somewhere to park lower cards while you repair the stack.
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, fill the empty column first. Standard Spider Solitaire requires every tableau column to be filled before the stock is dealt.
Strong empty-column play means treating open space as a resource. Do not fill it impulsively; wait for moves that actually advance the board 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. Standard Spider Solitaire does not allow a stock deal while any tableau column is empty. Put something there only after you have checked every other useful tableau move.
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.
Empty Column FAQ
These answers line up with the core rule set and the linked practice pages. Use them as a quick reference before a real game.
Why are empty columns so valuable in Spider Solitaire?
Empty columns are flexible workspace. They let you park cards temporarily, expose hidden cards, and reorganize messy stacks so you can build cleaner same-suit sequences.
Can you deal from the stock with an empty column in standard Spider Solitaire?
No. Standard Spider Solitaire requires every tableau column to be filled before you deal the stock again.
Should you always fill an empty column right away?
No. Fill it only when the move improves the board, reveals a hidden card, completes a sequence, or is required before a stock deal.
What is the best use of an empty column early in the game?
Use it to expose face-down cards and untangle a column into a cleaner same-suit sequence. Early empty columns are usually more valuable as workspace than as parking spots.
Where should I practice empty-column strategy?
Use the empty-columns practice page, then review the rules, stock timing, and win guide on the main Spider Solitaire pages before playing a real game.
Did the opening-deal study prove that empty columns increase win rate?
No. The 75,000-deal study measured opening-board mobility, not full-game win rates. This article uses that data narrowly: same-suit mobility drops as suit count rises, so open workspace becomes more important for preserving movable runs.
Start Treating Empty Columns Like Gold
If there's one thing to take away from this article, it's that empty columns deserve deliberate attention. They're not just convenient. They are often the difference between a board that can still be reorganized and a board that has to take an ugly stock deal.
Focus on the 5-card columns early. Guard your empty spaces jealously once you create them. Use them for sorting, not just parking random cards. Think twice before dropping a King into that precious open spot unless the move clearly improves the board.
Next time you play, try this: before every move, glance at whether the move brings you closer to an empty column or further away, and whether it keeps the board eligible for the next stock deal. That simple awareness will change how you see the board.
Empty columns are your lifeline. Treat them that way.