How to Play
How to Play Spider Solitaire
Set up the 10-column board, choose a starting difficulty, and make your first move.
Quick Answer
Set up the board, then make these three checks
Deal 10 columns, turn only the top card in each column face up, and keep the remaining 50 cards in the stock.
- Move a face-up card onto one that is exactly one rank higher.
- Prefer a move that reveals a hidden card and keeps same-suit runs together.
- Wait to deal from the stock until every column is filled and useful moves are gone.
Start with 1 suit to learn the board, then try 2 suits for a balanced challenge. Move to 4 suits when you want the hardest standard game. See the opening-moves study for the reasoning behind that progression, or switch modes with New Game.
Quick Answer
How to Set Up Spider Solitaire
Spider Solitaire uses two standard decks and starts with 104 cards. Deal 10 tableau columns, give the first 4 columns 6 cards each, the remaining 6 columns 5 cards each, and flip only the top card of each column face up. The other 50 cards stay in the stock.
- Two standard decks (104 cards total), jokers removed.
- Ten columns: six cards in columns 1-4 and five in columns 5-10.
- Turn only the top card face up; the other 50 cards form the stock.
See the full setup guide.
Spider Solitaire Rules
Core rules
- Move a face-up card onto a card exactly one rank higher.
- Only descending runs of the same suit can move together.
- Any card or movable same-suit run can fill an empty column.
- Deal one card to every column only when all columns are occupied.
- Clear eight same-suit King-to-Ace runs to win.
See the full rules, stock guide, or mixed-suit examples.
Strategy
Clear eight same-suit runs
Build complete King-to-Ace runs, reveal hidden cards, preserve same-suit sequences, and use empty columns as workspace. Deal from the stock only when every column is occupied and useful moves are gone.
FAQ
How do you set up Spider Solitaire?
Use two standard decks, deal 10 tableau columns, give the first 4 columns 6 cards and the remaining 6 columns 5 cards, turn only the top card face up, and keep the remaining 50 cards in the stock.
What are the Spider Solitaire rules?
You build descending runs, same-suit sequences can move together, mixed suits can stack but not move as a group, empty columns can accept any legal card or same-suit sequence, and the stock deals one card to each column only when every column is filled.
Can you move mixed suits in Spider Solitaire?
You can stack mixed suits in descending order, but you cannot move a mixed-suit sequence as one group. Only same-suit descending sequences move together.
When should you deal from the stock?
Deal from the stock after you have used the available tableau moves, because each deal adds one card to every column and can bury useful runs.
How do you win Spider Solitaire?
You win by clearing eight complete King-to-Ace sequences of the same suit.
Which difficulty should a beginner choose?
Start with 1-suit Spider to learn the base moves. Try 2 suits when you want more planning, then move to 4 suits for the hardest standard game.