Spider Solitaire – how to play

Spider is one of the most popular solitaire games. You play with 104 cards. The goal is to build runs from King down to Ace in one suit; a finished run leaves the table by itself.

How to play, step by step

Step 1

The cards on the table

There are 10 columns: the first four have 6 cards, the others 5. Only the last card of each column is face up. The other 50 cards wait in the stock at the top left, enough for 5 new rows. Finished runs go to the 8 places at the top right.

Stock: 5 new rows Finished runs go here 10 columns

1. 1 Stock: 5 new rows
2. 2 Finished runs go here
3. 3 10 columns

Step 2

Put a card on a card one higher

Put a card on a card one rank higher, of any suit. For example, the 9 of hearts goes on the 10 of spades. When you move the last face-up card off a column, the card under it turns face up.

9 on 10, any suit

1. 1 9 on 10, any suit

Step 3

Move a run of one suit

You can move several cards at once only when they are in order and all of the same suit. Here the 8, 7 and 6 of spades move together. A run of mixed suits must be taken apart one card at a time.

Same suit: moves Mixed: one at a time

1. 1 Same suit: moves
2. 2 Mixed: one at a time

Step 4

Use an empty column

Any card, or any run you can move, can go into an empty column. An empty column is the most useful place on the table. Use it to sort your runs.

Empty column Any card or run

1. 1 Empty column
2. 2 Any card or run

Step 5

Deal a new row

When you have no good moves left, click the stock. It puts one new face-up card on each of the 10 columns, also on empty ones. You can do this 5 times.

Click the stock One card per column

1. 1 Click the stock
2. 2 One card per column

Step 6

Finish a run from King to Ace

When a column ends with a full run from King down to Ace in one suit, the 13 cards leave the table and go to the foundations by themselves. You never put cards on the foundations yourself.

The Ace finishes it Goes up by itself

1. 1 The Ace finishes it
2. 2 Goes up by itself

One, two or four suits?

• One suit: all 104 cards have the same suit, so every run can be moved. The easiest version, good to start with.
• Two suits: one black and one red suit. Medium difficulty.
• Four suits: spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. Very hard.
• In the one and two suit versions, the game picks the suits for each deal.

Scoring

With timed scoring (the default) you lose 2 points for every 10 seconds of play, and a quick win earns a time bonus. You can switch to standard scoring in the Options.

Tips

• Before you click the stock, make every useful move. The new row covers every column.
• Try to build runs in one suit. Only those can be moved as a whole.
• Keep an empty column free for sorting runs, not for a random card.
• Turn over the columns with the most face-down cards first.

Rules of other solitaire games

• Klondike – rules
• Double klondike – rules
• Forty Thieves – rules