Spider Solitaire Rules

Spider Solitaire is one of the most popular and challenging patience card games in the world. It uses two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total) and is played on a tableau of ten columns. The objective is to build complete sequences of cards from King down to Ace in the same suit, which are then removed from the tableau. The game is won when all eight suit sequences have been completed and removed.

Game Setup

At the start of a game, 54 cards are dealt into ten tableau columns:

• The first four columns (left to right) each receive six cards, with only the top card face-up.
• The remaining six columns each receive five cards, with only the top card face-up.
• The remaining 50 cards form the stock pile, arranged in five deals of ten cards each.

Gameplay

Moving Cards

Cards on the tableau may be moved according to these rules:

• A single face-up card can be placed on top of another card that is one rank higher, regardless of suit. For example, a 7 of any suit can be placed on an 8 of any suit.
• A sequence of face-up cards that are in descending order and of the same suit can be moved together as a group. For example, a run of 9-8-7 of Hearts can be moved as a unit onto any 10.
• Any card or valid sequence can be moved to an empty column.
• When a face-down card is exposed (has no face-up cards on top of it), it is automatically turned face-up.

Dealing from the Stock

When no more useful moves are available, you can deal a new row of cards from the stock pile:

• Each deal places one card face-up on top of each of the ten tableau columns.
• All ten columns must contain at least one card before you can deal.
• The one exception: if fewer than ten cards are left on the tableau, too few to fill every column, you may deal with columns still empty.
• There are five deals available during the game (50 cards in total from the stock).

Completing a Suit Sequence

When a complete sequence of thirteen cards of the same suit is assembled in descending order (King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace) on a tableau column, that entire sequence is automatically removed from the table. This is the primary objective of the game. Since two decks are used, there are eight possible suit sequences to complete.

Winning the Game

The game is won when all eight complete King-to-Ace same-suit sequences have been assembled and removed from the tableau. The game is lost when no more moves are possible and cards remain on the tableau. Spider Solitaire is a difficult game, and even experienced players win only a fraction of games at the 4-suit difficulty level.

Difficulty Levels

Spider Solitaire is commonly played at three difficulty levels, determined by the number of suits used:

1. 1 Suit (Beginner): All 104 cards are Spades. Every descending run is same-suit by definition, so any run you build can always be moved as a group.
2. 2 Suits (Intermediate): Spades and Hearts, 52 cards of each. Runs still form easily, but half of them turn out to be mixed and stay stuck where you built them.
3. 4 Suits (Expert): All four suits, 26 cards of each. Most runs you build are unmovable, so the game turns on keeping a column free and refusing off-suit stacks you cannot undo.

Solver studies cover four suits only, and they let the program see every face-down card. On those terms nearly every deal can be won: Blake and Gent put it at 98.5 percent, and another project solved 31,998 of 32,000 deals. Blake and Gent's solver may also deal while a column is empty, which these rules forbid. No study measures one or two suits, so none of the per-level percentages quoted around the web measures whether a deal can be won.

Scoring

Scoring in our game works as follows:

• You start with 500 points.
• Each move (including deals from stock) deducts 1 point.
• Each completed suit sequence awards 100 points.
• A win therefore scores 1,300 minus your moves. Every win includes the five stock deals plus card moves, so no win reaches 1,295.

Quick Tips

• Always try to build same-suit sequences rather than mixed-suit sequences, even if a mixed-suit move is available.
• Empty columns are extremely valuable. Try to create and maintain them for maneuvering cards.
• Uncover face-down cards whenever possible to reveal more options.
• Before dealing from the stock, build as many same-suit runs as possible and fill every empty column, since you cannot deal while one is empty.

Quick Answers