Spider Solitaire

What is Spider Solitaire?

Spider is the solitaire for long evenings: two full decks, 104 cards, dealt into ten columns with most of them face down. You build runs from king down to ace, and every run of one suit that reaches the ace leaves the table. Take all eight runs off and the game is won.

It comes in three strengths. With one suit every card fits on every card one rank higher, which makes it the best way to learn. Two suits make you think about where each run will end up, and four suits turn it into one of the hardest solitaires there is. A new deal, the same for everyone, arrives every day.

How to play

Tap a card to pick it up together with the run below it, then tap the column where it should go. Tap the same card again and it goes to the best place on its own.

• Building. Any card goes on a card one rank higher, whatever its suit: a 7 goes on any 8.
• Moving runs. Only a run in order and in one suit moves as one. A mixed run has to be moved in pieces.
• Empty columns. Any card or run can go into an empty column.
• Runs off. A run from king to ace in one suit leaves the table on its own.
• The stock. Tap it to deal one card onto every column, five times in a game. Every column needs a card before a deal.
• Undo and hints. Undo adds 5 seconds to your time, a hint 30.

Strategy tips

1. Turn cards over first. Every face-down card is a card you cannot plan with. Moves that uncover a card are almost always the best ones.
2. Build in suit when you can. A run in one suit moves as a block; a mixed run is stuck where it is until you take it apart.
3. Empty a column early. An empty column is the most useful space on the table: it lets you take runs apart and rebuild them in suit.
4. Deal when the table is ready. Before tapping the stock, make every useful move, because ten new cards will land on top of everything.
5. Kings go to empty columns. A king can never go on another card, so an empty column is the only place to start a clean run with it.

FAQ

Is Spider Solitaire free to play?

Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account needed.

Should I play with one, two or four suits?

Start with one suit: almost every deal can be won and you learn how runs and empty columns work. Two suits are the classic challenge, four suits are for patient players.

Why can't I deal from the stock?

Every column needs at least one card before a deal. Move a card into each empty column, then tap the stock again.

What is the daily deal?

Everyone gets the same one-suit deal that day, so times compare directly on the leaderboard.

How is my time scored?

Your score is the time to clear the table, plus 5 seconds for every undo and 30 for every hint. Lower is better, and each number of suits has its own leaderboard.