Spider Solitaire
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About This Game
Play Spider Solitaire free online. Build descending runs of cards and clear all eight columns. Choose 1-suit or 2-suit difficulty.
How to play Spider Solitaire
Objective: Win by clearing eight complete King-to-Ace runs of a single suit from the tableau, bringing the Runs counter to 8/8.
The game deals 104 cards into ten columns. The four left columns start with six cards each and the other six start with five, so 54 cards sit on the table with only the bottom card of each column face up. The remaining 50 form five stock deals of ten. The counter reads Runs 0/8, the eight suit runs you need to win, and shows your saved total wins beside it.
Tap a face-up card to pick it up. You can only lift a run that is face-up, all one suit, and descending by one, such as nine, eight, seven of spades. Then tap a column to drop it. A drop is legal onto an empty column, or onto a card exactly one rank higher than the one you lifted. Placement ignores suit, so a spade seven can land on a heart eight, but only same-suit runs travel together.
When a column holds thirteen same-suit cards running King down to Ace, the game removes that run automatically and bumps your Runs count. After every move, any newly exposed face-down card flips up on its own. When stuck, press Deal to lay one card face-up onto every column, but you cannot deal while a column is empty, so fill gaps first. The button shows how many of the five deals remain.
Two difficulties sit at the top. 1-Suit uses eight copies of spades only and is the gentler way to learn. 2-Suit mixes spades and hearts, so suits must be kept separate to clear runs. Switching difficulty starts a fresh deal. Undo steps back through your last forty moves, New Game reshuffles, and tapping a selected card again cancels it.
Tips and strategy
Protect your empty columns
You cannot press Deal while any column is empty, so fill every gap before dealing. Between deals, keep an empty column open as a workspace to unstack cards and dig out buried ones.
Keep suits pure
In 2-Suit a spade can sit on a heart, but that pair will not lift or clear together. Build in one suit where you can, since only a same-suit King-to-Ace sequence is removed as a completed run.
Flip before you deal
Moves auto-flip newly exposed cards, so favor plays that uncover face-down cards over cosmetic tidying. Each Deal buries all ten columns under a fresh row, so organize as much as possible before spending a deal.
Empty a whole column
Clearing an entire column, not just a run, gives you the most flexible landing spot on the board. Target the shortest or most sorted column, then use the empty slot to rearrange stacks other columns cannot hold.
The history of Spider Solitaire
Spider is a two-deck patience game named for the eight foundation runs a winner builds, echoing a spider's eight legs. It circulated in card-game collections through the twentieth century and reached a mass audience when Microsoft bundled Spider Solitaire with Windows, notably Windows XP in 2001, whose adjustable suit settings this version echoes in its two modes.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a score or timer?
No. The game tracks only your Runs progress toward 8/8 and a running total of wins beside it. There is no clock, move counter, or point system, so you can plan each move without any time pressure.
Can I play with four suits?
No. Only 1-Suit and 2-Suit are offered. 1-Suit uses eight copies of spades, and 2-Suit uses four copies each of spades and hearts. Both still need eight completed runs to win, so 2-Suit is harder because suits must stay apart.
Why is the Deal button not working?
Two things block a deal. Every column must hold at least one card, since dealing is disabled while a column is empty. The stock may also be spent; the button shows the deals left, starting at five and counting down as you use them.
Do my wins get saved?
Yes, your total win count is stored in your browser's local storage, so it survives closing the tab. It is kept only on that device and browser and never sent anywhere. Clearing browser data or switching devices resets it to zero.