Quick Rules
Spider Solitaire is played with two decks, 104 cards in all, laid out in 10 columns. Your goal is to build runs from King down to Ace in a single suit. Each finished run is cleared away, and when all eight are gone, you win.
- Pick your suits. 1 suit (all spades) is the easiest and a great place to start. 2 suits uses spades and hearts. 4 suits is the hardest.
- Build down. Put any card on a card one higher, such as a 7 on an 8. The suit doesn't matter for a single card.
- Move groups of one suit. A group of cards can move together only if they are all the same suit and in order.
- Empty columns. Any card, or any group you're allowed to move, can go into an empty column.
- Deal a new row. Tap the stock in the corner to deal one card onto every column. Under the standard rule, every column must have at least one card first.
- Finish a run. A full King-to-Ace run of one suit is removed automatically.
How to move cards
Tap a card and it moves to the best place on its own. If more than one place fits, those places light up and you tap the one you want. Tap a card in the middle of a column to move it together with the cards on top of it, as long as they form a run of one suit. You can also drag cards if you prefer.
Tips for Winning
- Turn over hidden cards. A move that uncovers a face-down card is almost always worth making.
- Clear a column early. An empty column is the most useful space in the game. Use it to sort cards, then fill it again.
- Build in suit when you can. If your 7 of hearts could go on either the 8 of clubs or the 8 of hearts, pick the 8 of hearts. Same-suit runs can move as a group later.
- Make every useful move before you deal. A new row covers every column, so finish what you can first.
- Use Hint and Undo. Hint points out a useful move and tells you why. Undo lets you try another path, even after a deal.
More Spider Solitaire strategy tips
Like a different kind of solitaire? Try Klondike Solitaire, the classic one-deck game, or FreeCell, where every card is face up from the start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Spider Solitaire free?
Yes. You can play as many games as you like for free, with no account, no download and no popup ads.
Which should I play: 1, 2 or 4 suits?
Start with 1 suit. Every card is a spade, so any card can join any run, and it is the best way to learn the game. When that feels easy, try 2 suits (spades and hearts). Four suits is the classic hard version and takes real patience.
Can every deal be won?
No, not every deal. With 1 suit, most deals can be won with careful play and a little help from Undo. With 4 suits the game is much harder, and some deals can't be won at all. We don't filter the deals, so every shuffle is a fair, random one.
Why can't I deal a new row?
Under the standard rule, you can't deal while any column is empty. Move a card or a group into the empty column first. If you would rather skip this rule, turn on Allow dealing with empty columns in Settings.
Why can't I move these cards together?
A group of cards can only move together if every card is the same suit and they are in order, such as the 9, 8 and 7 of hearts. You may build an 8 of hearts on a 9 of spades, but those two cards have to move one at a time.
Can I undo a move?
Yes. Undo is unlimited, and it works even after you deal a new row. You can take back moves all the way to the start of the deal.
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your game is saved in your browser after every move. Close the page and come back later, and you can pick up where you left off on the same device. Your statistics are saved the same way.
What is the deal number for?
Every shuffle has a number, such as Deal #48213. Type that number in Settings to play the same deal again, or share it with a friend so you can both try the same cards.
The suits look alike. Can I tell them apart more easily?
Yes. Turn on four-color cards in Settings so that each suit has its own color. It helps a lot in the 4-suit game.
More Free Games
- Klondike Solitaire The classic solitaire. Draw one or three, with big cards, hints and unlimited undo.
- FreeCell Every card is face up and almost every deal can be won. Use the four free cells wisely.
- Pyramid Solitaire Clear the pyramid by pairing cards that add up to 13. Kings go on their own.
- Tri Peaks Solitaire Clear three peaks by playing cards one higher or one lower than the last. Quick and relaxing.
- Golf Solitaire Play cards one up or one down from the pile and try to clear all seven columns.
- Yukon Solitaire Like Klondike with no stock: move any face-up group, even out of order, and dig out the hidden cards.
- Scorpion Solitaire Build four same-suit runs from King down to Ace by moving whole groups of cards.
- Canfield Solitaire A classic with a 13-card reserve. Build up by suit from whatever card starts the foundations.
- Clock Solitaire Deal the cards around a clock face and turn them up one by one. Finish before the fourth King appears.
- Crescent Solitaire Two decks in a crescent of sixteen piles. Build up from Aces and down from Kings.
- Addiction Solitaire Line up each suit from 2 to King in four rows by moving cards into the gaps. Three shuffles to help.
- Chicken Foot Match numbers, build a chicken foot from every double, and finish 10 rounds with the lowest score.
- Mexican Train Build your own train, ride the shared Mexican train, and keep your score low over 13 rounds.
- Dominoes The classic draw game with double-six tiles. Match the ends, draw when you are stuck, first to 100 wins.
- All Fives Dominoes Score whenever the open ends add up to a multiple of five. Also known as Muggins.
- Texas 42 The trick-taking domino game from Texas: bid, name trumps and win tricks with your partner.
- Hearts Avoid hearts and the queen of spades, or shoot the moon and stick everyone else with the points.
- Spades Bid your tricks with your partner, then make your bid. Spades are always trump.
- Hand and Foot The family canasta game: play your hand, then your foot, and build clean and dirty books with your partner.
- Canasta Meld sets of a kind, freeze the pile, and build canastas with your partner. Classic American scoring.
- Cribbage Count fifteens, pairs and runs, and peg your way around the board to 121.
- Gin Rummy Make sets and runs, knock when your leftover cards are low, and go for gin.
- Euchre The fast trick-taking game of the Midwest: call trump, use your bowers and take three tricks.
- Rummy Draw, meld sets and runs, lay off on the table and be first to go out.
- Rummy 500 Score points for every card you meld, take from deep in the discard pile and race to 500.
- Whist The classic partnership trick game with no bidding. Take seven tricks to score.
- Oh Hell! Say exactly how many tricks you will take, then take that many: no more, no fewer.
- Pinochle Bid, meld and take tricks with a 48-card deck. Partnership auction pinochle.
- Bridge Contract bridge with a computer partner: bid your contract, then make it.
- Crazy Eights Match the suit or the number, change the suit with an eight, and be first to play all your cards.
- Switch The British cousin of Crazy Eights, with cards that skip, reverse and make the next player draw.
- Go Fish Ask for the cards you need, collect sets of four and make the most books.
- Old Maid Pair up your cards and don't be the one left holding the odd queen.
- War Turn a card each; the higher card wins both. The simplest card game there is.
- Spit A race to play your cards up or down on two piles, with a slow pace option so nobody is rushed.
- Idiot Play equal or higher cards, pick up the pile when you can't, and don't be the last one holding cards.
- Thirteen Shed your cards in singles, pairs, triples and runs. Twos are high. Also called Tien Len.
- Escoba The Spanish fishing game: capture cards that add up to 15 and sweep the table.
- Briscola Italy's favorite trick game with a 40-card deck. Win the valuable cards and reach 61 points.
- Skat Germany's three-player classic: bid for the right to play alone against the other two.
- Manni A three-player trick-taking game from Iceland, played to ten points.
- Kings in the Corners Build down in alternating colors around the deck, put Kings in the corners, and be first to empty your hand.
- Mahjong Solitaire Match pairs of free tiles to clear the board. Large, high-contrast tiles and every deal can be solved.
- Jigsaw Puzzles Relaxing picture puzzles from 12 to 100 pieces, with big pieces that snap into place.
- Sudoku Fill the grid so every row, column and box has 1 to 9. Big numbers, notes and three levels.
- Word Search Find the hidden words in a grid of large letters. New puzzles by theme, as many as you like.
- Minesweeper Use the numbers to work out where the mines are. Big squares and a clear flag button.
- Triangles Take turns drawing lines between dots and claim every triangle you close.
- Checkers American checkers on a big board. Jump, get kinged and clear the other side.
- Backgammon Race your checkers home and bear them off before the computer does. Fair dice you can check.
- Reversi Trap the other color between your discs to flip them. Most discs at the end wins.
- Chess A friendly game of chess with large pieces, hints and computer levels from beginner up.
- Sea Battle Hide your fleet, call your shots and sink every ship before yours go down.
- Yacht Dice Roll five dice up to three times a turn and fill your score sheet. The classic dice game.
- Farkle Roll six dice, set aside the scoring ones and decide when to stop before you lose it all.