Spider Solitaire is a long, thoughtful patience game played with two full decks. Fifty-four cards start out in ten columns, and the other fifty wait in the stock. Your goal is to gather eight complete runs, each going from King down to Ace in a single suit. This Spider Solitaire from the PaperGames collection lets you pick one, two or four suits before you deal, so the same game works for a relaxed break or a real puzzle.
How to Play Spider Solitaire
The first four columns get six cards and the other six get five, with only the bottom card of each face up. Any card can go onto a card exactly one rank higher, whatever its suit. A 5 of hearts can sit on a 6 of spades, for example. An empty column takes any card at all.
Moving several cards at once is stricter. A group can only travel together when it is already a descending run of one suit. Mixed runs have to be taken apart one card at a time.
When you run out of useful moves, tap the stock. It deals one face-up card onto every column, five times in all, but not while a column is empty. Each time a full King-to-Ace run in one suit forms, it is cleared away by itself. Clear all eight runs to win. A move counter keeps track of your effort.
Spider Solitaire Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick up a card or same-suit run | Arrow keys to move between cards, then Enter or Space | Click the card | Tap the card |
| Drop the selection on a column | Arrow keys to the column, then Enter | Click the column | Tap the column |
| Deal ten new cards | — | Click the stock pile (it shows the deals left) | Tap the stock pile |
| Undo the last move or deal | — | Click "Undo" | Tap "Undo" |
| Choose suits and start over | — | Pick 1, 2 or 4 suits, then click "New game" | Pick 1, 2 or 4 suits, then tap "New game" |
Tips and Strategies
- Build in suit whenever you can. A same-suit run can move later as one block, while a mixed run stays stuck until you break it up.
- Treat empty columns as gold. One open column lets you take apart a mixed run piece by piece, so fill it only when that gains you something.
- Uncover face-down cards early. Each hidden card you reveal adds options, and the left four columns hide the most.
- Make every move you can before dealing. A deal drops a new card on every column and can bury a run you were close to finishing.
- Start with one suit to learn the flow. Once single-suit games feel easy, move up to two suits.
Features
- Three difficulty levels: one, two or four suits, always 104 cards.
- Automatic clearing: finished runs leave the table and the counter climbs toward 8.
- Unlimited undo: step back through moves and deals during a session.
- Saved games: the current deal is kept in your browser between visits.
- Keyboard support: arrow keys jump between cards and Enter picks them up.
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