How to play Spider Solitaire

Spider is the big, patient cousin of Klondike: two decks, 104 cards, and ten columns. The goal is to build runs from King down to Ace in one suit. Each time a run is complete, it leaves the table by itself. Clear all eight runs and you win.

The layout

Ten columns. The first four start with six cards, the other six with five. Only the top card of each column is face up.
The deck in the top right corner holds the other 50 cards: five deals of ten. The small number shows how many deals are left.
Finished runs stack up in the top left corner, one King for each run you complete.

Moving cards

Any face-up card can go on a card one higher, whatever its suit: a 7 on an 8, a Jack on a Queen.
Cards that are in order and all of one suit form a run, and a run moves together as one piece.
When you move the last face-up card off a column, the card under it turns over by itself.
An empty column takes any card or any run.
Drag cards where you want them, or just tap: the run jumps to the best place it can go, a card of the same suit first.

Dealing a new row

When you run out of good moves, tap the deck. One new card lands face up on every column. You may deal only when no column is empty, so fill any gap first. The new cards will cover some of your runs, so make every helpful move before you deal.

One, two or four suits

With one suit every card is a spade, so every card in order makes a run. It is the relaxed way to play and most deals can be won. With two suits (spades and hearts) or four suits, you may still put a heart on a spade one higher, but such a mixed stack cannot move together and will never leave the table. Four suits is a real test of patience. Pick yours under Settings; a new game starts with your choice.

Scoring

You start with 500 points. Each move costs one point, and each finished run adds 100. A perfect game is about efficiency: fewer moves, higher score.

Tips that win more games

Turn over hidden cards first. Most of the game is about getting to the cards underneath, so start with the tallest columns.
Build in suit when you can. A 6 of hearts on a 7 of hearts can move later; on a 7 of spades it is stuck until you move it alone.
Treasure empty columns. One empty column lets you take apart and rebuild long stacks. Do not fill it with a card that has a home elsewhere.
Kings are the hardest cards. A King can only go into an empty column, so a column that starts with a King is a good place to build a full run.
Use Undo to learn. Try a line, and if it goes nowhere, take it back.

Today's deal

Every day there is one Daily Deal with one suit, the same shuffle for every player. Clear it with as high a score as you can and see how you compare with everyone else who played today. Your first finish of the day is the one that counts.

Questions

Can every game be won? Almost every one suit deal can. With two and four suits some deals cannot be won even with perfect play, and many take a few tries with Undo.

Why will the deck not deal? Every column needs at least one card before a new row can be dealt. Move any card into the empty column, then tap the deck again.

Do I need an account? No. Your games, streak and settings stay in this browser. A free account keeps them on every device.