Spider is the big, absorbing member of the solitaire family, the one you settle in with when you want a real challenge rather than a quick round. It uses two full decks, spreads a hundred-plus cards across ten columns, and asks you to assemble eight complete suit runs rather than four foundation piles. That extra scale makes it deeply rewarding to finish. Learning the Spider solitaire rules properly is the difference between flailing at the board and steadily untangling it.

This guide explains the two-deck setup, every legal move, how the stock deals cards, and the crucial rule about same-suit runs that trips up newcomers. It also covers the one, two, and four-suit versions so you can choose your difficulty. Follow along on the Spider table, and if you are new to the genre, start with how to play solitaire for the basics.

The Objective

Spider's goal sets it apart from most other variants. Instead of building four foundations, you aim to form eight complete sequences, each running from King all the way down to Ace in a single suit. Every time you build such a run within the tableau, it is lifted off the board automatically. Clear all eight and you win. Because you are working with two decks, that means removing 104 cards in eight tidy suit runs.

Setting Up the Board

Spider uses two standard decks shuffled together, 104 cards in total, which is what allows for those eight suit runs.

The Tableau

Deal ten tableau columns. The first four columns receive six cards each and the remaining six columns receive five cards each, for 54 cards in all. Only the top card of every column is face up; the rest are hidden until uncovered. This wide, ten-column layout gives Spider its sprawling feel.

The Stock

The remaining 50 cards form the stock, dealt in five rounds of ten. Each time you draw, one card is added face up to every one of the ten columns at once. A vital rule follows from this: you cannot deal from the stock while any column is empty, so you must fill gaps before drawing.

The Legal Moves

Spider's moving rules are its most distinctive feature, and getting them straight is essential.

  • Build down regardless of suit: You may place any card onto one that is a single rank higher, no matter the color or suit. A 7 of any suit goes on any 8.
  • Move same-suit runs together: You can only pick up and move a group of cards as a unit if they form a descending run of the same suit, such as 9-8-7 all of hearts.
  • Move a single card freely: Any exposed top card can move onto a card one rank higher, whatever the suit.
  • Complete and remove a suit run: A full King-to-Ace run in one suit is automatically cleared from the board.
  • Fill empty columns: Any card or valid group may be placed in an empty column, which is prime real estate.

The key insight is the difference between building and moving. You can build a 6 of clubs onto a 7 of hearts to park it, but you cannot then move that mixed pair together. Only same-suit runs travel as a group, so keeping suits aligned is the whole art of Spider.

One, Two, and Four Suits

Spider scales its difficulty by how many suits are in play, and choosing the right level is the single biggest factor in your enjoyment.

One Suit

Every card is the same suit, so all runs are automatically same-suit and freely movable. This is the friendliest version and the best way to learn the flow of the game.

Two Suits

Cards come in two suits, so you must keep an eye on suit alignment to move groups. This is the popular middle ground, challenging but not punishing.

Four Suits

All four suits are in play, making same-suit runs much harder to assemble. This is the true test of Spider and one of the harder solitaire games there is. Pick your level before dealing on the Spider table.

A Basic Strategy

Spider rewards patient, suit-aware play. Follow this routine to keep the board under control:

  1. Build in suit whenever possible, even if an off-suit move is available, because only same-suit runs can be moved later.
  2. Uncover face-down cards early, since every hidden card is a locked door until you flip it.
  3. Keep at least one column empty when you can, as empty columns give you room to reorganize.
  4. Fill all empty columns before drawing from the stock, because you cannot deal with a gap on the board.
  5. Plan before each stock deal, since ten new cards can bury sequences you were building.

Because a stock deal drops a card on every column at once, it can disrupt tidy runs, so it pays to reach a stable position first. These planning habits echo the ideas in solitaire strategy basics.

Why Suit Management Is Everything

If there is one idea that separates a frustrated Spider beginner from a steady winner, it is the discipline of building in suit. Because only same-suit runs can be picked up and moved as a group, a long descending sequence of mixed suits is almost useless: you built it, but you cannot relocate it, and it may sit there blocking the cards beneath it. The goal is not simply to build downward but to build downward in one suit for as long as you can.

This means you will sometimes turn down a tempting off-suit move because it would lock cards in place. It also means untangling mixed sequences is a constant background task, gradually swapping cards so that same-suit runs form and can eventually be lifted off. In the four-suit game especially, thinking one suit at a time, rather than one card at a time, is the mindset that makes the board solvable. It is slower and more deliberate than Klondike, but that patience is exactly what the two-deck game demands of you.

How Spider Compares to Other Variants

Spider is the longest and, in its four-suit form, often the hardest of the popular games. Where Klondike builds four foundations in alternating colors, Spider builds eight suit runs and ignores color when stacking. FreeCell, by contrast, shows every card and is almost always solvable, while Yukon lets you move disordered groups. If Spider's scale appeals but you want a change of pace, try a quick game of Klondike or read our comparison of solitaire types to see where each game fits.

Conclusion

Spider solitaire trades four foundations for eight suit runs, uses two decks across ten columns, and hinges on one rule above all: you can build down regardless of suit, but you can only move groups that share a suit. Keep your runs in suit, uncover hidden cards, guard your empty columns, and clear the board before each stock deal. Start with the one-suit game to learn the rhythm, then climb the difficulty. Ready to play? Deal a game on the Spider table, or find every variant on the free-solitaire.co homepage.