What is Spider Solitaire?

Most people over 30 first played Spider Solitaire on a Windows PC. Microsoft shipped it with Windows 98 and kept it through Windows 7, which is how it found its way onto hundreds of millions of computers. The name comes from the eight foundation piles you need to fill to win — as many legs as a spider has.

The game uses two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total) spread across ten tableau columns. Your goal is to build eight complete King-to-Ace runs, all in the same suit, on the tableau. Each time you complete one, it's removed automatically. Clear all eight and you win.

What separates Spider from Klondike is scale and a key movement rule. You're managing 104 cards across 10 columns instead of 52 across 7. You can place any card on any higher-ranked card to move it, but you can only drag multiple cards together if they form a consecutive same-suit sequence. A mixed stack — a 7♠ sitting on an 8♥ — can't be moved as a group. You have to clear the top card first.

That rule is what gives Spider its depth. Mixed stacks are effectively frozen until you untangle them. Building same-suit sequences is what lets you actually maneuver, and learning to think in those terms is the real skill the game teaches.

Spider Solitaire Game Variants

There are three standard variants. Same rules, different number of suits in play.

1-Suit Spider Solitaire (Easiest)

Both decks use a single suit, usually Spades. Since every card is the same suit, any consecutive sequence can be moved as a group. The challenge is purely rank-based: get the right cards on top of the right others, expose the face-down cards, and complete your eight runs. Win rates for experienced players sit above 95%. Some people win nearly every game once they've figured out the strategy.

This is the version on Solitaire Mastery. It's a good place to start before tackling harder variants.

2-Suit Spider Solitaire (Medium)

Two suits — Spades and Hearts — split across both decks. You can still place any card on a higher-ranked card of any suit, but moving a stack as a group requires every card in it to be the same suit. Mixed stacks pile up faster than you'd expect, and untangling them takes more moves than building them did. Win rates for skilled players are around 40–60%.

4-Suit Spider Solitaire (Hardest)

All four suits, both decks. Same-suit sequences are hard to build and harder to maintain. Mixed stacks accumulate quickly, and boards can lock up before you've even seen half the face-down cards. Only about 10–15% of 4-suit deals are winnable with strong play. Winning one is something to actually be proud of — but it's mostly maddening until you've spent real time with 2-suit first.

How to Play Spider Solitaire

Setup

104 cards — two standard 52-card decks. In 1-suit, both decks use Spades. The first four columns get six cards each; the remaining six columns get five cards each. Only the top card in each column is face-up. The remaining 50 cards go to the stock pile.

You start with 10 visible cards. The immediate goal is to expose more face-down cards and start building usable sequences.

Objective

Build eight King-to-Ace sequences, each in a single suit, on the tableau. Complete a run of 13 same-suit cards and it's removed automatically. Do that eight times and you win.

Moving Cards

Any card can be placed on any card of the next higher rank, regardless of suit. A 7 goes on any 8. To move a stack of multiple cards, every card in that stack must be the same suit in consecutive order. A 7♠ on an 8♥ — you can move the 7♠ off the top, but you can't drag both.

Empty columns work as temporary storage. Any card or same-suit sequence can sit in an empty column while you rearrange things elsewhere.

Drawing from the Stock

Click the stock pile to deal one card face-up to each of the ten columns — 10 new cards at once. You get five deals total (50 cards). One catch: you can't deal if any column is empty. All ten columns have to be occupied before you can draw. That constraint matters more than it sounds, as you'll see once you start playing.

Winning the Game

Complete all eight King-to-Ace same-suit sequences and they disappear from the board automatically. Eight removals, game won. The fewer stock deals you used, the better your score.

Spider Solitaire Strategy

Casual players win Spider occasionally. Players who've actually thought about the game win it regularly. The difference usually comes down to a few habits applied consistently.

Build same-suit sequences whenever you can

If you have a choice between placing a card on a same-suit higher card vs. a mixed-suit higher card, go same-suit — even when both moves are legal. Mixed stacks can't be moved as groups, which means every mixed stack you create now is a problem to untangle later. Same-suit sequences are what give you room to maneuver.

Expose face-down cards early

Hidden cards limit what you can plan around. Any move that reveals a face-down card is usually better than one that doesn't. In the early game, focus on the columns with the most buried cards — uncovering them opens up more options faster.

Use empty columns carefully

An empty column is storage space. Use it to break up a mixed stack, park a card temporarily, or assemble a sequence that doesn't fit anywhere else. Don't fill empty columns with random cards just to fill them — once gone, that space is hard to recreate.

Don't deal from the stock too early

Each deal drops a new card on every column, covering whatever you've built. Strong players delay dealing until they've genuinely run out of useful tableau moves. The stock isn't a panic button — treat each deal as a trade-off you're making on purpose.

Don't deal into an empty column

If any column is empty, dealing is blocked. That's a forcing function: you have to do something with the empty column before drawing. Use that pressure productively. Fill the empty column with something that helps you, not just the first card that fits.

Think in sequences, not single cards

At any point in the game, ask yourself which King-to-Ace runs you're working toward, what cards you still need, and where they are. Working from a specific goal keeps moves purposeful. Without it, the board tends to drift into unmovable mixed stacks faster than you notice.

Prioritize columns with lots of hidden cards

A column with five face-down cards under one face-up card is a high-value target. Clear the face-up card and you might unlock five new options at once. A fully face-up column is already fully known — you can plan around it. In the early game, this principle often determines your entire move order.

Budget your deals

You get five deals — 50 cards total. Early-game deals are fine; they open things up when the initial tableau is locked. Mid-game deals should be used sparingly. Late-game, you want to be close to winning before the last deal, because 10 new cards on an almost-finished board can undo a lot of work. Burning through all five deals before the mid-game is one of the most common ways to lose a game you could have won.

Use hints to learn, not just to get unstuck

The hint system on Solitaire Mastery prioritizes same-suit sequence moves and moves that reveal face-down cards. When you're learning, try making your own move and then checking what the hint would have suggested. When you disagree with the hint, that's usually where the real understanding comes from — figuring out why the hint picked differently.

Spider Solitaire Scoring

The original Windows scoring started you at 500 points, cost one point per move, and awarded 100 points per completed King-to-Ace sequence. A "perfect" game — all eight sequences in exactly 400 moves — is theoretically possible but rare enough that most players never see one.

On Solitaire Mastery, scoring is based on your win time and how many stock deals you used. A no-deal win — finishing without ever drawing from the stock — earns maximum points. The leaderboard resets daily, so there's a fresh competition every day.

For tracking personal improvement, deal count is the most useful number. Winning in three deals is better play than winning in five, regardless of total move count. Work on reducing your deal count first, then worry about total moves.

The History of Spider Solitaire

The game existed before computers — there are references to it from the early twentieth century — but most people first encountered it through Windows 98. Microsoft shipped it alongside Minesweeper and Pinball, and it stayed in Windows for over a decade. The 1-suit and 4-suit variants became standard through those versions; 2-suit came later with Windows XP.

The name is simple: eight foundations, eight spider legs. One of those names that feels obvious once you hear it.

Today Spider Solitaire is played across browser, mobile, and desktop apps by tens of millions of people. Search volume runs in the hundreds of thousands per month — it's one of the most-searched card games online, behind Klondike and not much else.

Is Every Spider Solitaire Game Winnable?

No. Win rates vary by variant.

In 1-suit, most deals are winnable. Experienced players typically finish above 95%. The game's structure leaves enough room to maneuver that truly locked positions are uncommon.

In 2-suit, roughly 40–60% of deals are winnable with good play. Suit-matching constraints create situations where the cards you need are buried under incompatible mixed stacks, and that can't always be fixed no matter how well you play.

In 4-suit, around 10–15% of deals are winnable with expert play. A lot of games are simply lost from the initial deal. Part of getting good at 4-suit Spider is learning to spot an unwinnable position early rather than grinding through it.

If you're stuck in a 1-suit game on Solitaire Mastery, the hint system often finds a move you've missed. Unlimited undo lets you retrace your steps without restarting from scratch.

Why Play Spider Solitaire on Solitaire Mastery?

There are a lot of Spider Solitaire implementations online. Here's what's different here:

• Unlimited undo and redo: Every move is recorded. Take back as many as you want with Ctrl+Z, redo with Ctrl+Shift+Z. No move is permanent unless you want it to be.
• Hints that understand Spider strategy: The hint system prioritizes same-suit sequence extensions and moves that reveal hidden cards — not just any legal move.
• Automatic sequence removal: Complete a King-to-Ace same-suit run and it disappears immediately. No missed wins, no cluttered board.
• Global leaderboard: Daily reset, scored by efficiency — fewer stock deals and faster completion time rank higher.
• Daily streaks: Play every day to earn coins, hints, and XP.
• Achievement system: Win streaks, speed runs, efficiency challenges.
• Auto-save: Close the tab, come back later — your game is exactly where you left it.
• No account, no download: Works in any browser. Desktop, tablet, or phone.
• Mobile touch support: Full drag-and-drop touch support with adaptive card sizing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between 1-suit, 2-suit, and 4-suit Spider Solitaire?

Same rules, different number of suits. In 1-suit, all 104 cards are Spades, so any consecutive sequence can be moved as a group. In 2-suit (Spades and Hearts), you have to track suit compatibility when stacking — a mixed stack can't be moved together. In 4-suit, all four suits are in play, and same-suit sequences are hard to hold onto. The game on this page is 1-suit. Most people spend time on 1-suit before moving to 2-suit, and treat 4-suit as a long-term project.

Can you undo moves in Spider Solitaire?

Yes — on Solitaire Mastery, undo is unlimited. Ctrl+Z to go back, Ctrl+Shift+Z to redo. You can undo all the way to the start of the game. This makes it much easier to learn from mistakes without starting over every time.

What is the hardest version of Spider Solitaire?

Four-suit. With all suits in play, same-suit sequences are rare and boards lock up fast. Only about 10–15% of 4-suit deals are winnable with expert play. Two-suit is a big step up from 1-suit — win rates around 50%. Most people start with 1-suit, move to 2-suit when they're winning consistently, and treat 4-suit as something to work toward.

Is Spider Solitaire harder than Klondike?

1-suit Spider and Klondike are roughly comparable, but they're hard in different ways. Klondike has more hidden information and a win rate around 30–40% even for skilled players. 1-suit Spider has a higher theoretical win rate but demands more active planning around sequences. Two-suit and four-suit Spider are harder than Klondike. If you like Klondike and want more of a challenge, 2-suit Spider is the natural next step. If you'd rather play something where every deal is theoretically solvable, try FreeCell.