Play Spider Solitaire for free

Start playing unlimited games of Spider Solitaire for free. No download or email registration required, meaning you can start playing now! Our spider solitaire game is one of the fastest loading versions on the internet. It’s mobile friendly too, so you can play anywhere. You can:

• Play unlimited games
• Undo moves if you get stuck
• Use hints to help you find your next move and progress in the game

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do you play Spider Solitaire?

Spider Solitaire is a game you can learn relatively quickly, especially if you are already familiar with Solitaire.

Card Layout

In all versions of the game (1 Suit, 2 Suit, and 4 Suit) the game is played with two decks with no jokers, or 104 cards, shuffled before every game. Following this, the cards are laid out in 10 piles or columns along a horizontal line, with 6 cards in each of the first four piles, and 5 cards in each of the last six piles. The last card in each pile is placed face up. The cards are placed one at a time in each pile, i.e., the first card dealt goes to the first pile, the second card to the second pile etc. The 11th card would go to the first pile, and you continue the process until all 54 cards are dealt.

After the face up cards are drawn, the rest of the cards are left as the Stockpile and will be used to draw cards into the game. The line of 10 piles is known as the Tableau. Leave enough room for eight more piles above or below the Tableau, and this will be known as the “Foundation”, which is where you will be moving your piles of cards after you have completed the King through Ace descension.

As shown by the image, the layout of the cards is not too difficult to grasp and is very similar to the original Solitaire game.

Goal of the game

When it comes to Spider Solitaire, there are different variations that can be enjoyed. These will increase and decrease with difficulty depending on the type (1 Suit, 2 Suit, and 4 Suit). For the sake of clarity, we’ll first discuss the standard beginner version of one suit.

Your goal is to arrange or sequence the cards in the columns along the tableau in descending order from King to Ace. For every completed sequence, you move those cards out of the tableau and game into one of the eight foundations. When each foundation is completed, with cards of suit stacked from King to Ace, and there are no more cards left, the game is won.

1. Begin by laying out your 10 piles in a horizontal line, as mentioned.
2. Place the correct amount of cards in each pile (6 each on the first four piles, 5 on the last six, with the last card on each piled turned face up).
3. Leave the rest of the cards (a total of 50), face down, as the stockpile. You’ll draw from the stockpile when there are no more moves to make in the tableau.
4. Build a sequence of cards in the piles by moving any face up card on top of a card with the next-highest value, such as a 9 of spades moving onto a 10 of spades.

5. You can move a bunch of cards in a row as a single unit to another pile if they are all in descending order of the same suit.

6. If only face down cards remain in a pile as face up cards are moved, turn the last face down card over. This will reveal a new card, which can then be sequenced.
7. If you can not sequence any more cards on tableau, draw out 10 more cards, face up, to each of the 10 piles, in order to keep the game moving. You’ll draw from the stockpile five times over the course of the game, drawing 50 cards.
8. When cards are drawn from the stockpile, you may have sequences that are no longer ordered. In the below example, you’ll see there is an Ace on top of the 10. The 10 and the Jack can only be moved once the Ace is moved. All three of these cards cannot be moved together because they are not in sequence.

9. Even if a card is blocked, you can still continue to sequence below the blocked card. In the below example, even though the Queen needs to be moved, you can still put a Jack on top of the Queen. Once this is done, you need to move the Queen and the Jack to unblock and access the 9.

11. Throughout the game, if a column or pile is empty, you can move new cards to that pile, which can then be sequenced.

12. As you complete all of the necessary moves, begin to construct rows of cards in descending order from King to Ace of the same suit, moving them to the Foundation once fully completed. After the eight foundation piles are filled, you win. If all the cards have been drawn and there are no more moves left, the game is over and you lose =(

This style of play is closely related to how regular Solitaire is played, except with regular Solitaire, you place the cards in descending order switching alternating red and black suits.Check out this post to learn some tips and tricks to get better at the game.

How do you play 2 Suit or 4 Suit Spider Solitaire?

One suit Spider Solitaire is a great way to begin to learn how the game is played. With some experience under your belt, you can challenge yourself with 2 or 4 Suit Spider Solitaire.

Luckily, in 2 and 4 Suit Spider Solitaire, the general layout is the same, and the rules do not vary too much. Again, two decks will be used. In 2 Suit, 54 cards of two suits are used. In 4 Suit, 26 cards of each suit are used. Layout the cards the same you would for a single suit. After this, follow these general rules:

1. Apply the same card-moving rules from single to multi suit
2. You can only move groups of cards as a single unit if they are in sequential order and of the same suit
3. You can sequence cards of different colors or suits. However, you can only move cards together, or as a bunch, to other piles if they are of the same suit. If you move a 4 of Hearts on top of a 5 of Spades, the 5 of Spades is blocked until the 4 of Hearts is moved. They cannot be moved together as a group.

4. Empty columns or piles can be filled by any card, just like single suit

5. The rest of the same rules apply 1 Suit, and the game is won when the foundation piles are filled. In 4 Suit, this means 2 foundation piles of each suit is completed, and in Two suits, 4 foundation piles of two suits are completed.

Adding more suits adds more difficulty to the game. More suits mean more careful thinking when planning out your next move, because a small accident can trap in a card that you needed desperately! There is also higher likelyhood that you won’t win the game as more suits are added.

When playing Spider Solitaire, what is the meaning of the term "suit?"

The 1-suit level may be referred to as the easy level, the 2-suit level as the intermediate level and the 4-suit level as the hard level, also called the advanced level. The more suits in play, the more difficult the game is to win. Many players report not winning any games at the 4-suit level.

Is Spider Solitaire all about luck or skill?

Winning solitaire games generally require a degree of skill and luck. There are hundreds of different solitaire game variations. Each solitaire variation has different rules and different ways to win. In Spider Solitaire, not all hands are winnable, no matter what you do. There are strategies that can increase the probability of winning, depending on the game.

How is the score calculated in Spider Solitaire?

There is no universal methodology for keeping score in Spider Solitaire. Instead, each place you play the game will have their own unique scoring system. For example, if you play the Window version, you start with 500 points. Every move is a point deduction and everytime you complete a foundation you get 100 points.

In our game, we measure your score based on your total moves and total time. The less moves you make and the less time you spend completing the game, the better your score will be!

What does foundation mean when playing Spider Solitaire?

The Foundations are the four piles on which a whole suit or sequence must be built up. In most Solitaire games, the four aces are the bottom card or base of the foundations. The foundation piles are hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs.

What is the history of Spider Solitaire?

As a variation to the original Solitaire, Spider Solitaire is a single player card game, with multiple variations, having grown very popular after its inclusion in Microsoft Windows.

The game is called “Spider” Solitaire due to the relation of spiders having eight legs, and the eight discard piles in the foundation that need to be filled out in order for the game to be over. While the current version of Spider oringinates from 1949, the first mention of Spider comes Games Digest published in 1937. They describe the game we know today as Spider, slightly differing in having a 50-card initial tableau instead of 54. However, they talk about it as a well-known game, so it's likely Spider has its orgins from the early 1930's at least.

What are the chances of winning Spider Solitaire?

Similar to classic solitaire, you can not win all hands of spider solitaire. We estimate the win percentage of 1 suit spider solitaire at 55-65%, 2 suits at 20-25%, and 4 suits around 5-10%. The more suits you play with, the harder the game is. If you’re worried you're going to be stuck on a game you can’t beat, at Solitaired, we allow our users to play games that are winnable.