Spider Solitaire

Tap or drag cards to group cards into stacks or numbered cards in order, called runs. Complete a run of cards in the same suit from King down to Ace to remove them from the board. You can move a run of cards at the same time as long as they all share the same suit.

When you're all out of moves, tap the cards on the bottom right corner of the screen to deal a card into each column. (You need to have at least one card in each column in order to do this). When you've beaten the single suit game, try playing a harder 2 or 4-Suit game using the controls at the bottom. Good luck!

SPIDER SOLITAIRE TIPS AND STRATEGIES

Start with the cards you have

In Spider Solitaire, some cards start in your tableau (the cards that are in columns) and the rest are in the stock deck (the cards at the bottom right hand of the board). Before using your stock deck, try to make all the moves you can with the cards in the tableau. When you draw cards from your deck, it adds one to the bottom of every column, making it more challenging to build runs of cards. So make sure you do everything you can before making things more complicated.

You can only move cards that are stacked sequentially

It can be easy to lose track of a mismatched card once you start filling rows with your stock deck. And since you can only move around runs of cards, if there is a mismatched card, you’ll have to find a place to put that mismatched card before you can move the run somewhere else.

Reveal the hidden cards in your tableau whenever possible

The more cards you’re able to reveal, the easier it’s going to be to win a round of Spider Solitaire. Each time you reveal a face-down card, you’re one step closer to having an empty column to place extra cards. This is especially good if you have mismatched cards on the board. You can move around any card that may be holding you back from completing a run. But remember: you can only deal more cards onto the tableau if every space is filled. If you need to, you can separate a run of cards to fill the board and then deal from the stock deck.

Build on higher cards first

If possible, you’ll want to build runs of cards starting with the Kings. If you don’t have any kings on your tableau, pick the next highest card available. Starting with your highest cards will help you build longer runs, which can help you clear more cards early on in the game.

Start with one suit

Playing Spider Solitaire can get complicated quickly. If you don’t understand the basics, you’ll have a hard time playing with two or four suits. Playing with one suit will help you learn how to recognize patterns. Playing with two suits will help you learn how to move your cards around so you can get them where you need them. Once you’ve got these down, you’ll be ready to play with all four suits.

WHAT DO YOU LEARN FROM PLAYING SPIDER SOLITAIRE?

Play Spider Solitaire to learn about pattern recognition. There are an overwhelming number of cards in play most of the time, so it's an essential skill to be able to simplify the board in your mind and focus on the strategies above. After a few games, you’ll start seeing patterns that you missed before. This will help you win rounds more and more often, and try the tougher two and four suit games.

Not only do you learn about pattern recognition, but you also develop decision making skills. Not every move will lead to a pattern you recognize. Therefore, you must rely on your intuition and experience to decide on the best course of action. As you get more experience, this step will become easier and easier.

To learn about some more Solitaire variations, check out our Coolmath Games blog all about the different types of Solitaire.

How to play Spider Solitaire on your phone

To play Spider Solitaire easily any time, you can add it directly to your phone as an app. It’s a great way to play without worrying about losing your game save data.

For iOS devices, simply tap the "Share" icon in Safari and select "Add to Home Screen". For Android devices, tap the “Menu” icon and select "Install App".

Check Out Other Versions of Solitaire

• Solitaire: Play a classic game of solitaire online at Coolmath Games. Choose your difficulty, and see if you can stack all four suits, from Ace to King.
• Magic Solitaire: Clear all of the cards from the table in this fast-paced solitaire card game. Combo cards by clicking them in sequence to make them disappear!
• Peg Solitaire: Peg Solitaire, also called Solo Noble, dates back to the 17th century. Can you find the right moves to get down to one card?
• Daily FreeCell: Daily FreeCell at Cool Math Games: Sort, stack and play all 52 cards to win! There's a new Free Cell game to solve every day.