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Spider Solitaire Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Spider Solitaire, split into short lessons. Each one reads on its own, and each one comes with a real position: press Try it on the board and you play the move yourself.

Turn over face-down cards first

Lesson 1

In Spider too, the sooner you turn over face-down cards the more cards you can move. When unsure, pick the move that reveals a face-down card first.

Start with the columns that hide the most cards and your options open up. If the move also lands on the same suit, the run grows too: two gains in one.

Rushing to make an empty column matters less than reducing face-down cards, which gets you further in the end. Before you deal, check there are no reveals left.

Here, putting the five of spades from the left column on the six of spades turns over the card beneath it.

Look first for the column with the most face-down cards.

Stack on the same suit

Lesson 2

In Spider with two suits, a card can go on any card one rank higher, whichever suit it is. But only a run of the same suit moves together.

Stacking on the same suit makes the run one long block. Stacking on the other suit makes the cards underneath harder to move later.

When a run from king to ace of one suit is complete, that column is removed. Choosing stacks that are easy to complete finishes the game sooner.

When unsure, look first for a same-suit stack, then for a move that turns over a face-down card. Checking in that order makes the choice easy.

Here, put the eight of spades on the nine of spades, not on the nine of hearts.

Fill empty columns before dealing

Lesson 3

The stock in Spider deals one card onto every column. If even one column is empty you cannot deal, so put a card there first.

An empty column is handy, but it gets in the way when you want to deal. Keep the board in a state where you can deal and you will not stall.

Use up the moves you have before you deal. Afterwards every column has one more card and moving gets harder.

Here, putting the five of spades into the empty column lets you deal from the stock.

After a deal there are new cards and new moves, so look again from the start.

Complete king to ace and clear it

Lesson 4

When 13 cards of one suit run from king to ace, that column is removed automatically and counts as a completed run. The goal is eight of them.

Once removed, the column is shorter and cards are easier to move. Look early for the ace and the low cards that complete a nearly finished run.

If another suit gets mixed in, the column cannot be removed. Stack the same suit on the run you are building.

Here, putting the ace next to it on the run that goes from king down to two completes all 13 cards.

A completed run is removed, so the table gets lighter and the next run is easier to build.

Try it on the board

Pick a lesson and the board starts from that position. Start over as often as you like.

Now put it to work

Play with friendsLearn how to play (3 min)

Last updated 2026-10-05 · Run by Qdan, Inc.