Spider Solitaire Strategy: How to Win More Games

Solitaire games · 12 Oct 2026 · 2 min read · By Saj, Qrenzy Digital Solutions

Spider rewards patience more than any other solitaire game. These are the ideas that separate a stuck table from eight completed runs.

The core ideas

1. Build in suit whenever you can

Any card can go on one rank higher, but only same-suit runs move together. A 7♥ on an 8♠ is legal but locks those cards together. If you can put the 7♥ on an 8♥ instead, always do that. (With 1 suit this problem disappears, which is why it's so much easier.)

2. Turn over hidden cards early

Like Klondike, the hidden cards are where the game is decided. Work on the columns with the most face-down cards first, and try to clear short columns completely.

3. Empty columns are gold

An empty column lets you move any card or run, sort mixed piles and reach buried cards. Don't fill an empty column with a single random card unless it helps you right away. A King is a good thing to put there, since nothing else can hold a King.

4. Make all your moves before dealing

Each deal drops a new card on every column and covers your runs. Before tapping the stock, make every useful move, especially ones that turn over hidden cards. Then fill any empty column (you can't deal with one empty) with your least useful card.

Smarter moves

• Higher cards first. When you have two moves, a move that frees a King or Queen run is often better than one that moves a 3.
• Don't break a good run. Moving the bottom half of a same-suit run onto a different suit just to make a move often costs you more later.
• Use undo to explore. In 2 and 4 suits, try a line, and if it goes nowhere, go back. That isn't cheating; it's how experienced players plan.

2 suits: extra tips

• Use your first empty column to un-mix runs: move cards there to separate spades from hearts.
• Try to build one suit per column. Even a mixed column with long same-suit pieces is fine.

4 suits: extra tips

• Expect to win far less often. Concentrate on getting even one run done; it gives you a lot of room.
• Count the stock: you have five deals. Save the last ones until you've done everything else.

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