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Free Spider Solitaire - Get 8 Tips to Win and Play Online, March 2024.

Jeff Franklin

Last Updated by: Jeff Franklin

If you’re looking for a challenging game of solitaire. Spider Solitaire is the card game for you. It has three levels, easy, medium, and difficult. The easiest level is great for beginners who want to learn how to play Spider Solitaire.

Spider Solitaire is played with two 52 card decks that are dealt in 10 piles, with the top card in each pile facing up. The object of the game is to organize the cards in order and with the same suit, going from the king through ace. Once you complete a full set, the cards are removed from the piles and placed in the Foundation pile on the game board.

Getting Started

There are three levels of Spider Solitaire:

1. 1 Suit: The 104 cards are the same suit. This is the easiest level, and all you have to do is arrange the cards in order without worrying about matching suits.
2. 2 Suits: The level of difficulty increases with red and black cards splitting the deck.
3. 4 Suits: The most challenging level uses all four suits.

The Gameboard

There are three sections on the Spider Solitaire game board:

1. 10 Card Piles: The cards are dealt in 10 piles, also known as Tableaus. The first four piles on the left have six cards each, and the remaining six piles have five cards.
2. Draw Pile: There are 50 cards in the draw pile. When you have no available moves left on any of the card piles, click on the draw pile, and it will add a new card to each pile.
3. Foundation: There are eight Foundation spaces, also known as the eight legs of the spider, hence the name of the game. Cards are only moved there when you have a complete set from the king through ace.

games layout

How to Play Spider Solitaire 2 Suit and 4 Suit – Learn the Basic Movements

Spider Solitaire’s rules are the same whether you’re playing 1, 2, or 4 suits. The game’s object is to build stacks of cards, going in order from the king through ace, all in the same suit. Once you have a complete set, they will be removed from the piles and placed in the Foundation.

Unlike in Klondike Solitaire, where you can only move cards on top of other cards of the opposite colors, you can move a card to another pile provided the cards are going in descending order. Once you move a card, it will open up the card below it. If the card is face-down, it will turn over. If it’s a face-up card, you can now move it to any available space on the board.

How to Move Your Cards in Spider Solitaire

● You can move a single card on top of any other card that is one number higher than it, regardless of color or suit.

Moving single card

● You can move a group of cards, provided that they are in sequential order and the same suit

Can only move same suit cards

● If a pile is empty, you can move any card to the vacant spot and create a new pile.

Emapy Space

● You can’t move a king to another pile unless it is vacant.
● If you have no moves left, click on the Draw Pile to add a new face-up card to each pile. You can’t draw cards if there is a vacant pile on the board.

How to Win Spider Solitaire

If you want to win Spider Solitaire, you will need to be patient and think one or two moves ahead. Just clicking on cards and moving them to another pile is not a winning strategy.

Whenever possible, build stacks of sequential suited cards and uncover as many cards as possible. Only if you don’t have a choice should you put cards that have different suits together. This is because a non-suited card will block the cards above it from being moved. In the example below, I can’t move the J,10 under the Q of Hearts since the 10 is a diamond and the J is a heart.

Can't move mixed cards

To win the game, you will need to arrange all the cards into eight sequential and suited stacks of cards from King to Ace. This requires all the cards in the two decks, so you will need to turn over all the face-down cards and deal all 50 cards from the draw pile.

8 Helpful Tips to Help You Win Spider Solitaire 4 Suits

These tips can also be applied when laying Spider Solitaire in 1 suit and 2 suits.

1. Don’t rush to draw new cards: While you can’t win the game without using all the cards from the draw pile, the more work you can do before clicking on the draw pile, the better your odds are of winning. Each time you draw cards, they will be placed over the current face-up cards and block any sequential stacks you’ve been building.
2. Don’t be afraid to mix suits: Unless you’re playing Spider Solitaire 1 Suit, you’re going to have to place cards on top of each that don’t have matching suits. It’s OK, but keep your eyes open, and when possible, try and switch the card with a suited card as quickly as possible.
3. Try and vacate piles quickly: An empty pile is a huge advantage in this game. If you have an opportunity to clear one, even if it means blocking in a card or sequence of cards, go for it. When used correctly (see next tip), an empty pile or two can be a real game-changer
4. Use empty piles as temporary storage: If you’re familiar with Freecell, another solitaire game made popular by Microsoft, you’ll understand this right away. If you have a stack of cards, but they aren’t all the same suit, you can use the empty column to help you move the entire sequence. In the example below, I used the empty column to store the 9, 8 of clubs so I could move the Q, J, 10 of spades under the king of spades. Then, I put the 9, 8 back under the 10, and now I have two empty columns that I can use to organize more cards.

Arranging cards using empty cell

5. Don’t hurry to move a King to an open pile: Just because a king can only move to an empty stack doesn’t mean you should move it right away. Once you move the king, you lose the empty column’s value, and it can’t be moved anywhere else. There is a time and place when you have to move the king, whether you need to unblock the card underneath or there are several empty piles for you to enjoy.
6. Think ahead: Much like Mahjong, you have to plan your moves two or three moves in advance. In the example below, all the cards for a complete set are on the board, but you have to think ahead to find the best way to move the cards around so you can put them in order.

Thinking ahead

7. Don’t pay attention to the timer: Unlike Tetris, a game that requires you to make quick decisions, there is no need to hurry when playing Spider Solitaire. While there is a timer, it doesn’t really serve any purpose, even if you pay attention to how many points you have at the end of the game. Like I said above, Spider Solitaire is a thinking person’s game, take your time and make the smart move.
8. The undo button is your friend: There’s no shame in using the undo button to go back a few moves and see what happens if you moved a different card or turned over another face-down card.

FAQ

Can every Spider Solitaire 4 suits game be won?
While using the correct strategy will increase your odds of winning, only about 1 in 3 games are actually winnable.

Is Spider Solitaire available on Windows 10?
When Microsft first introduced free games on Windows in 1990, Spider Solitaire was a hit. However, the game was removed from Windows 10, and if you recently upgraded your OS, you might be surprised to find it’s gone. Thankfully, we’re here for you, and you can play Spider Solitaire for free right here.

Is Spider Solitaire Free?
Yes, you can play free Spider Solitaire online 24/7 without registering or creating an account.

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Last Updated by: Jeff Franklin

He no longer lives in his mom’s basement, but Jeff still manages to play online games whenever he has a free minute.

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Last Updated by: Jeff Franklin

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