Spider Solitaire Strategy: How to Win More Games
Solitaire Craft guide. Updated 13 November 2026.
Spider Solitaire looks harder than Klondike, but a few clear rules of thumb make a big difference. This guide covers building in suit, using empty columns and choosing when to deal.
Build in suit whenever you can
Only a run in a single suit can move as a group. When two cards would fit, choose the one that keeps the suit together. A long single suit run is a tool, and a long mixed run is a trap, because it can be moved only one card at a time.
Make an empty column early
An empty column is the most useful space on the table. Any card or run can go into it, so it lets you reorder columns and reach buried cards. Work on the shortest column first, and keep a column empty for as long as you can.
Turn face down cards before you deal
Dealing a new row puts a card on every column, which buries the work you have done. Make every useful move first, and uncover face down cards in the longest columns. Deal only when you have no helpful move left.
Think before you move onto another suit
Placing a card on a card of another suit is allowed, but the run beneath it is now stuck until that card moves. Do it only when it frees a card that you need, and try to make sure you can unwind it later.
How the number of suits changes the plan
- One suit: almost every game can be won. Build runs and empty a column.
- Two suits: the classic game. Keep the two suits apart and watch for the cards of each suit that you need.
- Four suits: a real puzzle. Many deals cannot be won, and patient planning matters most.
Use Undo to explore
Try a plan, see where it leads, and take it back if it fails. Undo is free in every level.
Put it into practice with Spider Solitaire, starting with Easy if you are new to the game.