Spider Solitaire — Free Online Card Game
- Decks
- 2 (104 cards)
- Suits Used
- 1 (Spades only)
- Tableau
- 10 columns
- Foundations
- 8 (King → Ace)
- Stock Deals
- 5 rounds of 10
- Win Rate
- ~99% solvable
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Game Time
- 8–15 minutes
Spider Solitaire is one of the most popular card games in the world, second only to Klondike. The 1 Suit version uses only spades across two decks (104 cards), letting you focus on the core mechanics of building descending sequences without worrying about suit management. With nearly 99% of deals being solvable, 1 Suit Spider rewards strategic thinking and careful planning while remaining accessible to complete beginners.
What Is Spider Solitaire?
Spider Solitaire is a patience card game played with two standard 52-card decks shuffled together, totaling 104 cards. The game is named after the eight legs of a spider — matching the eight foundation piles you must build to win. Unlike Klondike where you build foundations from Ace to King, in Spider you build descending sequences from King to Ace within the tableau itself. When a complete 13-card sequence is formed, it is automatically removed to a foundation pile.
Spider Solitaire gained worldwide popularity when Microsoft included it in Windows 98 Plus! and later made it a standard feature in Windows XP. The 1 Suit version was designed as the entry-level difficulty, using only spades so that every card can legally be placed on any other card of higher rank. This eliminates suit conflicts entirely and lets new players learn the fundamental strategy of sequence building, empty column management, and stock pile timing.
This free online version replicates the classic 1 Suit rules with no download or sign-up required. Play instantly on desktop or mobile in any modern browser.
How to Play Spider Solitaire — Complete Rules
Setup and Deal
Two decks of cards (104 total, all one suit) are used. 54 cards are dealt into 10 tableau columns: the first 4 columns receive 6 cards each (24 cards), and the remaining 6 columns receive 5 cards each (30 cards). Only the top card of each column is dealt face-up. The remaining 50 cards form the stock pile, which will be dealt in 5 rounds of 10 cards throughout the game.
Objective
Build 8 complete descending sequences, each running from King down to Ace (K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A). When a complete 13-card sequence is formed in any column, it is automatically removed and placed on a foundation pile. Clear all 104 cards to win.
Player Actions
- Move Cards — Place any face-up card on a card exactly one rank higher (e.g., place a 7 on an 8). In 1 Suit, every card is the same suit, so any descending placement is valid.
- Move Groups — Any group of cards forming a continuous descending sequence can be moved together as one unit.
- Reveal Hidden Cards — When a face-down card is exposed by moving cards above it, it flips over automatically.
- Fill Empty Columns — Any card or valid sequence can be placed in an empty tableau column.
- Deal from Stock — Click the stock pile to deal one new face-up card to each of the 10 columns simultaneously. All 10 columns must contain at least one card before dealing.
- Complete Sequences — A full King-through-Ace sequence (13 cards) is automatically removed to a foundation pile.
Spider Solitaire Strategy Guide
1. Prioritize Revealing Face-Down Cards
The most important principle in Spider Solitaire is information. Every face-down card is an unknown that could be the exact card you need or the worst possible card for your position. Always choose moves that reveal face-down cards over moves that simply rearrange face-up cards. Focus especially on columns with the most hidden cards — the first 4 columns start with 5 face-down cards each, making them the highest priority targets for excavation.
2. Creating and Protecting Empty Columns
Empty columns are your most powerful tool in Spider Solitaire. They serve as temporary storage during complex rearrangements, allow you to break and rebuild sequences, and give you the flexibility to plan multiple moves ahead. Try to create at least one empty column before each stock deal. Two or more empty columns dramatically multiply your options — with two empty columns, you can effectively move sequences of any length. Never fill an empty column impulsively; always have a clear plan for how you will use it.
3. Managing the Stock Pile
The stock pile contains 50 cards dealt in 5 rounds of 10. Each deal adds one card to every column, which almost always makes the game harder by burying useful cards and blocking sequences you have built. Delay dealing from the stock as long as possible — exhaust every available move in the current layout first. Before dealing, try to have at least one empty column and the maximum number of face-down cards already revealed. Dealing with an empty column means one new card has space to land without disrupting your sequences.
4. Building from Kings Down
Since completed sequences run from King to Ace, Kings are the starting point of every successful sequence. When you see a King at the top of a column, every card you add brings you closer to completion. Prioritize extending sequences that start with Kings. If you have a choice between building onto a King-topped sequence or starting a new mid-rank sequence, usually choose the King sequence — it has a clear path to completion.
5. When to Break a Sequence
Sometimes the best move is to temporarily break apart a sequence you have built. This is worthwhile when it reveals a face-down card, creates an empty column, or allows you to extend a longer sequence toward completion. Since all cards are the same suit in the 1 Suit version, you can always reassemble broken sequences later without worrying about color or suit conflicts. The key question is: "Does breaking this sequence give me more net progress than keeping it intact?"
6. Endgame Planning
As you approach the endgame (after all stock deals), count your remaining cards and assess which sequences are closest to completion. Focus your moves on completing one full sequence at a time rather than advancing all sequences equally. Each completed sequence removes 13 cards from the tableau, dramatically simplifying the remaining game. Plan your empty column usage carefully in the endgame — they become even more critical when no new stock deals are available.
Spider Solitaire Win Rates and Statistics
Spider Solitaire 1 Suit has one of the highest win rates among all solitaire games, making it ideal for players who enjoy strategic gameplay without excessive frustration.
| Difficulty | Suits | Solvable Deals | Avg. Player Win Rate | Cards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Suit (Beginner) | 1 (Spades) | ~99% | 80–90% | 104 |
| 2 Suit (Medium) | 2 (Spades, Hearts) | ~60% | 30–40% | 104 |
| 3 Suit (Hard) | 3 (Spades, Hearts, Diamonds) | ~40–50% | 15–25% | 104 |
| 4 Suit (Expert) | 4 (All suits) | ~33% | 10–20% | 104 |
The dramatic difficulty increase from 1 Suit to 4 Suit comes entirely from suit management. In 1 Suit, every descending placement is valid and every sequence is automatically same-suit. In 4 Suit, you must carefully avoid mixing suits in your stacks, because mixed-suit sequences cannot be completed or moved as groups.
Spider Solitaire vs Other Solitaire Games
Spider Solitaire differs from other popular solitaire games in several fundamental ways:
| Feature | Spider Solitaire | Klondike | FreeCell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decks | 2 (104 cards) | 1 (52 cards) | 1 (52 cards) |
| Tableau columns | 10 | 7 | 8 |
| Foundation direction | King → Ace (descending) | Ace → King (ascending) | Ace → King (ascending) |
| Hidden cards | Yes (face-down) | Yes (face-down) | No (all face-up) |
| Temporary storage | Empty columns | Empty columns | 4 free cells |
| Win rate (easiest variant) | ~99% | ~79% | ~99.99% |
| Stock pile | Deal 10 cards at once | Draw 1 or 3 cards | No stock pile |
History of Spider Solitaire
Spider Solitaire was first described in 1947 in the book "Games of Patience" by Albert Morehead and Geoffrey Mott-Smith. The game gained mass popularity when Microsoft included it in Windows 98 Plus! pack and later as a free standard application in Windows XP, ME, and subsequent versions. The three difficulty levels (1, 2, and 4 Suit) were introduced in the Microsoft versions to make the game accessible to a wider audience.
The game has been particularly popular in computer implementations because its large tableau and complex interactions are difficult to manage with physical cards but perfectly suited to digital play. Today, Spider Solitaire remains one of the top 5 most-played solitaire variants worldwide, with millions of daily players across web, desktop, and mobile platforms.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Dealing from stock too early — exhaust every available tableau move before adding 10 new cards.
- Ignoring face-down cards — always prioritize moves that reveal hidden cards over moves that just rearrange visible ones.
- Filling empty columns immediately — keeping a column empty is often more valuable than placing a card there.
- Building sequences in the wrong direction — always think about whether a partial sequence leads toward a King-to-Ace completion.
- Forgetting the stock rule — all 10 columns must have at least one card before dealing from stock.
- Not planning ahead — before making any move, consider what it enables or blocks in the next 2–3 moves.
- Ignoring endgame planning — after the final stock deal, every move counts. Count remaining cards and prioritize completing the sequences closest to done.
Spider Solitaire Suit Levels Explained
Spider Solitaire is played at four difficulty levels, set by how many suits are in play. One Suit Spider (this version) uses only spades, so any descending run is a movable sequence — it is the easiest level and the best place to learn. Spider Solitaire 2 Suit adds hearts, mixing two suits and forcing you to manage which sequences can move; it is the single most popular version of the game online. Spider Solitaire 3 Suit raises the challenge again, while 4 Suit Spider Solitaire — using all four suits — is the expert level where only a perfectly matched same-suit run moves as a group. A good path is to master 1 Suit, then step up through 2 Suit and 3 Suit, and finally take on 4 Suit as your skill grows.
Because all four levels share the same board and the same goal — building eight complete King-to-Ace sequences — the skills transfer directly. What changes is how carefully you must plan: with more suits, a sequence that looks complete may be "blocked" because its cards are different suits, so you cannot move it as one unit. Learning on 1 Suit builds the muscle memory that makes the harder levels approachable.
Play Spider Solitaire Free Online — No Download
You can play Spider Solitaire free online right here — no download, no sign-up, and no app to install. The game runs in your browser on desktop, tablet, and phone, so a quick round is always one tap away. Because this is the One Suit version, it is the most beginner-friendly way to learn how to play Spider Solitaire: deal cards into ten columns, build runs down from King to Ace, and clear a full King-to-Ace sequence to send it off the board. If you have played Spider on Microsoft, Arkadium, or other classic versions, you will feel right at home — same rules, same goal, instantly playable and completely free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Spider Solitaire free to play?
Yes. This Spider Solitaire is completely free — no download, no sign-up, and no fees. Just open the page and play in your browser on any device.
Can I play Spider Solitaire without downloading anything?
Absolutely. This is a browser-based Spider Solitaire, so there is nothing to install. It works on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, and tablets straight from the web page.
Should I start with 1 Suit or 2 Suit Spider?
Start with 1 Suit. It teaches the core mechanics — building runs, managing the stock, and using empty columns — without the added complexity of multiple suits. Once you win consistently, move up to 2 Suit, then 3 and 4 Suit.
How many cards are used in Spider Solitaire 1 Suit?
104 cards — two standard decks with only one suit (spades). This means there are 8 copies of each rank, which is why you need to build 8 complete King-to-Ace sequences to win.
What percentage of Spider Solitaire 1 Suit games are winnable?
Approximately 99% of randomly dealt games are solvable with perfect play. This makes 1 Suit Spider one of the most forgiving solitaire variants — if you lose, better strategy almost certainly could have changed the outcome.
Can I move a partial sequence in Spider Solitaire?
Yes. In 1 Suit Spider, any group of cards forming a continuous descending sequence can be moved together as a unit. Since all cards are the same suit, every descending run qualifies as a movable group.
Why can I not deal from the stock pile?
The stock can only be dealt when all 10 tableau columns contain at least one card. If any column is empty, you must fill it first. This rule prevents you from accumulating too many empty columns before a deal and adds a strategic constraint to empty column management.
Is Spider Solitaire 1 Suit good for beginners?
Yes. The 1 Suit version is the best way to learn Spider Solitaire. Without suit management, you can focus on the core mechanics: building sequences, managing the stock pile, and using empty columns strategically. Once comfortable, graduate to 2 Suit for a greater challenge.
How is Spider Solitaire different from Klondike?
Spider uses 2 decks (104 cards) with 10 columns, builds sequences from King down to Ace, and removes completed sequences. Klondike uses 1 deck (52 cards) with 7 columns, builds foundations from Ace up to King, and has a draw pile. Spider is generally considered a longer, more strategic game.
What is the best strategy for Spider Solitaire?
Three core principles: (1) always prioritize revealing face-down cards, (2) create and protect empty columns as workspace, and (3) delay dealing from stock until you have exhausted all current moves. Following these three rules will dramatically improve your win rate.
How do you win Spider Solitaire?
You win by clearing all 104 cards into eight complete King-to-Ace sequences. Each time you build a full run from King down to Ace in a single column, it is automatically removed from the board. Clear all eight runs and the game is won.