Spider Solitaire Cheat Sheet

• Deck: Two standard 52-card decks shuffled together (104 cards total).
• Tableau: 10 columns. The first four columns receive 6 cards each; the remaining six columns receive 5 cards each. Only the top card in each column is dealt face-up.
• Stock: The 50 remaining cards sit in a stock pile, divided into five groups of 10 cards each, dealt on demand.
• Foundations: Eight foundation slots (one per completed suit run). Cards move there automatically when a full King-to-Ace sequence of the same suit is assembled in a tableau column.
• Suit count: You choose 1-suit, 2-suit, or 4-suit before dealing. This controls how many distinct suits appear in the double deck and determines the difficulty.

• Click the stock to deal one card face-up onto every tableau column (10 cards per deal, 5 deals total = 50 stock cards).
• Empty-column restriction: You cannot deal from the stock while any tableau column is empty. Fill every empty column first.
• Stock deals cannot be undone in most implementations. Treat each deal as a one-way gate.
• After the fifth and final stock deal, no more cards enter the game. You win or lose with what is on the tableau.

The win condition is identical across all modes: move all 104 cards to the foundations by completing eight same-suit King-to-Ace runs. What changes is how many distinct suits appear in the deck, which controls how often random placements match suit.

Suit-match probability = the chance that a randomly placed card matches the suit of the card above it. This single number explains most of the difficulty difference between modes.

• Expose face-down cards first. Every hidden card is information you cannot use. Prioritize moves that flip face-downs over moves that rearrange face-up cards.
• Protect empty columns. An empty column is the most powerful resource in Spider. Do not fill it casually. Use it as temporary workspace for sorting, then restore it.
• Build same-suit runs when possible. A mixed-suit descending sequence still organizes the tableau, but only a same-suit sequence can be moved as a group or completed to a foundation.
• Delay stock deals. Every stock deal adds 10 cards to the tableau and can bury your progress. Make every possible useful move before dealing.
• Focus on one or two columns. Trying to organize all 10 columns at once spreads your resources too thin. Pick one or two columns to clear and channel your moves toward them.
• Kings block columns. A King can only be placed in an empty column (nothing is higher than a King). Avoid placing Kings in columns unless you plan to build a full run on them.
• Track suits mentally in 4-suit. In 4-suit mode, mentally note which suits dominate each column. This helps you plan group moves several steps ahead.
• Complete suit runs early when possible. Finishing a King-to-Ace run removes 13 cards from the tableau and frees space. If you are close to completing a run, it is usually worth the effort to finish it before dealing.

• The temporary off-suit bridge. Sometimes placing a card of the wrong suit on a descending run is the right move, because it lets you access a face-down card underneath. Plan to undo the bridge later using an empty column.
• The cascading reveal. Moving a group from one column can expose a card that enables a move in a second column, which flips a card in a third. Scan the full tableau before each move to spot these chains.
• The pre-deal cleanup. Before every stock deal, look for moves that extend same-suit runs, clear columns, or flip face-downs. Stock deals lock in the current state, so every improvement you make beforehand carries forward.
• The King trap. A column with a King at the bottom and non-matching cards above it is effectively dead space until you can empty it. Recognize King traps early and avoid making them worse.
• The near-complete run. If a column has 10 or more cards of the same suit in descending order, prioritize finding the remaining cards to complete it. The 13-card payoff (clearing the full run to the foundation) is worth significant effort.

Win-rate figures are estimates drawn from community data and solver research. Actual rates vary with player experience and play speed. For detailed methodology, see our Spider Winnability page.

Shortcuts may vary between implementations. The keys listed above apply to our Spider Solitaire game. Check the help menu in other versions for their specific bindings.

The stock deal is the highest-stakes decision in Spider. Getting it right separates intermediate players from strong ones.

The general principle: exhaust all productive moves before dealing. A “productive move” is any move that flips a face-down card, extends a same-suit run, or creates an empty column. Moves that merely rearrange face-up cards without achieving one of those three outcomes are usually not worth delaying a deal for.