Spider Solitaire is another version of Solitaire that has gained popularity over time. Be it on the computer or the phone; everyone likes to play this game. Spider Solitaire has various difficulty levels, from ” very easy to very hard.” As you keep winning more games, the difficulty level increases. Here you will get to read about how to play the game of Spider Solitaire and what tips and tricks you can use to win every time.
How to play spider solitaire
You play Spider solitaire game with two standard decks of cards from the stock. The game’s objective is to bring in 13 cards of a suit, in ascending order- from Ace to King, on top of a pile. When the full suit is complete; it is then discarded from the game. The player wins if all the eight suits are complete.
Spider Solitaire Game Set-Up
In Spider Solitaire, the game setup is an integral part. As specified above, players will need two standard decks without the jokers. Jokers are generally not used in the game of Solitaire.
The Deal
The deal is made in rows with ten piles of five cards. The first four cards are dealt face down, while the top cards face up.
The Gameplay
- Shuffle your cards
- Deal out 10 cards, keep them face down in a row. That will form a tableau.
- Create ten piles of cards, face down. Deal out another three rows of 10 cards that are face down.
- Deal out four more cards with their face drawn. Then deal another card that is a face-up card at the bottom of a ten pile stack. Those will be your four leftmost piles.
- Place the remaining cards in the deck face down to the right of a player’s 10 pile, used as stockpile cards.
- While playing spider solitaire, make a note that you play with the face-up cards. Once you use them on the board, only then can you use the stock cards.
Spider Solitaire Turns
If you aspire to be a good Spider Solitaire player, you must know how to reduce the number of turns you make. When you’re playing on PC or your phone, you can see the number of turns on the screen. The lesser moves you make, the better you score. There are no restrictions on the number of moves you can make in a game, but if you keep making many moves, you will lose your score significantly. Here, use the strategy of order instead of turning in some cases.
Adding order to the game is combining runs while reducing the suit changes within runs. You can quickly shift cards within the columns with more order in your game.
Rules of Playing Spider Solitaire
There are different versions of Spider Solitaire, but the basic rules are the same. However, all of them have the same basic rules; the cards may be moved differently. The different rules of the variants are explained below:
- 4 Suit Version Solitaire Rules
- In the four suit version, you can place a single card on another pile of cards if it has one less value than the one you plan on putting on the top. For example, you can place 7 of any suit or the same suit on any 8.
- If the players cannot make any more moves, they can deal 10 cards to each column. There should be at least one card in the column.
- Players are allowed to move a group of cards in descending order in the same suit. For example, you can place a group of 10,9,8, of spades onto any Jack.
- You have turn over a face down in a column.
- You are allowed to remove an entire descending sequence in a single suit. That is, when the playing cards are arranged from King of Hearts to Ace of Hearts, you can remove them to win a game.
- Players can place a single card or any group into an empty column.
- 2 Suit Version Rules
You can commonly notice this version on computers. You can simulate it with a two standard deck by assuming that all red cards are in a single suit while all the black ones are in another suit. Arrange them quickly in foundation piles as long as the available cards are in either colours.
For example, a player can place a 9 of spades or a 10 of clubs onto any Jack. You can also remove all the red cards arranged from the King to the Ace. A column that has completed a group in a single suit is removed from the play. The other rules follow the four-suit version.
- 1 Suit Version Rules
In this card game, players have to consider that all cards belong to the same suit to start the move. Therefore, you can place any group onto the appropriate card in the descending sequence. For example, players can play six of hearts, five of spades, and four of diamonds and arrange in the series. One suit version is undoubtedly easiest to play and quite relaxing.
Also Read: Top 10 Solitaire Card Games to Play on Your Smartphones
Tips to Win Spider Solitaire
Start by Moving Fully Packed Builds
When you are building cards, you can only move the last card in the column placed on that column or a fully packed build. Now, what is a fully packed build? When an entire sequence of cards appears in order. It is imperative to keep this in mind while building down columns.
Expose Hidden Cards When Possible
Revealing hidden playing cards brings in the possibility of new moves. It is also a perfect way to create an empty pile.
Empty the Piles as Early as Possible
Move the cards from columns that have fewer cards. Use empty piles temporarily to store cards as early as possible while rearranging sequences. Move cards to empty spaces to turn over more cards.
Build on the Higher Cards First
Start building with the cards of the highest rank first. If you start with a low card, you will quickly finish the pile with an Ace. You cannot place a card on the top of an Ace. If you start with higher cards, you can stack more cards into the stack below it.
Move Kings to Open Columns
Players cannot place the King on any other card. Move another card to an empty column so that you can move it somewhere else after a deal. You can keep the column more open for re-stacking by trying numerous variations. This is applicable for all eight suits.
Empty Columns Quickly
Use empty spaces or columns as temporary storage while rearranging cards to get them in proper order. You might have a sequence of cards where you have one card blocking the complete run from arranging it.
Eliminate a Column Early
You can remove those cards from the game when you have a fully packed column from King to Ace. That makes an empty column. Hence, using this strategy removes not only a lot of cards but also becomes a mighty move. Creating an empty column is an essential game plan.
Expose Face-Down Cards as Quickly as Possible
Uncovering face-down cards means- the possibility of a new set of moves. Clearing out these cards is also a necessary step in your goal of creating empty tableau columns.
Wait patiently to deal more Cards.
Another necessary step in winning the game is dealing more cards. However, wait s long as you can to click the deck and deal additional cards. Why? Because when you deal more cards, it will block a significant number of moves if any were available. If you have empty columns, use them before dealing more cards, as it will fill that column with a random card from the deck.
Make the best use of Undo.
Sincere players may consider this last tip as cheating. However, consider the Undo button as your trusted friend and a surefire way to win a game of Solitaire. When you are uncovering a flipped card as a player, you cannot guess the card below it. If you don’t like what you got, you can always go back and use the Undo button. This will save a lot of unnecessary moves and increase your score. If you want a guaranteed win in Spider Solitaire, feel free to use the Undo button.
FAQs
Can players use Jokers in Solitaire?
Generally, the Joker is not a part of Solitaire and many other card games. However, in many variations of card games, players use Joker as a Wild Card.
Does Spider Solitaire have a descending sequence?
In Spider Solitaire, create full sequences, by suit, in descending sequence (from King to Ace) to build Foundations. You can create mixed lines within the tableau columns, but you cannot move them around or send them to the Foundations even if you complete them.
