Rules for Spider Solitaire

Spider Solitaire is one of the most popular and challenging solitaire games. The game requires two decks of cards (104 cards) and plenty of patience. The name comes from a spider's eight legs, referring to the eight sequences you must build to win.

The goal is to arrange all cards into eight complete sequences from King to Ace in the same suit. When such a sequence is completed, it's automatically removed from the table.

The game is set up with 10 columns (tableau piles) in the play area:

• The first 4 columns get 6 cards each
• The last 6 columns get 5 cards each
• Only the top card in each column is face up
• The remaining 50 cards go in the stock pile

There's also space for 8 foundation piles at the top, but these are only filled when complete sequences are formed.

Basic rules for moving cards:

• You can place a card on another card that's one higher in value (e.g., Queen on King)
• Suit doesn't matter for single card moves
• But to move multiple cards together, they must be in the same suit and in descending order
• Face-down cards are automatically turned up when the card above is removed
• Empty columns can be filled with any card or card sequence

When you have no more possible moves, you can deal new cards from the stock:

• Click the stock to deal 10 new cards (one on each column)
• Important: All columns must have at least one card before you can deal
• You can deal a maximum of 5 times (50 cards total)
• Be careful - new cards can block sequences you've built!

Spider Solitaire comes in three variants:

• 1 Suit (Easy): All cards count as the same suit. Perfect for beginners!
• 2 Suits (Medium): Played with two suits (usually red and black)
• 4 Suits (Hard): All four suits are used. Only for experienced players!

The more suits, the harder it becomes to build movable sequences.

In the most common scoring system (Microsoft version):

• You start with 500 points
• Each move (including undo) costs 1 point
• Each completed sequence awards 100 points

Example: If you complete 3 sequences in 70 moves, you get: 500 - 70 + (3 × 100) = 730 points.

Important strategy tips for success:

• Reveal hidden cards: Prioritize turning over face-down cards
• Empty columns: Empty columns provide great flexibility and are invaluable
• Build in same suit: While you can place different suits on top of each other, preferably build sequences in the same suit
• Think ahead: Consider the consequences before dealing new cards
• Prioritize high cards: Build on higher cards (Kings/Queens) first

Other popular variants of Spider Solitaire:

• Spiderette: Played with only one deck and 7 columns (like regular solitaire)
• Relaxed Spider: Allows dealing even when there are empty columns
• Scorpion: Combines elements from Spider and Yukon
• Simple Simon: One-deck variant with special rules

The chances of winning vary greatly with difficulty level:

• 1 Suit: About 50% of games can be won with good strategy
• 2 Suits: About 17% winnable games
• 4 Suits: Only about 6% of games can be won - extreme challenge!

Remember that not all deals can be won, no matter how well you play. Patience and practice are the keys to success!