How to Play Spider Solitaire
Spider is the most popular two-deck solitaire. You build long runs from King down to Ace. When a run is all one suit, it is cleared off the table. Clear all eight runs and you win. You choose the difficulty by the number of suits in the deck: 1, 2 or 4.
The deal
- Two decks are used, 104 cards in all. In 1-suit Spider every card is a spade; in 2-suit Spider there are spades and hearts; in 4-suit Spider all four suits.
- Ten columns are dealt: the first four get six cards each, the other six get five. That's 54 cards.
- Only the last card of each column is face up. The rest are face down.
- The remaining 50 cards form the stock, enough for five more deals of ten cards.
Moving cards
- You can put a card on any card one rank higher, whatever its suit: a 7 of hearts on an 8 of spades is fine.
- You can move a run of cards together only if it is all one suit and in order, for example 9♠ 8♠ 7♠. A run like 9♠ 8♥ 7♠ can only be split from the bottom: the 7♠ alone, then the 8♥.
- When a face-down card is left at the end of a column, it turns face up.
- An empty column can take any card or any movable run.
Aces are the lowest card. Nothing can be placed on an Ace, and a King can only go into an empty column.
Completing a run
When a column ends in a full run of one suit from King down to Ace, those 13 cards are removed from the table automatically. They go to the completed pile at the top right. There are eight runs to complete.
A run of mixed suits from King to Ace is not removed. You need to rearrange it into one suit.
Dealing from the stock
When you're out of useful moves, click the stock. It deals one face-up card onto every column, ten cards in all. You can do this five times.
You can't deal while any column is empty. Put a card in each empty column first. This is a common surprise: an empty column is valuable, but it has to be filled before the next deal.
Winning
You win when all eight runs are complete and the table is empty. kawu records your time and the number of moves. Every move and every deal counts as one move.
Playing on kawu
- Suits: choose 1, 2 or 4 in the settings. Each keeps its own statistics and best time.
- Moving: click a card to pick it up, together with the cards below it. Then click the column to move to; legal targets are highlighted. Double-click a card to send it to its best place.
- Undo: unlimited, including deals.
- Hint: shows a useful move, or suggests dealing when there isn't one.
- Daily deal: a 1-suit game that's the same for everyone each day.
Next, read the Spider strategy guide to win more often, or try FreeCell, where every card is face up from the start.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between 1, 2 and 4 suit Spider?
The rules are identical; only the deck changes. With 1 suit all 104 cards are spades, so every card can join every run. With 2 suits there are spades and hearts, and with 4 suits all four, which makes one-suit runs much harder to build. Beginners should start with 1 suit.
Can you deal when there is an empty column in Spider?
No. Every column must have at least one card before you deal from the stock. Move any card into the empty column first, even a single low card.
Can you move a mixed-suit sequence in Spider Solitaire?
No. You can build a column with any suits, but only a run of one suit in descending order can be moved as a group. A mixed run has to be moved one suit-run at a time, from the bottom.
What can go in an empty column?
Any face-up card, or any run of one suit that you could move anyway. There is no rule that only a King can go there.
How often can you win Spider Solitaire?
With 1 suit, an experienced player wins most games. 2 suits is a real challenge, and 4 suits is hard even for strong players: many deals can't be won without luck in the stock.
Last updated 2026-10-17