How to win more games of Spider Solitaire
Spider can feel hopeless at first, especially with more than one suit. It gets much easier once you know what matters. These tips work for one suit, two suits and four suits.
Turn over face-down cards first
Early on, the most useful move is almost always the one that reveals a hidden card. Every card you turn over gives you more options and more information. If you have a choice between two moves and only one uncovers a card, take that one.
Empty columns are worth more than anything
An empty column lets you take a messy stack apart and put it back together in order. It’s also the only place you can put a King that isn’t on another King.
So once you have an empty column, don’t rush to fill it. Use it as a workspace: move part of a stack in, rearrange, then move things out again.
Build in suit when you have a choice
In two-suit and four-suit Spider, any card can go on one rank higher, but only same-suit runs move together and clear. If a 6 of hearts could go on the 7 of hearts or the 7 of spades, pick the heart. Mixed stacks are fine as a stopgap, but every one you create is something you’ll need to unpick later.
Don’t deal until you’ve run out of useful moves
Each deal drops a card onto all ten columns, which buries whatever you were working on. Before you tap the stock, make every move that helps, and try to have an empty column or two ready. The game won’t let you deal while a column is empty, so you’ll need to put something there first, ideally a card you’re happy to have covered.
Keep your highest cards low
Kings are awkward because only an empty column can take them. When you have a choice, try to start columns with Kings, so the cards above them can build down naturally.
Use undo to explore
There’s no shame in undo. Strong Spider players think several moves ahead, and trying a line then taking it back is how you build that skill. It’s especially useful near the end of a game, when a few careful moves decide everything.
Know when a game is gone
Some Spider deals, particularly with four suits, can’t be won. If you’ve used all five deals, have no empty columns and every column is a tangle of suits, it may be time for a new game. Hint will tell you when it can’t find anything useful.
Put it into practice
Start with one-suit Spider and focus on the first two tips. Once you’re winning most games, move up a level.