10 Best Spider Solitaire Tips from Expert Players

The single most important principle in Spider Solitaire is simple but often violated: build in-suit sequences whenever you have the choice. Only in-suit sequences can move as complete units and be removed from play upon completion. Mixed-suit sequences, while legal, severely limit your strategic options and often lead to unwinnable positions.

Why this matters: A 10-card in-suit sequence (K♠-Q♠-J♠-10♠-9♠-8♠-7♠-6♠-5♠-4♠) can move as a single unit onto any Queen, instantly clearing everything beneath it. The same sequence with even one suit break (say, 9♥ instead of 9♠) becomes fractured - you can only move the 9♥-8♠-7♠-6♠-5♠-4♠ portion, leaving K♠-Q♠-J♠-10♠ immobile.

How to apply it:

• Before placing any card, check if you have multiple destination options. Always choose the in-suit option even if it seems less immediately beneficial
• When you must choose between revealing a hidden card with a mixed-suit move versus making a less revealing in-suit move, favor the in-suit build unless the hidden card is critical (like a King or Ace)
• Track which suits you have available in each column and consciously route cards to maintain suit purity
• In 2-suit Spider, aim for 80%+ in-suit sequences; in 4-suit, target 60%+

Example scenario: You have a 7♠ to place. Options: place it on 8♠ (in-suit) or 8♥ (mixed-suit, would reveal a hidden card). Unless that hidden card is likely to be a King or critical for another sequence, choose 8♠. Maintaining suit purity almost always outweighs short-term revelation benefits.

Common mistake to avoid: Don't mix suits just because it's the first move you see. Spend 5-10 seconds checking for in-suit alternatives before making any placement decision.

Empty columns are Spider Solitaire's most powerful tool. They serve as temporary storage, suit-sorting spaces, and sequence-building platforms. Games where you create one or more empty columns early have dramatically higher win rates than games where all ten columns remain filled throughout.

Why this matters: Empty columns are the only way to move Kings (which can only be placed in empty spaces), and they provide the flexibility to rearrange mixed-suit sequences into in-suit builds. Without empty columns, you're often trapped with cards in suboptimal positions with no way to fix them.

How to apply it:

• From the very first move, identify which column is closest to being clearable and work toward emptying it
• Prioritize completing sequences (K-A) when doing so will create an empty column
• Sometimes accepting a suboptimal mixed-suit sequence is worthwhile if it leads to clearing a column
• Once you create an empty column, protect it - don't fill it carelessly. Use it for strategic King placements or suit rearrangements
• Ideally maintain 2+ empty columns in mid-game for maximum flexibility

Example scenario: You can complete a K♠-Q♠-J♠-10♠-9♠-8♠-7♠-6♠-5♠-4♠-3♠-2♠-A♠ sequence by finding the 3♠-2♠-A♠. This would remove 13 cards and create an empty column. Even if completing this sequence means making a few suboptimal moves, it's almost always worthwhile for the empty column you'll gain.

Advanced technique: Sometimes you should delay completing a sequence even when possible, if you already have 2+ empty columns. The cards in the sequence might be more useful staying in play. But when you have zero or one empty column, prioritize creating more through completions.

Each stock deal adds 10 cards to your tableau (one to each column), which often breaks sequences you've carefully built and covers cards you needed access to. Premature stock deals are one of the most common mistakes that turn winnable games into losses.

Why this matters: You have only 5 stock deals (50 cards) throughout the entire game. Each deal is a precious resource that should be used optimally. Dealing from stock before exhausting all productive moves in the current layout wastes your most valuable resource and often creates problems that wouldn't have existed.

How to apply it:

• Before clicking the stock pile, systematically check every single possible move across all 10 columns. Look for moves you might have missed
• Consider 2-3 move combinations that might open new possibilities without requiring a stock deal
• Only deal from stock when you've confirmed there are absolutely zero productive moves remaining
• Sometimes the "productive move" is rearranging your tableau to better handle the incoming stock deal, even if it doesn't immediately progress your sequences

Example scenario: You see no obvious moves and prepare to deal from stock. But before clicking, you notice that moving a 6♠-5♠ sequence onto a 7♥ (mixed-suit, normally undesirable) would reveal a hidden card that is a King. Moving the King to an empty column then opens up three more moves. Those moves should be made before dealing from stock.

Stock deal preparation: When you must deal from stock, first arrange your tableau so columns end with mid-range cards (6-9) rather than extremes (A-3 or J-K). Mid-range ending cards accept more possible incoming cards productively.

While you should make progress across multiple columns, you should identify one or two sequences with the best completion potential and prioritize protecting and building those sequences. Trying to complete all sequences equally often results in completing none.

Why this matters: Completing sequences (removing full K-A runs) is the only way to reduce your total card count and create empty columns. Games are won through completions, not through having many partial sequences. Focused effort on promising sequences yields more completions than scattered effort.

How to apply it:

• In the first few moves, identify which columns have the best suit distribution and longest in-suit runs. These are your completion candidates
• Protect these columns from suit contamination - route wrong-suit cards to other columns
• Preferentially move cards to your target completion columns even if other columns are available
• Once a target sequence reaches 8-10 cards in-suit, switch focus to completing it rather than starting new sequences
• In 2-suit Spider, typically focus on one spade sequence and one heart sequence simultaneously

Example scenario: Column 3 has K♠-Q♠-J♠-10♠-9♠-8♠ (excellent in-suit foundation). Column 7 has K♥-Q♠-J♥-10♥ (poor mixed-suit). When you get a 7♠, place it in Column 3 to extend the strong sequence, even if Column 7 would also accept it. Build on strength.

Completion checklist: A sequence is a good completion candidate if it has: (1) 6+ cards already in-suit, (2) high cards (K-Q-J) already placed, (3) few or no suit breaks in the existing sequence, and (4) other columns where you can route wrong-suit cards.

Spider Solitaire often requires experimental play. The optimal move sequence isn't always obvious, and sometimes you need to try one approach, see where it leads, undo if it dead-ends, and try a different path. Expert players undo frequently without hesitation.

Why this matters: Spider is a game of incomplete information (hidden cards) and complex interactions. Even experts can't always predict 5-10 moves ahead with certainty. Undo lets you explore "what if" scenarios without penalty, effectively giving you multiple attempts at finding winning paths.

How to apply it:

• When you face a decision between two non-obvious moves, try one path for 3-5 moves and see where it leads. If it creates problems, undo back and try the alternative
• Use undo to "peek" at what hidden cards might be in certain positions by making moves that would reveal them
• After stock deals, if the new cards create disaster, undo the deal, rearrange your tableau differently, then re-deal
• Don't view undo as "cheating" - it's a legitimate strategic tool for analyzing game positions
• Set a personal limit (perhaps 5-10 undos per decision) to avoid analysis paralysis

Example scenario: You're unsure whether to move a sequence to Column A or Column B. Try Column A, make the next 4 moves that become available, assess the resulting position. If it looks poor, undo all 5 moves and try Column B instead. Compare which path looks more promising and commit to the better one.

Learning benefit: Undo experimentation teaches you pattern recognition. After trying both paths, you learn which types of positions lead to success versus dead-ends. This knowledge transfers to future games where you'll make better initial decisions without needing to undo.

A huge percentage of Spider games (especially 2-suit and 4-suit) are mathematically unwinnable regardless of perfect play. Learning to recognize truly hopeless positions saves enormous time and frustration. Restart unwinnable games quickly rather than struggling for 20 minutes on a game that was lost from the initial deal.

Why this matters: In 2-suit Spider, 75-80% of games are unwinnable. In 4-suit, 98-99% are unwinnable. You could spend hours on unwinnable games or restart quickly and find a winnable one in minutes. Expert players are ruthless about restarting dead games.

How to apply it:

• If after 2-3 stock deals you have made almost no progress (no completions, no empty columns, mostly mixed suits), consider restarting
• Watch for "suit locks" where one suit completely blocks another with no resolution path
• If 7+ columns have irreparable suit mixing and you have zero empty columns, the game is likely lost
• Notice when critical low cards (Aces, 2s, 3s) are buried deep under high cards in wrong suits - often unrecoverable
• Set a time limit (e.g., 15 minutes in 2-suit) - if you haven't made substantial progress by then, restart

Signs of unwinnable positions:

• All Aces and 2s of one suit are buried under Kings and Queens of the other suit
• Empty columns are impossible to create because every column has deeply buried cards
• Stock pile is exhausted with less than 50% card reduction
• Suit distribution is 80%+ one suit in some columns, 80%+ other suit in others, with no mixing possible

Mindset shift: Don't view restarts as failures. In 2-suit Spider, you should expect to restart 4-5 games before finding a winnable one. Restarting is an essential skill for maximizing your actual win count over time.

Maintaining awareness of where each suit is concentrated and balancing your progress between suits prevents catastrophic suit imbalances that make games unwinnable. Don't focus exclusively on one suit while the other accumulates problematically.

Why this matters: If you build five spade sequences while neglecting hearts entirely, you'll eventually have all hearts concentrated in a few columns with nowhere to build them. Balanced suit development maintains more building options and prevents suit locks.

How to apply it:

• Mentally note which columns are primarily spades, primarily hearts, or balanced (in 2-suit)
• If you're working heavily on spade sequences, periodically check: "Do I have building opportunities for hearts?" If not, redirect some effort
• Aim to complete one sequence of each suit rather than two sequences of the same suit
• When stock deals, notice if one suit is disproportionately arriving. Adjust your strategy to work with what the game is giving you
• Keep at least some building destinations available for both suits at all times

Example scenario: You've built strong sequences in columns 1, 3, and 5 - all spades. Columns 2, 4, 6 have lots of hearts but mixed suits. Instead of continuing to work exclusively on spade sequences, invest effort into improving the heart columns. Balance prevents suit starvation.

4-suit consideration: In 4-suit Spider, try to dedicate 2-3 columns to each suit early. Accept that some columns will be "storage" for problematic cards while others are "builders" for specific suits.

Impulsive move-making based only on immediate opportunities is a hallmark of beginner play. Experts visualize several moves ahead, considering how each move affects subsequent options and whether it leads to productive positions or dead-ends.

Why this matters: Many moves that look good in isolation create problems 2-3 moves later. A move that reveals a card might simultaneously block other cards you needed. Planning ahead helps you avoid these traps.

How to apply it:

• Before making any move, ask: "After this move, what becomes possible? What becomes impossible?"
• Trace out the next 3 moves mentally: "If I do this, then I can do that, which opens this..."
• Look for move sequences that cascade - one move reveals a card that enables another move that creates an empty column
• Identify moves that preserve maximum flexibility versus moves that commit you to a single path
• Check if a move permanently blocks access to cards you'll need later

Example scenario: You can move 7♠-6♠-5♠ onto 8♥. This would reveal a hidden card. But planning ahead, you realize this move would block the 8♥-7♠ from moving onto a 9♥ that you need accessible for another sequence. Better to find a different move or accept temporarily not revealing that card.

Planning depth by skill: Beginners see 1 move ahead. Intermediate players see 2-3 moves. Experts regularly visualize 5+ moves. Gradually increase your planning depth as you gain experience.

High cards (especially Kings) are sequence foundations - every completed sequence must start with a King. Burying or blocking your high cards in wrong suits or poor positions severely damages your completion potential.

Why this matters: You only have 8 Kings in 2-suit Spider (4 of each suit). If you bury multiple Kings under wrong-suit cards early, you limit how many sequences you can possibly complete. Kings in empty columns or accessible positions have enormous strategic value.

How to apply it:

• When Kings appear (revealed or dealt from stock), immediately move them to empty columns if available
• Don't carelessly build wrong-suit sequences on top of Kings - protect them for in-suit building
• If you have a choice of which card to bury under a sequence, choose low/medium cards over high cards
• Track how many Kings of each suit you've seen and where they're positioned
• Sometimes it's worth making several moves just to free up a buried King

Example scenario: A stock deal places K♠ on column 7. You have one empty column. Immediately move the K♠ to the empty column, then start building on it with Q♠, J♠, etc. Don't leave the King buried under whatever column it randomly landed on.

High card priority: Kings > Queens > Jacks in terms of protection importance. Kings are irreplaceable sequence starters. Queens and Jacks are valuable but less critical.

The jump from 1-suit to 2-suit Spider is dramatic (win rate drops from 85% to 20%), and 2-suit to 4-suit is catastrophic (20% to 1%). Don't rush into higher difficulties before mastering easier ones. Build skills progressively.

Why this matters: Core Spider skills (empty column creation, sequence building, stock timing) are the same across all difficulties. Learning these skills in 1-suit where games are very winnable builds confidence and pattern recognition. Jumping to 4-suit too early leads to frustration and poor habit formation.

How to apply it:

• Play 1-suit Spider until you achieve 70%+ win rate over 20-30 games
• Then move to 2-suit and expect to initially win only 5-10% while you adjust to suit management
• Play 100+ games of 2-suit before attempting 4-suit
• In 4-suit, accept that 98% of games are unwinnable - you're playing for the rare 1-2% winnable deals
• Return to easier difficulties when you want to practice specific techniques or just enjoy more frequent wins

Skill progression path:

1. 1-Suit Spider: Master empty columns, stock timing, basic sequence building (target: 70% win rate)
2. 2-Suit Spider: Add suit management, in-suit building priority, suit distribution (target: 15-20% win rate)
3. 4-Suit Spider: Extreme patience, recognizing rare winnable deals, accepting 98% loss rate (target: 1-2% win rate)

Practice recommendation: Even expert players regularly play 1-suit Spider to warm up, practice new techniques, or just enjoy higher win rates. There's no shame in playing easier difficulties - they're genuinely fun and let you experience the satisfaction of frequent wins.