20 Spider Solitaire Tips & Tricks to Win More Games

Want to dramatically improve your Spider Solitaire win rate? You're in the right place. This comprehensive guide distills expert strategies into 20 practical, actionable tips you can implement immediately. Whether you're a complete beginner struggling with 1-suit Spider or an experienced player tackling 4-suit challenges, these tips will elevate your game.

Essential Beginner Tips (Tips 1-10)

These foundational tips form the bedrock of Spider Solitaire success. Master these before moving to advanced techniques:

1Always Build In-Suit When Possible BEGINNER

The Golden Rule: In-suit sequences (all same suit) can be moved together as a unit. Mixed-suit sequences lock cards together. Before every move, ask: "Am I building in-suit?" If not, have a good reason. This single tip can improve your win rate by 20-30%.

Example: If you have a 9♠ and both 8♠ and 8♥ are available, always choose 8♠. The short-term convenience of 8♥ creates long-term problems.

2Create Empty Columns Early BEGINNER

Why It Works: Empty columns are your most powerful tool for reorganizing sequences, accessing buried cards, and creating tactical flexibility. Aim to create at least one empty column within your first 10-15 moves.

How To Do It: Identify the shortest columns (fewest face-down cards) and work to clear them by moving cards to other columns or completing sequences.

3Don't Fill Empty Columns Immediately BEGINNER

The Mistake: Beginners create an empty column and immediately fill it with the first available sequence. This wastes your most valuable resource!

The Fix: Keep empty columns open as long as possible. Only fill them when doing so reveals important cards, completes sequences, or solves a specific tactical problem. An empty column is a tool, not a void to be filled.

4Reveal Face-Down Cards as Priority #1 BEGINNER

Why It Matters: Every face-down card is unknown information. It might be the exact card you need to complete a sequence or the King that creates a problem. More information always leads to better decisions.

In Practice: When choosing between two moves, favor the one that flips a face-down card, even if the other move looks more immediately productive.

5Delay Dealing New Cards as Long as Possible BEGINNER

The Rule: Only deal from the stock when you've made every possible move in the tableau. Dealing buries cards that might have been your solution.

Pre-Deal Checklist: Before clicking deal, verify: (1) No more in-suit builds possible, (2) All face-down cards in accessible positions have been revealed, (3) All sequence reorganizations explored, (4) Empty columns created or utilized optimally.

6Start with 1-Suit to Learn Fundamentals BEGINNER

Why Start Easy: 1-suit Spider (all Spades) removes the suit management complexity, allowing you to focus on sequencing, empty columns, and card placement fundamentals. It's winnable ~90% of the time with good play.

Progression Path: Master 1-suit (60%+ win rate) → Move to 2-suit (aim for 40%+) → Attempt 4-suit only after mastering 2-suit (30%+ is expert level).

7Plan 3-5 Moves Ahead Before Acting BEGINNER

Think Like Chess: Don't just make the obvious next move. Mentally simulate: "If I do this, then I can do that, which allows me to do this..." Poor moves now create impossible positions later.

The Question: Before every move, ask: "What does this enable? What does this prevent? Will I regret this in 3 moves?"

8Keep Low Cards (6 and Below) Pure BEGINNER

Strategic Insight: Low cards are crucial for completing King-to-Ace sequences. If you have 6♠-5♠-4♠ in-suit, protect that! Low cards mixed into wrong suits become nearly impossible to separate later.

Exception: Mixing high cards (Kings, Queens, Jacks) is less damaging because they're used at the beginning of sequences, not the end.

9Use Undo Strategically to Learn BEGINNER

Learning Tool: Undo isn't cheating—it's learning. When a move leads to a dead end, undo and try alternatives. This builds pattern recognition and teaches you what works and what doesn't.

Practice Method: When stuck, try different move sequences by undoing and exploring alternatives. This mental simulation improves your forward planning skills.

10Complete Sequences Before Dealing When Possible BEGINNER

Why It Helps: Completing a King-to-Ace sequence removes 13 cards from the tableau, simplifying the board before new cards arrive. This reduces complexity and creates space.

Timing: If you're one or two cards away from completing a sequence, explore every option to complete it before dealing. The cleaner your tableau before new cards, the better.

Advanced Expert Tips (Tips 11-20)

Once you've mastered the fundamentals, these advanced tips will push your Spider Solitaire skills to expert level:

11Master the Reorganization Loop ADVANCED

The Technique: Use empty columns to continuously break apart and rebuild sequences in better suit combinations. Move a mixed-suit sequence to an empty column, rebuild the original column with in-suit cards, then reintegrate parts of the moved sequence optimally.

Example Sequence: You have K♠-Q♥-J♠ (mixed) → Move to empty column → Build new K♠-Q♠ in original location → Move J♠ back onto Q♠ → You've converted mixed to pure!

12Track Suit Distribution in 2-Suit and 4-Suit ADVANCED

Mental Accounting: Keep rough count of high cards (K, Q, J) in each suit. If you've seen 3 of 8 Kings and all are Spades, expect more Hearts Kings in upcoming deals.

Strategic Application: Build sequences in suits where you have more high cards already available. If you have K♠-Q♠-J♠ available but only Q♥ in hearts, focus on completing the Spades sequence first.

13Maintain Multiple Empty Columns for Maximum Flexibility ADVANCED

Expert Goal: Aim for 2-3 empty columns during mid-game. This provides incredible tactical flexibility for complex reorganizations.

How To Maintain: Don't fill empties unless absolutely necessary. Use them temporarily, then clear them again. Think of empties as reusable tools, not permanent storage.

14Use "Sacrifice Moves" Strategically ADVANCED

Counterintuitive Wisdom: Sometimes the best move is intentionally suboptimal in the short term to achieve long-term goals. Creating a mixed-suit build to reveal a critical card can be worth it.

When To Sacrifice: When the card being revealed could unlock the entire position, when creating an empty column, or when the "bad" move is reversible later through reorganization.

15Identify and Target "Kingmaker" Columns ADVANCED

The Concept: Some columns have Kings with strong potential to become complete sequences (good suit distribution, many cards already in-suit). Focus your efforts on building these "kingmaker" columns.

Identifying Them: Look for Kings with 5+ cards in-suit below them, or Kings where you can see many needed cards in the tableau. Prioritize building these sequences first.

16Break Apart "Problem Sequences" Early ADVANCED

Recognition: Some sequences are doomed—heavily mixed suits with no reorganization path. Identify these early and break them apart before they become anchors that drag down your game.

Example: A sequence like K♠-Q♥-J♣-10♦ in 4-suit mode is nearly impossible to fix. Break it apart early and rebuild pieces separately in better configurations.

17Develop "Position Sense" - Know When You're Winning ADVANCED

Good Position Indicators: 2+ empty columns, most cards revealed, at least one near-complete sequence (K-7 or better in-suit), good suit separation, stock still has 2+ deals remaining.

Bad Position Indicators: No empty columns, many buried face-down cards, all sequences heavily mixed, stock exhausted with no complete sequences. Recognize unwinnable positions early to avoid frustration.

18Use Empty Columns to "Test" Move Sequences ADVANCED

Advanced Technique: Move a sequence to an empty column to see what's underneath and what new moves become available. If the result isn't promising, move the sequence back. Empty columns let you "try before you commit."

Practice This: When stuck, systematically move each sequence to an empty column temporarily to explore what possibilities emerge.

19Build "Scaffolding Sequences" to Access Deep Cards ADVANCED

The Technique: Sometimes you need to create temporary sequences (even off-suit) to access a deeply buried card that's critical to your solution. Build the scaffolding, grab the card, then dismantle.

Example: You need a 7♠ buried under 5 cards. Build sequences on top to move the entire stack to an empty column, extract the 7♠, then reorganize. The temporary "scaffolding" sequences served their purpose.

20Study Your Losses to Find Patterns ADVANCED

Post-Game Analysis: When you lose, don't immediately start a new game. Ask: "What move led to the dead end? Could I have played differently? What pattern caused this loss?"

Pattern Recognition: You'll start noticing that certain mistakes recur: filling empties too early, building off-suit when in-suit was possible, dealing too early. Identifying your patterns is the path to mastery.

Quick Reference: Tips by Situation

When Starting a New Game

• Tip #4: Prioritize revealing face-down cards
• Tip #2: Identify columns to empty early
• Tip #7: Plan your first 5 moves before making them

When You Have Empty Columns

• Tip #3: Don't fill them immediately
• Tip #11: Use them for reorganization loops
• Tip #13: Try to maintain multiple empties
• Tip #18: Test move sequences before committing

When Deciding Whether to Deal

• Tip #5: Exhaust all tableau moves first
• Tip #10: Complete sequences if possible
• Tip #14: Consider sacrifice moves to avoid dealing

When Building Sequences

• Tip #1: Build in-suit whenever possible
• Tip #8: Keep low cards pure
• Tip #15: Focus on "kingmaker" columns

When Feeling Stuck

• Tip #9: Use undo to explore alternatives
• Tip #17: Assess if position is still winnable
• Tip #20: Learn from the situation

Practice Drills for Each Tip

To internalize these tips, practice with focused drills:

1. In-Suit Drill (Tip #1): Play 5 games where you never build off-suit unless absolutely stuck. Notice how much easier games become.
2. Empty Column Drill (Tips #2-3): Play 5 games focusing solely on creating and maintaining 2+ empty columns throughout.
3. Patience Drill (Tip #5): Before each deal, force yourself to spend 60 seconds looking for alternatives. You'll be surprised what you find.
4. Planning Drill (Tip #7): Verbally describe your next 5 moves before making move #1. This trains forward thinking.
5. Reorganization Drill (Tip #11): In 1-suit mode, practice breaking apart and rebuilding sequences using empty columns.

Progression Roadmap

Bonus: The "Mindset" Tip

+1Embrace Patience as Your Secret Weapon

The Reality: Spider Solitaire rewards patience more than any other solitaire variant. Rushing leads to mistakes. Thoughtful, deliberate play wins games.

The Practice: Set a minimum time per game—say 10 minutes for 1-suit, 15 for 2-suit, 20 for 4-suit. Force yourself to slow down and think. Speed comes naturally with expertise; patience must be cultivated.

Conclusion: Your Spider Solitaire Transformation

You now have 20 powerful tips that, when mastered, will transform your Spider Solitaire game. Remember:

• Start Simple: Master fundamentals (tips 1-10) before tackling advanced techniques
• Practice Deliberately: Use the drills to internalize each tip
• Track Progress: Monitor your win rate to see improvement
• Be Patient: Mastery takes time—enjoy the journey
• Learn from Every Game: Wins teach what works, losses teach what doesn't

The difference between a 20% win rate and a 60% win rate isn't luck or natural talent—it's systematically applying these proven tips until they become second nature. Start today, practice consistently, and watch your Spider Solitaire skills soar!

Now go apply these tips and start winning more games!

Related Spider Solitaire Guides

• Spider Solitaire Main Guide
• 10 Best Expert Tips
• Complete Spider Strategy Guide
• Empty Column Mastery