Spider Solitaire Guide: Tips on How to Win Spider Solitaire

Spider Solitaire is one of the hardest solitaire games out there. According to our statistics, the classic 2 Suit Spider Solitaire has a win rate of 28%, which makes it harder than both FreeCell and Solitaire. Once you've read through our tips and tricks, you should have increased your chances significantly. So without further ado, let's go through some of the most useful spider solitaire tips:

1. Learn the game before you play it

This might seem like a no-brainer, but it's essential nonetheless. It might be a long time since you played the game, or maybe you're playing a new version of Spider Solitaire. Whatever the case may be, be sure that you know how to play Spider Solitaire before you go through our tips.

2. Don't give up

There is definitely luck involved in Spider Solitaire, but you won't win the game without a good deal of strategy, which makes patience essential. Think before you act is a good motto for a game like this, and if you get stuck, it's worth undoing all the way back to a point where you can go down another road.

3. Be careful with Aces

Aces are the only cards on which you can't place other cards yourself. The only way that a card will end on an Ace is if a card from the stock ends up on it. Therefore, too many open Aces means that there are fewer open spots on the tableau that other cards can be moved to. You should be careful exposing aces unless it reveals hidden cards below.

4. Take advantage of empty columns

It might be tempting to move the first and the best card to an empty column, but that might not be the best move. Empty columns can be used as temporary columns where you can "park" cards before moving them to other columns, almost like the free cells in a game of FreeCell.

5. Be aware of the King

The King is not a bad card in this game, but it's definitely a card that you should be aware of. The King is the first card in a full sequence of cards, which means that twelve other cards can fit on top of it. This gives the King a huge advantage. So if you can, make the King the head of the sequence.

6. Vacate a column early in the game

There are mixed opinions on this point, but the consensus is that vacating a column in the first few rounds of play is important for the success of the game. In fact, it's close to impossible to win a game without vacating any columns. In our experience, doing everything you can to vacate a column in the very beginning is the best strategy.

7. Plan ahead

The order of moves means a lot in this game. A hidden card might be revealed with two moves, but on further investigation, it might be more advantageous to reveal the cards in four moves. Thinking ahead in a game like Spider Solitaire is essential for winning the game.

Final thoughts

Spider Solitaire is a tough solitaire game with a lot of skill and strategy involved. The above tips and tricks should help you win more Spider Solitaire games. If you have more tips you want to share with us, feel free to contact us at contact@online-solitaire.com. Now that you've gone through our guide, why not try your skills at a game of Spider Solitaire.