The deal: 104 cards across ten columns
This table uses the modern 54/50 layout. Standard Spider is played with two 52-card decks. Fifty-four cards are dealt into ten columns: six cards in each of the first four columns and five in each of the other six. Only the bottom card of each column is face up.
The remaining 50 cards form five stock deals of ten cards each. The 1-suit, 2-suit, and 4-suit modes use this same layout. The one-deck Spider variant uses 52 cards, seven columns, and four completed runs.
Building: a single card follows rank, not suit
An exposed card may be placed on another exposed card exactly one rank higher, regardless of suit or color. Any 7 may be placed on any 8, but a 7 may not skip the 8 and land on a 9.
The rank order runs from King down through Queen, Jack, 10, and Ace. Ace is low and accepts no card beneath it. King has no higher rank to land on, so it may remain in place or move to an empty column.
Moving a run: every card must share a suit
Several cards may move as one unit only when they are all face up, descend by one rank at a time, and belong to the same suit. A suited 9-8-7 may move together; a mixed-suit 9-8-7 may not.
A suited run may be split at any point. If a longer suited run reads 10-9-8-7, the 8-7 may be moved separately. Any rank gap or suit change inside the selected portion prevents that portion from moving as a unit.
Turning over face-down cards
When the last face-up card or movable run leaves a column, the newly exposed face-down card turns over automatically. Face-down cards cannot be inspected, selected, or used as destinations.
Once a column has no face-down cards, removing its remaining face-up cards creates an empty column. Newly revealed cards still follow the same building and group-movement rules.
Empty columns accept any available card
An empty column may receive any exposed card or any suited descending run that is currently movable. The card does not have to be a King. A mixed-suit run that cannot move together elsewhere cannot move together into an empty column.
An empty column is working space, not a foundation. It may be reused, but every empty column must contain a card before the stock can be dealt.
Stock deals cover all ten columns
The stock is available only when all ten columns contain at least one card. A deal places one face-up card on the bottom of every column at the same time.
The deal does not skip a long column or protect a suited run. Cards cannot be drawn one at a time or assigned to selected columns. Standard Spider has five stock deals; the one-deck variant deals across seven columns.
Completing runs and winning
A complete 13-card run must occupy one column in exact order from King through Ace and use a single suit. It then leaves the tableau automatically. A mixed-suit King-to-Ace build does not count as a completed run.
Complete all eight runs in the two-deck modes to win. The one-deck variant requires four. Completed runs cannot return to play, and you may continue making legal moves after the stock is exhausted.
Undo, Hint, Replay, and local records
Undo reverses one action, including a complete stock deal. Replay restores the opening for the current deal number; choosing a new game or entering another number changes the opening.
The first press of Hint marks a suggested source and destination, and the second plays it. Hint is a local move evaluator, not a full solver or a guarantee of a win. Unfinished games and records remain in this browser and do not sync to an account.
Before you move
- A single card builds down by one rank, regardless of suit.
- A group moves only when it is face up, descending, and all one suit.
- The next face-down card turns over when the cards covering it are removed.
- Any available card or movable suited run may enter an empty column.
- All ten columns must contain a card before a standard stock deal.
- A suited King-to-Ace run clears automatically; eight completed runs win.
Use these six rules to decide whether a move is legal before judging whether it improves the position.
Play SpiderSpider Rules FAQ
Can cards of different suits be built together?
Yes. A single exposed card may land on the next higher rank regardless of suit. A suit change breaks group movement, so the mixed portion must later be separated.
Why will a 9-8-7 sequence not move together?
A group move requires every selected card to be in exact descending order and the same suit. If the suit changes anywhere in the selected portion, only the suited segment below that point can move together.
Can any card be placed in an empty column?
Yes. An empty column accepts any available face-up card or any suited descending run that is currently movable. It does not have to begin with a King.
Why is the stock unavailable when cards remain?
At least one standard tableau column is empty. Place a card or legal suited run in every empty column, then deal one face-up card to each of the ten columns.
Can a stock deal be undone?
Yes. On this table, one Undo restores the position immediately before the complete stock deal. Later moves must be undone first.
Must a completed King-to-Ace run use one suit?
Yes. All 13 cards must share a suit and appear in exact King-to-Ace order in one column before the run clears automatically.
Do the 1-suit, 2-suit, and 4-suit modes use different rules?
No. They share the same layout, building rules, stock restriction, and eight-run objective. Additional suits make movable suited runs harder to assemble.
How does one-deck Spider differ from standard Spider?
The one-deck variant uses 52 cards, seven columns, and four completed runs. Its basic building and suited-run movement rules remain the same.
Can an Ace wrap around to a King?
No. Ace is low and accepts no card beneath it. King is high and has no higher rank to land on; the sequence does not wrap.
Does Hint identify a guaranteed winning move?
No. Hint suggests a local move from the current position. It does not solve the entire deal, prove that the position is winnable, or guarantee a shortest solution.