Most people see Spider Solitaire as the toughest Solitaire variant out there. I’ve spent countless hours trying to beat these games, and often to no avail. It’s frustrating enough to know that sometimes the deck simply isn’t shuffled in your favor, and the game is unsolvable, but these multi-suit variants add even another layer of complexity to it.
Sure, regular Spider Solitaire might be a little simple, but once you start introducing more suits, you’re stepping into an entirely different territory. In these variants lie two stages of difficulty: 2-suit Spider Solitaire and 4-suit Spider Solitaire. Even though you might end up pulling your hair in frustration as you play these (much like me) I’m hoping to introduce – and help you navigate through – these goliath-like games if you should choose to attempt them.
Understanding Spider Solitaire
The first step to understanding the advanced Spider Solitaire variants is through grasping the fundamentals of the game. This means I’ll have to take you through the basics of the baby version, Spider Solitaire, before jumping up the ladder. Here’s a quick rundown – if you’re a seasoned veteran, you can skip this part:
Objective of the Game:
The main goal of any Spider Solitaire game is to remove all the cards from the table by arranging them in a descending sequence (from King to Ace) in the same suit.
Game Setup:
Every game of Spider Solitaire uses two decks of 52 cards. These cards are arranged in three categories:
- The Tableau: On the board, you’ll find 10 columns of cards. The first card of these columns will be facing upwards, while the rest will not be exposed (face-down). The tableau has a rather odd arrangement of cards – something I never quite understood the logic behind. The number of cards in each column from left to right usually follows this pattern: 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, totaling 54 cards in the tableau.
- The Stockpile: The remaining 50 cards are left in the stockpile, face down. You can draw from the Stockpile whenever you like, but as tempted as you may be to empty it out at the start… don’t.
When you click on a Stockpile, one card is dealt to each column on the Tableau. If my math serves me right, that’s 5 draws until you clear it out.
- Cleared Stacks: Completed sequences will be removed from the tableau to clear up space. Depending on what platform you’re playing on, you’ll usually find face-down sequences of cards at the bottom of your screen to represent the cleared stacks. Once a sequence is completed, the cards will be sent to the bottom, eternally banished to the cleared stacks pile.
Gameplay Mechanics:
- Players can move cards between columns if the cards are one rank lower and of the same suit.
- Incomplete sequences can also be moved together as a unit as long as they’re of the same suit.
- When a face-down card is exposed, it can be flipped around and matched with others.
Creating Spaces:
An empty column can be filled with any card or sequence of descending cards.
Dealing New Cards:
When no more moves are possible, you can draw from the stockpile to deal a new row of cards across the columns.
Ending the Game:
The game is won when all cards are removed in suit-specific descending sequences. If no more moves are possible and no cards can be dealt, you’ll lose the game. Don’t beat yourself up over it though, some games are just unsolvable.
2 Suit Vs. 4 Suit: The Differences
Before you boot up your first 4-suit Spider Solitaire, take my advice and consider the differences between the two variants first. I was also pretty antsy to take on 4-Suit Spider Solitaire on my first attempt, but there’s a reason the game lets you slowly work up the difficulty levels. Let me just give you folks a brief overview of what you’ll get into with both games.
| Aspect | 2 Suit Spider Solitaire | 4 Suit Spider Solitaire |
| Number of Suits | 2 (Hearts and Spades) | 4 (All Suits) |
| Difficulty Level | Intermediate | Advanced |
| Strategy Complexity | Simpler | More Intricate |
| Game Duration | Shorter | Longer |
| Winning Probability | Higher | Lower |
| Suit Management | Easier | More Demanding |
| Suitable For | Intermediate Players | Advanced Players |
As you can see, 4-Suit Spider Solitaire is more difficult across the board. Speaking from experience, only the most advanced, experienced players tend to challenge themselves with 4-Suit Spider Solitaire. It just takes far too much cognitive effort for mere casual players like me to take a jab at.
