Spider Solitaire is one of the most popular single-player card games using two decks. The first mention of this game as we know it today traces back to 1949, and it was popularized in 1998 when Microsoft included it in their Windows operating system. Its name refers to the eight foundation piles you need to fill, which resemble the eight legs of a spider.
Currently, Spider Solitaire is available in three different variants, with the 4 Suit version being the most challenging. How to win 4 Suit Spider Solitaire? To get the most out of your game, take a look at our rules explanation and a few useful Spider Solitaire 4 Suits tips.
How to Play Spider Solitaire With 4 Suits? ♣️
After mastering Spider Solitaire 2 Suits, proceeding to the most difficult variant seems natural. Interestingly, some players who particularly love challenges start from this version even without playing the easier ones first.
Either way, it’s best to start by learning the rules carefully to understand what this game is all about or at least how it differs from its other variants.
The Goal 💡
Your objective in Spider Solitaire 4 Suits is to remove all the cards by building sequences in the tableau. You need to arrange the cards by suit and in descending order from King to Ace.
When you complete such a sequence, it is moved to one of the dedicated foundation piles. You win the game by filling all of the eight foundation piles.
The Layout 📐
The game’s setup consists of three important areas:
- The Tableau: The main gameplay takes place in the tableau with 54 cards arranged in 10 columns. The cards are dealt from left to right, first placing 6 cards in the initial 4 columns and 5 of them in the final 6 columns. All the cards apart from the last card in every column need to be face-down. You will use the tableau to form columns in descending order from King to Ace, as there are no separate active foundation piles for this purpose.
- Foundation Piles: In this game, foundation piles are just eight empty spots, but they can’t be used to transfer cards there one by one in descending order like in many other Solitaire variants. It’s quite the opposite – they are inactive up to the point you complete a sentence in the tableau and transfer it there.
- The Stockpile: The remaining 50 cards need to be used to form the stockpile. They are placed face-down above or under your tableau. When you can’t do any movement within the tableau, you can use the stockpile to place a card face-up on every column for new maneuvering opportunities.
The Rules 📖
Here are the most important rules you need to know before playing Spider Solitaire with 4 Suits:
- Sequence single cards by rank, no matter what the suit. When looking for movement opportunities, look for cards that are of one rank higher. You don’t have to make sure they are of the same suit or alternate colors. For instance, a 7 of Clubs can be placed on top of an 8 of Clubs, Spades, Hearts, or Diamonds.
- Move only face-up cards within the tableau. You can only play with the face-up cards on the tableau. To uncover the hidden ones, move a face-up card or same-suit sequence from the column. If you can’t see any movement opportunities, you can deal from the stockpile and place one face-up card on each card. They will overlap the cards which are already in play.
- Build sequences in the tableau in descending order. You may be used to creating ascending sequences in foundation piles after playing the classic Klondike Solitaire, but here, you need to follow the ascending order from King to Ace of the same suit. First, you need to build such a sequence in the tableau, and then you can transfer it to the foundation pile as a whole.
- Place any card in an empty column. In many Solitaire variants, you are limited to filling the empty columns with Kings only (or sequences starting with a King). However, in this game, an empty column can be filled with any card or a sequence of cards (if they are of the same suit).
- Move a sequence of same-suit cards for easier maneuvering. You can build ascending sequences by rank without paying attention to the suit, but same-suit sequences are more helpful as you can move them to different columns.
- Use the stockpile if you’re stuck. If any other movement on the tableau is not possible, you can use the stockpile to get a new face-up card on each column. You can do it only if every column has at least one card in it.
4 Suit Spider Solitaire Strategy Tips ✔️
Take a look at a few useful Spider Solitaire 4 Suits tips to improve your strategy:
- Plan your movements carefully. Don’t just move the first card you see fit. Analyze the situation in the tableau, consider the best movements, and plan your actions ahead.
- Prioritize building same-suit sequences. Even though you are not required to build same-suit sequences, they are much more beneficial for your progress. Not only do they bring you closer to transferring the cards to one of the foundation piles, but they also allow you to move card groups to a different column to uncover new cards.
- Use the stockpile only when absolutely necessary. Keep in mind that using the stockpile will add a new card to every column, including the ones where you have already started building sequences, and they can be blocked as a result. For this reason, treat the stockpile as the last resort when you’re totally stuck and unable to make any other movement within the tableau.
- Try to uncover as many hidden cards as possible. Revealing new cards in the columns should be one of your priorities, as it is when they become playable and useful for progressing in the game.
- Use the undo and hint buttons if necessary. If you are playing Solitaire online, there is typically an undo button and sometimes also a hint one. Don’t feel ashamed to use them if needed – you are playing for fun, after all! They are only forbidden in competitions.
The Final Note 🕸️
Playing Spider Solitaire 4 Suits can be challenging but also rewarding. It may boost your strategic skills, help you to relax, and improve your patience and carefulness. Each movement needs to be well-thought-out and planned ahead of time because you can easily block a great opportunity for making progress.
What’s more, contrary to many other Solitaire games, here you need to be really careful ing the stockpile as apart from giving your new movement options, it can also block the sequences you already started building.
Now that you know the rules and tips for the game, visit our site and play Spider Solitaire 4 Suits for free in your browser, or our app!