Spider Solitaire

Spider solitaire is a single-player card game played with two decks of cards (jokers are not used). The origins of this solitaire variation are not known. However, it was a game favored by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States.http://www.solsuite.com/spider-solitaire-history.htm According to the author of 150 Ways to play Solitaire, Alphonse Moyse, spider solitaire is at the top of the solitaire list because it offers the player the best ability to overcome a tough deal.http://www.solsuite.com/spider-solitaire-history.htm

You begin by combining two decks of playing cards. Once you have shuffled them together, make one row of ten cards face down.http://www.solitairecity.com/Help/Spider.shtml To make the second row, place one face down card at the end of each column. Repeat this procedure for rows three and four.http://www.solitairecity.com/Help/Spider.shtml On the fifth row, you start from the left and place a face down card on the first four columns only. You finish the layout by putting one face up card at the end of each column. Now, you place the remaining cards in a pile on the table. This pile is called stock.http://www.solitairecity.com/Help/Spider.shtml

Unlike the traditional version of solitaire, you build your card sequences on the tableau not the foundation row.http://www.solitairecity.com/Help/Spider.shtml Your objective is to make a descending sequence of cards from king to ace of one suit. This makes eight total sequences since you have two decks of cards.

To move a card, you place a face up card on a card with a number one value higher. In spider solitaire, the suit does not matter.http://www.games-solitaire.com/games/games-solitaire-rules-spider.htm For example, a red four can be placed on top of a five of any suit. However, a king can only be transferred to an empty space.

When making a sequence, suit does matter.http://www.games-solitaire.com/games/games-solitaire-rules-spider.htm A sequence is when you have cards in descending order in the same suit. For instance, a heart stack made up of a jack, ten, nine and eight in descending order is a sequence. If you want to move cards as a whole unit, they must be in a sequence.http://www.games-solitaire.com/games/games-solitaire-rules-spider.htm However, the sequence can move on top of any suit as long as the number is one value above the highest card in the sequence. A spade sequence that begins with nine can move to a 10 of any suit.

Once a column becomes empty, you can fill it with any single card or a sequence.http://www.games-solitaire.com/games/games-solitaire-rules-spider.htm No other card can be placed on top of an ace. However, it can be shifted to an empty space if needed.http://www.games-solitaire.com/games/games-solitaire-rules-spider.htm After you have exhausted all your moves in one turn, you can use the stock to place a face up card on each column. Keep in mind that each column must have at least one card in it before you go to the stock.http://www.games-solitaire.com/games/games-solitaire-rules-spider.htm

After you make a complete king through ace sequence, you can move it to the foundation. A foundation row sits above the tableau. It has a place for each of the eight possible sequences that can be made in the game.http://www.solitairecity.com/Help/Spider.shtml

Once you run out of stock cards and moves, you lose. However, if you manage to shift all the king to ace sequences of every suit to the foundation, you win.