Sources and verification

Sources consulted

• Spider (solitaire) (new tab) (Wikipedia, in English): standard setup (54 cards in 10 columns, 50 in the stock dealt in batches of 10 when no column is empty), versions with 1, 2 or 4 suits
• Spider (game) (new tab) (Wikipedia): two decks of 52 cards, 5 deals of 10 cards, a same-suit run from ace to king removed from play
• Spider Solitaire (new tab) (Bicycle Playing Cards): tabletop rules: a different setup (ten columns of five cards), every space filled before a new row, eight runs to win

Links accessed on October 30, 2026. The rules described on this site are primarily those of the Spider Solitaire app, as read in its code.

How the examples are verified

Before each publication, a program checks the 5 example deals and every number on the site:

• the deal is recalculated from its game code, using the same shuffle as the app, and compared with the deal produced by the app's code;
• 104 cards with the correct composition for the number of suits, columns of 6 and 5 cards, 50 cards in the stock;
• every move in the games is replayed and must be legal under the app's rules; the winning game must end with all 8 runs removed;
• the score, move count and number of deals are recalculated and compared with the app's values;
• the rules cited (card placement, groups, empty columns, dealing, runs, scoring) are checked against the app's code.

Strategy tips are presented as advice, separately from the rules. Rules for play with physical cards are attributed to their sources and do not describe the app. Found an error? Write to us through the contact page.