What You Need
Spider Solitaire requires more cards and more table space than standard Klondike. Before you begin, gather the following:
- Two standard 52-card decks (104 cards total). Remove all jokers and any extra cards. The two decks do not need to have matching backs, but matching backs create a cleaner visual experience.
- A large flat surface. You will need space for 10 columns of overlapping cards plus a stock pile area. A dining table, large desk, or cleared countertop works well. Plan for at least 4 to 5 feet of horizontal space.
Choosing Your Difficulty Level
Before you deal, decide which version you want to play. The difficulty is determined by how many suits are in the deck.
1-Suit (Beginner)
Use cards from one suit only — traditionally Spades. Take all 13 Spades from each of your two decks (26 cards), then repeat with two more decks or substitute by treating all cards as if they were the same suit. The simplest approach: take two full decks and ignore the suit markings entirely, treating every card as the same suit. Alternatively, assemble 8 complete sets of Ace-through-King from a single suit across multiple decks that you may have available.
Practical shortcut: Many players simply use two full standard decks and play by 1-suit rules — you are allowed to build and move sequences regardless of suit, which effectively replicates the 1-suit experience without needing to sort physical cards.
2-Suit (Intermediate)
Use cards from two suits — traditionally one red and one black, such as Hearts and Spades. Take all Hearts and Spades from both decks, giving you 52 cards of each suit (104 total). Remove all Diamonds and Clubs. Since you need 104 cards and two suits across two decks only give you 52 of each suit, this works perfectly with two standard decks.
Practical shortcut: Use two full standard decks and treat Diamonds as Hearts and Clubs as Spades (i.e., play by color only). This gives you essentially a 2-suit game without removing any cards.
4-Suit (Expert)
Use both complete decks as-is — all four suits, 104 cards total. No sorting or substitution required. Simply shuffle both decks together and deal. This is the traditional and most challenging version of Spider Solitaire.
Step 1 — Shuffle Thoroughly
Combine your chosen 104 cards into a single stack. Because you are working with a double-sized deck, thorough shuffling is critical. Use a combination of riffle shuffles and overhand shuffles, or divide the deck into smaller sections, shuffle each section, and recombine. Aim for at least seven to ten shuffles to ensure proper randomization.
A poorly shuffled double deck will produce obvious patterns — paired duplicates, long same-suit runs — that reduce the quality of the game.
Step 2 — Deal 10 Tableau Columns
Deal the tableau across 10 columns from left to right:
- Columns 1 through 4: Deal 6 cards each — 5 face-down, then 1 face-up on top.
- Columns 5 through 10: Deal 5 cards each — 4 face-down, then 1 face-up on top.
This uses 54 cards total (4 × 6 + 6 × 5 = 54).
Dealing Method
The most efficient method mirrors the Klondike approach — deal in rows rather than one column at a time:
- Deal one face-down card to each of the 10 columns.
- Deal another face-down card to each of the 10 columns.
- Deal another face-down card to each of the 10 columns.
- Deal another face-down card to each of the 10 columns.
- Deal one face-down card to columns 1 through 4 only.
- Deal one face-up card to each of the 10 columns.
After this process, columns 1–4 each have 6 cards (5 face-down + 1 face-up), and columns 5–10 each have 5 cards (4 face-down + 1 face-up).
Step 3 — Prepare the Stock Pile
The remaining 50 cards form the stock pile. Divide them into 5 packets of 10 cards each, stacked face-down. You can keep them as a single face-down pile or separate them into five distinct groups — whichever you prefer.
During the game, each time you deal from the stock, you will place one card face-up on each of the 10 columns (10 cards per deal, 5 deals total). This is why the stock must have exactly 50 cards.
Step 4 — Designate the Foundation Area
Set aside space for eight foundation piles. In Spider Solitaire, completed King-to-Ace same-suit runs are removed from the tableau and placed in the foundation. You need room for eight such runs (8 × 13 = 104 cards). At the start of the game, the foundation area is empty.
Step 5 — Verify Your Setup
Run through this checklist before you begin playing:
- 10 tableau columns, with columns 1–4 having 6 cards each and columns 5–10 having 5 cards each.
- Only the top card of each column is face-up.
- 54 cards on the tableau in total.
- 50 cards in the stock pile, face-down.
- Eight empty spaces for the foundation.
- 104 cards accounted for in total.
If anything does not add up, gather the cards and redeal.
Setup by Difficulty: Quick Reference
| Detail | 1-Suit | 2-Suit | 4-Suit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suits used | 1 (e.g., Spades only) | 2 (e.g., Hearts & Spades) | 4 (all suits) |
| Total cards | 104 | 104 | 104 |
| Tableau columns | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Cards on tableau | 54 | 54 | 54 |
| Cards in stock | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Foundation piles | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Decks needed | 2 (modified) | 2 (modified) | 2 (standard) |
Common Setup Mistakes
Using Only One Deck
Spider Solitaire requires 104 cards. A single 52-card deck is not enough. Always use two full decks.
Wrong Number of Columns
The tableau must have exactly 10 columns, not 7 (that would be Klondike) and not any other number. Ten columns are fundamental to Spider’s game balance.
Equal-Sized Columns
Columns 1–4 get 6 cards each; columns 5–10 get 5 each. A common mistake is dealing 5 cards to every column, which leaves 4 extra cards unaccounted for.
Incorrect Stock Size
The stock should contain exactly 50 cards. If you have more or fewer, you miscounted during the tableau deal. Check your work and redeal if needed.
Dealing Face-Up Cards Too Early
Only the very last card dealt to each column goes face-up. All preceding cards in each column should be face-down.
Not Shuffling Enough
A double deck requires more shuffling than a single deck. Insufficient shuffling leads to clumped cards and non-random distributions, which undermine the game’s integrity.
Ready to Play
Your Spider Solitaire table is now set. Head over to our how to play Spider Solitaire guide to learn the rules, strategy, and tips for beating this challenging game. If you are new to solitaire in general, you may also want to start with our standard solitaire setup guide for a simpler introduction.