Spider is a solitaire usually played with 2 decks of cards. There are numerous game variants that involve the use of 1, 3 or 4 decks, or the use of 1, 2 or 3 suits for each deck. Be that as it may, the general rules of the game always remain the same.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: With a Seed
Step 1. Shuffle 2 decks of cards
Aside from Jokers, do not remove any cards but, during the game, consider them all of the same suit (this is not to use a lot of decks!)
Step 2. Arrange 10 packs of cards on a horizontal line
Each card should be face down and placed vertically. The first 4 packs must consist of 5 cards and the other 6 of 4.
Step 3. Place another card, face up, on each of the 10 piles
The first 4 piles should now contain a total of 6 cards (including the face up) and the other 6 should consist of 5 cards (including the face up).
Step 4. Set the remaining cards aside, face down
This will be the actual "deck"; when you are unable to move forward in the game, it will be from here that you will have to fish.
Step 5. Form of the descending stairs
That's how:
- Place a lower-value face-up card on a slightly higher-value face-up card (regardless of suit). Example: a Queen of any suit can be placed on top of a King of any suit; a 7 of any suit can be placed on top of an 8 of any suit.
- Place the lower value card on the slightly higher one but slightly lower, in order to have an eye on the value of the underlying card and know which cards have already been played.
- You can always move the ladder closer to you to join it to another ladder. You can move multiple cards together if they are in the correct descending order. For example, King-Queen-Jack-10-9 can be moved as a single straight, as can 5-4-3.
Step 6. The first face-down card of a stack, once it has no face-up cards on top of it, must be turned over
Do not leave stacks with the first card face down. Once you have used up all the cards in a stack, you can fill in the empty space with any face up card or a descending ladder.
You cannot draw from the deck if you have an empty column left. Before drawing from the deck, simply move a face up card or ladder to fill the empty column
Step 7. Draw from the deck when unable to move forward
When you have no more useful moves to make, you go back to the deck. Place one card face up on each of the 10 columns, then continue playing.
When you've run out of cards in the deck and can't go on anymore - sorry! - you lost. Playing with one suit is pretty easy, but when 2 or 4 are used, the game becomes really difficult
Step 8. Once you have completed a straight from King to Ace, remove it from the game
Set it aside face up. Once 8 complete scales have been set aside, the game can be considered victorious.
- Keep completed ladders separate from the deck.
- The game ends after completing 8 full runs or when there are no more moves available to make.
Method 2 of 4: With Two Seeds
Step 1. Deal out the cards as before
The arrangement of the cards is similar to that of the single-suit game, with the 5-card piles on the right and the 6-card piles on the left (including the face-up cards). The deck is also the same.
If in doubt, read the previous steps and try playing a match with a suit (for a beginner it is always best to start with the basics of the game)
Step 2. Based on the color of the seeds
Instead of ignoring the suits, group the cards by color this time: hearts and coins will be part of one suit, clubs and spades of the other.
Step 3. Move ladders made up of cards of the same color
For the one-suit version, you could form the runs based on a simple number sequence (7-8-9, for example). Now it will always be possible for you to make such stairs, but to move them they must be composed of cards of the same color; you can always put a 7 of one suit over an 8 of another suit, but then you won't be able to move them together.
In summary, you can move a 7 of hearts and an 8 of hearts (or coins) together. This complicates the game quite significantly
Step 4. The rest of the rules don't change
The game remains the same regardless of the number of suits. Draw from the deck when you have no more useful moves to make, turn the cards face down when they remain on top of a pile, fill in any empty columns before drawing from the deck.
- The game layout is also the same. Same number of cards and piles. If you haven't read the steps regarding the first method, retrace your steps and try playing a game with only one suit (it's infinitely easier!)
- The only difference concerns how the stairs move, not how they are formed. Be careful before moving a red card onto a black one: you may no longer be able to move the black one for quite a while!
Method 3 of 4: With Four Seeds
Step 1. Deal out the cards in the same way
The 4-suit game is particularly complex, but the rules are the same. The same number of cards are used, the same layout and the same playing principles.
Step 2. Distinguish the individual seeds
This time each suit is worth what it is: the coins are the coins, the spades are the spades, etc. The straights must be of the same suit to be moved and also to remove a full straight from the King to the Ace all the cards that make it up must be of the same suit.
Step 3. Move the scales of the same suit
You can overlap all the cards according to a number sequence like 6-7-8-9, etc. But to move them they must all be of the same suit. A 6 of hearts, a 7 of spades and an 8 of diamonds cannot be moved together. What about a straight consisting of a 6 of hearts, a 7 of hearts and an 8 of diamonds? In this case only 6 and 7 can be moved together.
Does solving such a game seem impossible to you? Learn which moves are convenient and which are useless. In general, aim to reveal as many cards as possible; if the move does not lead to this result, it is best to avoid making it
Step 4. Develop a game strategy
The 4-suit game is the only truly strategic game (luck also plays its part, of course). To compose the stairs and withdraw them from the game you will really need a lot of concentration.
- Aim for the highest value cards. In other words, move the Jack to the Queen before moving the 10 to the Jack; if you first move the 10 onto the Jack and the two cards are of different suits, the Jack will be blocked.
- As soon as you can, move the King to open a new column.
- Focus on the near-depleted bunches. The sooner you clear a column, the sooner you can place a king on top of it.
- It will also be obvious, but during the game try to compose scales that are as homogeneous as possible. This will help you immensely!
Method 4 of 4: On Windows
Step 1. Choose the difficulty level
If you are a complete beginner, start with one suit (there is nothing to be ashamed of!) The two and four suit versions are difficult. Once you have learned the basic principles, start playing the advanced versions.
Luck plays a huge role in this game. If you fish badly, there is no way to win! Play many games before you consider yourself "inept"
Step 2. Take advantage of the “suggestion” feature
By pressing "H" you will receive advice on the next move to make and the card to be moved will be illuminated. Do not move it immediately, but take a look at the cards on the table and think about why that one was illuminated.
Set yourself a limit on the tips to ask for during a game. Using it too often could in the long run limit your ability to devise winning strategies
Step 3. Do not feel remorse in using the "cancel" feature
Playing the four-suit version, the CTRL + Z (undo) key combination should become your best ally. Consider it as a "peek"; if you are not sure which card to move to, move it, see what is underneath and, if you don't like the result, press "cancel" to put it back.
Here the same is true for the "suggestion" function; use "cancel" only when you deem it strictly necessary
Step 4. Learn how points are awarded at the end of the game
In Windows you start with 500 points and each move subtracts 1 point; at the end of the game this score is multiplied by 100. Always try to beat your last record!
Advice
- If moving a large number of cards all at once gives you trouble, play the computer version - the rules are the same.
- When playing Spider, the King is considered the highest card, the Ace the lowest.
