The beginner table, explained

A one-suit game uses all 104 cards, but only spades. That means eight copies of each rank from Ace to King. The rules are unchanged: build descending runs, complete eight King-to-Ace sequences, and use the stock when every column has a card and you cannot find a better tableau move.

Because every card shares a suit, any face-up descending sequence can move as a group. You do not have to inspect suits before dragging a stack. The challenge shifts to board management: which face-down cards can you expose, which columns can you empty, and when is a deal safe?

What 1 suit teaches

  • Face-down cards are the clock. Every flip gives you more information and more legal moves. If a move reveals a hidden card without ruining a run, it is usually worth taking.
  • Empty columns are flexible space. Moving a whole column elsewhere opens a slot that can hold a King or a partial run while you rearrange the table.
  • Stocks are limited. Five deals, then no more. Each one should unlock something, not simply add ten cards to the pile.
  • Completed runs remove clutter. When a King-to-Ace sequence forms in one suit, it clears automatically. That can expose the card beneath it and open space.

A simple plan for your first games

  1. Flip before you deal. Make every legal tableau move that reveals a face-down card before touching the stock.
  2. Build toward Kings. A King is the anchor of a complete run. If a King is buried, exposing it should be a priority.
  3. Keep low cards accessible. Aces and twos are easy to bury under tidy-looking stacks. Check the bottom of each run before covering a low card.
  4. Use undo to test a plan. Try the move, inspect the new board, then reverse it if nothing improved. There is no penalty for undo.
  5. Finish one suit at a time. In one-suit Spider, that means complete one King-to-Ace run before scattering effort across every column.
Beginner benchmark: try to finish a 1-suit game in under 120 moves. Do not chase the number if it forces bad habits; use it as a signal that you are planning rather than reacting.

When to graduate to 2 suits

Move up when the mechanics feel automatic: you know why a deal is blocked, you recognize when a column can be emptied, and you can spot a buried King without scanning every card twice. Two suits adds one new reading task — telling same-suit runs from mixed stacks — but the underlying strategy is the same.

Open the 2-suit table when you are ready. If the mixed stacks feel overwhelming, play a few more 1-suit games with a specific goal: finish each game with at least two empty columns at some point. That skill transfers directly.

Controls and helpful settings

Drag a card or run to another column, or tap a card and then tap the destination column. Undo is in the bottom bar (or press Z on a keyboard). Hint highlights a legal move (H). Space deals from the stock when the deal is available. Settings lets you change the card front, card back, felt colour, sound, and default difficulty.