Spider Solitaire 4 Suits | Play Free Online
Spider Solitaire 4-Suit is the full-difficulty Spider game and one of the genuinely hardest mainstream solitaires you can play in a browser. Two full decks (104 cards) are dealt across ten tableau columns using all four suits, and the suit-matching rule for group moves means that long mixed-suit runs are essentially dead weight in the tableau. Solver research on random deals puts the solvable fraction somewhere in the ~30-50% range with perfect play, and real-world win rates for average players are considerably lower. Every default 4-Suit game on this site comes from a pre-validated solvable seed library, so you are always guaranteed at least one solution exists. Finding it is the challenge. The variant rewards methodical planning, careful empty-column management, and disciplined undo usage more than any other Spider mode.
How to Play
- Two decks (104 cards) are dealt into ten tableau columns using all four suits. Columns 1-4 receive 6 cards each; columns 5-10 receive 5 cards each. Only the top card of each column starts face-up.
- Build descending runs in the tableau. Any rank can land on the next-higher rank regardless of suit — the suit rule only applies to group moves.
- Only same-suit runs can be moved together as a group. Mixed-suit runs are legal in the tableau but must be moved one card at a time.
- Tap the stock to deal one card to each tableau column. Every column must have at least one card before you can deal.
- Empty columns accept any single card or any descending same-suit run as a group.
- Completed King-to-Ace same-suit runs are removed from the board automatically.
- Use Undo liberally — 4-Suit rewards exploration — and Hint when you cannot find a productive move.
- Complete and remove all eight 13-card same-suit runs (two of each suit) to win.
Strategy
Restart the strategy book from scratch. The intuitions that work in 1-Suit and 2-Suit — consolidate every descending run, spend empty columns generously — are actively counterproductive in 4-Suit. You should be much more reluctant to make mixed-suit drops and much more protective of empty columns, because the consequences of each decision compound much faster than in the easier variants.
Plan multiple stock deals ahead. With 50 stock cards in 5 deals of 10 and a tableau that locks frequently, think of each stock deal as a planned phase rather than a reflex. Before dealing, count which suits you still need on which foundations and what the deal will likely do to your most critical columns. If a deal is almost guaranteed to lock you, look for a different sequence of moves first.
Use undo aggressively. 4-Suit deals reward exploration: try a move, examine the resulting position, undo, try a different move, compare. The interface allows unlimited undos, and there is no penalty in casual play for using them. Experienced 4-Suit players sometimes undo entire phases of the game when a better path opens up downstream.
Track suit distribution as you uncover face-down cards. The 4-Suit game is essentially an inventory problem: you have a fixed pool of cards you need to assemble into eight same-suit King-to-Ace runs, and the order in which face-down cards surface determines which paths are available. Keeping a rough mental count of how many of each suit are already played, in the foundations, or still face-down sharply improves your endgame win rate.
Tackle suit blockers before they compound. A "suit blocker" is a card of suit A sitting on top of a card of suit B that you need to move as part of a same-suit run. In 4-Suit these blockers appear constantly, and the longer you leave them in place the more other cards pile on top. When you spot a blocker early, prioritize clearing it even if the immediate move looks neutral. Clearing it now costs one empty-column slot; clearing it later may cost three.
Know when to dig face-downs and when to wait. Uncovering face-down cards is always tempting because it gives you more information and more options. But in 4-Suit, digging a face-down card often requires making a mixed-suit drop that locks the column below. The right heuristic: dig aggressively when you have two or more empty columns available as buffers; wait when you are down to one or zero empty columns and the mixed-suit drop would freeze a critical suit sequence.
Recognize the spiral anti-pattern and break out of it. The spiral happens when you cycle the same group of cards between columns repeatedly without making net progress: move A to B, then B to C, then C back to A. It feels like activity but it is not. If you notice you have made the same relative arrangement twice in the last ten moves, stop and undo back to the last branch point. The spiral is the most common way experienced players waste their remaining empty columns and deal themselves into a locked position.
Avoid dealing the stock too early. Each stock deal covers all ten columns, including any empty columns you have worked hard to create. Deal only when you have genuinely exhausted productive tableau moves. Reflexively tapping the stock whenever play slows down is one of the fastest ways to lose a winnable 4-Suit deal.
Do not treat 4-Suit like a speed game. Unlike 1-Suit, where fast play is fine, 4-Suit punishes impulsive moves. Pause before each move and ask whether it creates or destroys same-suit consolidation potential. A move that looks neutral in isolation can close off an entire suit line three deals later.
History
The 4-Suit Spider variant is the original Spider Solitaire. Older patience compendia from the 1940s describe a four-suit game without difficulty variants, and the 1-Suit and 2-Suit easy modes were added as accessibility tiers when Microsoft included Spider in Windows ME (2000) and Windows XP (2001). The 4-Suit game is the version Spider purists consider "real" Spider, and competitive Spider play (such as it exists) is almost exclusively 4-Suit. The reputation of the variant as one of the hardest mainstream solitaires comes from a combination of the suit-matching constraint and the stock-deal rule, which together create midgame positions that no other patience game reliably produces. Microsoft's Windows Spider was estimated to be one of the most-played computer programs of the early 2000s, and the 4-Suit mode in particular gathered a reputation as the "real" difficulty for players who had outgrown Klondike.
Extended Guide
The deal is identical to Spider 1-Suit and 2-Suit. Two complete decks (104 cards) are dealt across ten tableau columns: columns 1-4 receive 6 cards each, columns 5-10 receive 5 cards each. Only the top card of each column starts face-up, with 44 face-down cards waiting to be exposed. The remaining 50 cards form the stock, which deals out in batches of ten (one card per column) on each stock tap.
You build descending runs in the tableau, with the rank-only rule for tableau landings: any rank can land on the next-higher rank regardless of suit. The suit-matching rule only matters when you try to lift a group of cards as a single unit, and in 4-Suit it matters constantly because finding two consecutive same-suit cards in a row is much rarer than in 1-Suit or 2-Suit.
In 4-Suit, only same-suit runs are group-liftable. A descending run of mixed suits is a perfectly legal tableau structure, but the only way to move it is one card at a time. With four suits in play, the probability that any given descending run is same-suit is far lower than in 2-Suit, and the consequence is that mixed-suit runs accumulate naturally and become structural obstacles you have to work around.
The stock mechanic is unchanged. You can only tap the stock when every tableau column has at least one card. Completed King-to-Ace same-suit runs auto-clear from the board. Empty columns accept any card or any descending same-suit run. You need to complete eight 13-card same-suit runs to win, which in 4-Suit means two of each suit (two hearts, two diamonds, two clubs, two spades).
The difficulty of 4-Suit comes from the interaction of two constraints. First, the suit-matching rule makes group lifts rare, so the tableau accumulates more "frozen" mixed-suit runs as the game progresses. Second, the stock-deal rule requires every column to be non-empty, so the standard 1-Suit and 2-Suit tactic of creating multiple empty columns as universal staging areas is much harder to execute. The midgame frequently locks into positions where no progress is possible without dealing the stock, but dealing the stock covers your already-difficult empty columns.
Win rates with curated solvable seeds run higher than with truly random deals. Every default 4-Suit game on this site comes from a pre-validated solvable seed library, so you are guaranteed at least one solution exists for every deal you see. The skill challenge is finding that solution, which in 4-Suit often requires significant undo usage and patience. Approach 4-Suit as a puzzle, not as a quick-play game.
Glossary
- Suit blocker
- A card of one suit sitting on top of a card of a different suit you need to reposition. In 4-Suit they accumulate quickly and must be cleared early.
- Spiral anti-pattern
- Repeatedly cycling cards between the same columns without net progress. The fastest way to exhaust empty columns in 4-Suit.
- 4-Suit difficulty
- The original and hardest Spider variant where all four suits are in play. Same-suit partners are only 25 percent of the remaining deck, making group lifts rare.
- Frozen run
- A mixed-suit tableau sequence that cannot be lifted as a group and requires empty columns to disassemble one card at a time.
- All-four-suits constraint
- The defining challenge of 4-Suit Spider: with four suits in play, finding same-suit partners for group moves is significantly rarer than in 1-Suit or 2-Suit.
- Same-suit partner
- A card of the same suit as a target card, needed to form liftable same-suit runs. In 4-Suit, only one quarter of the remaining deck shares any given suit.
Beginner Tips
- Treat every mixed-suit drop in 4-Suit as a permanent commitment. Ask whether you will ever need to move the card underneath before placing anything on top of it.
- Spot suit blockers early. A blocker at depth two is manageable. The same blocker at depth six, after more cards pile on, may be unwinnable.
- If you notice the same cards cycling between the same columns, you are spiraling. Stop and undo to the last genuine progress point before exhausting your empty columns.
- Avoid dealing the stock too early. Each deal covers all ten columns including hard-won empty columns. Deal only when you have genuinely exhausted all productive tableau moves.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Spider Solitaire 4-Suit?
Spider 4-Suit is the hardest Spider variant and the version that older patience compendia consider "real" Spider. All four suits are in play across the two-deck shoe, so same-suit runs are rare and the game demands precise planning and disciplined empty-column management to win.
What is a fair win rate for Spider 4-Suit?
Solver research on random deals puts the solvable fraction in the ~30-50% range with perfect play. Real-world win rates for average players are lower, often under 10% on random deals. On this site every deal comes from a pre-validated solvable seed library, so the deal is always winnable — the question is whether you can find the path.
Is every 4-Suit deal winnable?
Not in general. With truly random deals, a meaningful fraction are unsolvable even with perfect play. That is why every default 4-Suit game on this site is drawn from a pre-validated solvable seed library: you are always guaranteed at least one solution exists, even if finding it takes significant undo exploration.
How is 4-Suit different from 2-Suit?
4-Suit uses all four suits, so finding a same-suit partner for any given card is about half as likely as in 2-Suit. The suit-matching difficulty for group lifts is therefore much higher, and the midgame tableau accumulates "frozen" mixed-suit runs that cannot be relocated as units far more quickly.
Why does my game keep locking?
4-Suit deals lock when the suit-matching constraint and the stock-deal rule combine to leave no productive move available. The fix is usually to undo back to a branch point — sometimes several phases of the game — and try a different sequence that leaves more same-suit consolidation potential available later.
Should I always make a tableau move when I can?
No. In 4-Suit, mixed-suit "convenience" drops are often net-negative because they lock the lower column in place. Sometimes the right move is to leave a card where it is and look for a different opening, even if a legal move is available right now.
How many runs do I need to complete to win?
Eight 13-card same-suit runs. In 4-Suit that breaks down as two of each suit (two hearts, two diamonds, two clubs, two spades). The runs auto-clear as you complete them, so the win condition is met when the tableau is empty.
Is the game free to play?
Yes. Spider 4-Suit plays instantly in your browser with no signup, no ads, and no in-app purchases.