Spider Solitaire Win Rates: 1-Suit, 2-Suit, and 4-Suit Analysis

By Sunil Belvai

Last Updated: October 3, 2026

Spider uses the same rules in its 1-suit, 2-suit, and 4-suit modes. Only the number of suits changes, and each extra suit makes the game harder. This page shows what our players won in August 2026, explains why each suit count costs wins, and shows how to push your own results higher.

Spider Win Rates by Difficulty

Klondike and FreeCell have solver studies that count how many deals can be won. We know of no such study with a figure for Spider. So the only win rates on this page are our own player data, from our August 2026 player report. They count every Spider game started on TrySolitaire in August 2026. A game left unfinished counts as not won, so the figures include players who gave up early.

The figures fall as suits are added. They also depend on who plays each mode. The report notes that during August the mix of players changed: some players who were winning at 2 suits moved up to 4 suits. A win rate for one month is a picture of our players, not a limit on what careful play can do.

One correction to these figures: until 3 October 2026, our 2- and 4-suit games let a run of mixed suits move as one unit, which the standard rules do not allow. The 2- and 4-suit figures above come from that easier game. The game now follows the standard rule, so its 2- and 4-suit games are harder, and our later reports will show lower win rates for them.

1-suit: space is the only problem

In single-suit Spider, all 104 cards are Spades. Every card matches every other for moving sequences. The hardest part of Spider, keeping suits apart, disappears. What is left is space management: when to deal from the stock, how to use empty columns, and when to commit to a King-down run.

Why 1-suit is the easiest mode:

• No suit penalty — any descending sequence moves as a block.
• Every card can land on any higher-ranked card.
• Completing a King-to-Ace run is much easier without suit constraints.
• Far fewer dead-end positions where cards become permanently blocked.
• More opportunities to free up empty columns and create working space.

2-suit: sequences stop moving as blocks

Adding a second suit changes how the board moves. You can still build descending mixed-suit columns, but only same-suit runs move as a block. A mixed-suit sequence moves one card at a time, so a long mixed column is hard to rearrange.

Why 2-suit is much harder than 1-suit:

• Half the cards are the "wrong suit" for any sequence you're building.
• Suit-mixed runs can't be moved as a unit — you lose the leverage.
• Fewer in-suit completion paths, so blocking patterns are easier to create.
• Empty columns matter more, since they're often the only way to separate suits.
• You must plan further ahead before each move.

4-suit: the standard challenge

Four-suit Spider is the version Microsoft Solitaire Collection calls "expert," and the version many players know simply as "Spider." The deck and rules are the same as the easier modes. What changes is how few cards fit: only one suit in four matches any given sequence.

Why 4-suit is harder than 2-suit:

• Only one card in four is the "right" suit for a sequence in progress.
• Most stock cards land on a column of a different suit and break its run.
• Empty columns become essential for any chance of finishing.
• Suits must be sorted one card at a time, so each empty column is worth more.
• One weak move early can cost a deal that could have been won.

What Determines Whether a Spider Game Is Winnable

Some Spider deals cannot be won from the moment they are dealt. Others are easy. A few factors swing the balance.

1. Initial deal distribution

The starting tableau matters most. Favorable deals look like this:

• Even suit distribution across columns rather than concentrated.
• Early access to high cards — Kings, Queens, and Jacks where you can use them.
• Few buried low cards — Aces, 2s, and 3s not deep under heavier ranks.
• Natural starting sequences already partly formed in the deal.
• Variety in face-up cards — a good rank spread among the openers.

2. Stock pile distribution

The 50 cards in the stock shape the game after the opening. The stock deals 10 cards at a time. Each deal can solve a problem or wreck the position.

Favorable distributions:

• Useful suits at moments when sequences are nearly done.
• Low cards when you've already placed the high ones.
• Cards that don't break too many existing sequences.
• Anything that lets you create a new empty column.

Unfavorable distributions:

• High cards when you need lows to close sequences.
• All wrong suits when you're close on several in-suit runs.
• Cards that block every available move at once.
• Concentration of one rank that creates an unsolvable cluster.

3. Empty column timing

Empty columns are Spider's most powerful tool. They're temporary storage and suit-sorting space. A game where you can create empty columns early and protect them through stock deals is much easier than one where every column stays full.

Creating and keeping empty columns means:

• Completing sequences to remove cards from play.
• Consolidating short columns into longer ones.
• Protecting empty columns from stock deals when you can.
• Using empty columns for the suit moves that actually matter.

4. Sequence-building opportunities

How often you can build same-suit runs decides a lot. Games with many natural in-suit pairs are far easier than games that force constant suit-mixing.

Easy deals tend to feature:

• Multiple columns where in-suit builds work right away.
• Access to both high and low cards of the same suit.
• Limited interference between different suit-building efforts.
• Clear paths to finishing more than one sequence.

5. Move-order sensitivity

Some deals have a single correct move order. Take the right cards in the wrong sequence and the deal becomes unwinnable, even though the right sequence would win. These are why Spider sometimes feels unfair — even strong players miss them without trial-and-error.

How to Push Your Own Win Rate Higher

Some Spider deals can't be saved no matter how well you play. In the others, your decisions are everything. Avoid the common mistakes and apply these principles.

Strategic principles

1. Make an empty column early. Your first goal each game should be clearing one column before you draw from stock. Empty columns are flexibility.
2. Build same-suit when you have the choice. Mixed-suit runs are legal but they don't move as blocks. Only mix when there's a tactical reason.
3. Delay stock draws. Each draw lands 10 cards on your tableau and often breaks runs. Draw only when the current position is fully worked.
4. Preserve options. When several moves are available, take the one that leaves the most future moves open.
5. Verify before completing. Before sending a King-to-Ace run off the board, check that you don't need its cards for another sequence.
6. Use undo as a learning tool. Don't be afraid to undo five or ten moves. Spider rewards experimentation.
7. Recognize dead positions. Learning to spot truly stuck deals saves time. If careful analysis shows no path forward, restart.

Common mistakes that cost wins

• Completing too early. Removing cards can eliminate building blocks you'll need.
• Breaking same-suit runs without need. A last-resort move only.
• Drawing from stock too soon. Adding 10 cards before the position is exhausted buries solutions.
• Ignoring suit distribution. Not tracking where each suit lives leads to dead ends.
• Filling empty columns cheaply. A waste of your strongest tool.
• Tunnel-visioning one sequence. Balanced progress across runs usually beats single-minded pursuit.
• Reflex moves. Take a moment before committing — the obvious move isn't always the best.

What to work on in each mode

1-suit. Focus on creating empty columns fast. Suits don't matter; space management does. Move up when 1-suit wins start to feel routine.

2-suit. Master suit tracking and suit separation. Learn when mixing is forced and when to keep runs pure.

4-suit. Expect to lose often. Learn to spot a dead position early and restart instead of playing it out. Every move needs care.

Comparison to Other Solitaire Games

The same August 2026 report counts Klondike and FreeCell in the same way: wins divided by all games started, with unfinished games counted as not won.

In August 2026, our players won 1-suit Spider about as often as FreeCell. They won 4-suit Spider less often than Klondike Draw 1, but more often than Klondike Draw 3.

Track Your Progress

The fastest way to improve is to measure. TrySolitaire tracks per-mode statistics automatically:

• Games played. Total starts.
• Games won. Total completions.
• Win percentage. Wins ÷ games.
• Current streak. Consecutive wins or losses.
• Best streak. Longest winning run.

Set steady goals:

• Start with 1-suit. Move up when wins feel routine.
• In 2-suit, every win is real. Compare your rate with your own past months.
• In 4-suit, expect many losses at the start.
• Notice which positions cost you most of your losses.
• Pay attention to which deals were truly unwinnable vs which you misplayed.

Conclusion

The same Spider rules produce three almost different games depending on suit count. The 1-suit version rewards space management. The 2-suit version adds suit separation. The 4-suit version requires both, plus a tolerance for losing.

Pick the mode that suits you. Track your numbers. Focus on decision quality over win count. Even a few percentage points of improvement over hundreds of games is real progress.

References & Sources

1. TrySolitaire. "TrySolitaire August 2026: What 147,673 Games Tell Us." Published September 1, 2026. Source for every win rate on this page: wins divided by all games started in August 2026, with unfinished games counted as not won.
2. Microsoft. Microsoft Solitaire Collection. Microsoft Solitaire. Source for Spider's "Beginner / Intermediate / Expert" suit-count modes and the de facto modern reference implementation.
3. Parlett, David. The Penguin Book of Patience. Penguin, 1979. Standard reference for the ruleset and historical context of Spider and other patience games.

Related Spider Guides

• Spider Solitaire — the main landing with rules and a deep play page
• Spider Solitaire 2 Suits — the intermediate difficulty between 1-suit and 4-suit
• Spider Solitaire 4 Suits — the expert variant behind the lowest win rates on this page
• Complete Spider strategy guide — rules, supermove math, the strategies (covers suit management at #7/#8), history
• Strategies that actually work — empty-column timing, in-suit building, stock-deal discipline
• Spider vs Klondike — picking the right variant for your skill level
• Hardest solitaire games — where 4-suit Spider sits among the toughest variants