Play Spider Solitaire with 2 suits online
Two suit Spider Solitaire is the middle level of Spider, and for many players the best one. The 104 cards are half spades and half hearts. That is enough to make you think about every move, and not so much that a win feels like luck. One suit is a warm-up; four suits can be brutal; two suits is the one people play every day.
It runs free in your browser, full screen if you like, with no download. Drag a card or tap it, undo without limit, and ask for a hint when you are stuck. Every game the New game button deals has already been won by a solver, so there is always a way through.
2 suit Spider Solitaire rules
- The cards. 104 cards: every rank from ace to king four times in spades and four times in hearts.
- The deal. 54 cards in ten columns, six in the first four and five in the rest, only the last card of each face up. 50 cards stay in the stock.
- Any card goes onto the next rank up, whatever the suit: 9♥ on 10♠ is fine, and so is 9♠ on 10♠.
- Only cards of one suit move together. 10♠ 9♠ 8♠ is one piece. 10♠ 9♥ 8♥ is two: the hearts can leave together, the 10 stays until they have.
- Face-down cards turn over as soon as nothing lies on them.
- An empty column takes any card or any run of one suit.
- Tap the stock to deal one card onto each column, five times in a game. Every column must hold a card before you deal.
- King to ace in one suit is taken off the table. Four runs of spades and four of hearts win the game.
Why two suits changes the game
With one suit, anything you build can be picked up again, so no move is ever really a mistake. With two suits every move is a small bargain. Putting a heart on a spade gets you to the card underneath now, and costs you later, because that column is stuck until the heart has moved on.
So the question in two suit Spider is never just "does it fit?" but "can I take it apart again?" Good players keep a mental note of every mixed join on the table and spend their empty columns on undoing them.
| 1 suit | 2 suits | 4 suits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chance that a card that fits is also the right suit | always | 1 in 2 | 1 in 4 |
| Deals our solver could win | 91% | 88% | 25% |
| Good for | learning, relaxing | a daily game | a challenge |
The solver sees the face-down cards and has a time limit. It played the first 600 numbered deals with 1 suit, 600 with 2 suits and 1,800 with 4 suits. A deal it did not win is not proven impossible.
2 suit Spider Solitaire strategy
- Same suit first, always. If a 5♥ can go on a 6♥ or a 6♠, the 6♥ is right nearly every time. You keep a run you can move and you leave the 6♠ open for a spade.
- Mix on high cards, not low ones. A wrong-suit card on a king or queen blocks little, because few cards need that spot. A wrong-suit card on a 3 blocks the 2 and the ace of a run you were about to finish.
- Empty a column, then use it as a workbench. Lift the wrong-suit cards into it, join what is left in suit, and move them back. One empty column untangles a surprising amount.
- Uncover before you tidy. A hidden card may be exactly the one you need. If you must choose between a neat join and turning a card over, turn the card.
- Clean up before each deal. Ten new cards will land on your runs. Any join in suit you leave undone is now under another card.
- Finish one suit when it is close. A finished run takes thirteen cards off the table and usually opens a column. Twelve cards in order waiting for an ace are worth chasing.
- Look before you leap, with undo. Try the move, see the card, take it back. Each undo costs a point and nothing else.
Scoring, game numbers and the daily deal
| What happens | Points |
|---|---|
| You start with | 500 |
| Every move, and every deal from the stock | −1 |
| Every undo | −1 |
| Every finished run, king to ace | +100 |
Every deal has a game number, shown at the top and in the page address; the same number always gives the same cards, so you can retry a deal or send it to a friend. Under the same button is the daily deal, one two-suit game a day that is the same for everyone, with your run of days in a row.
Other levels and other games
- Spider Solitaire: all three levels on one table, starting with one suit.
- Spider Solitaire 4 Suits: the full two decks, one of the hardest solitaire games there is.
- FreeCell: every card face up from the start and every deal winnable.
- FreeCell Two Decks: the same 104 cards as Spider, all in view, with eight free cells.
FAQ
What is 2 suit Spider Solitaire?
It is Spider Solitaire played with 104 cards in two suits, spades and hearts. Any card may go onto the next higher rank, but only cards of one suit move together, and a run from king to ace must be all spades or all hearts to be taken off the table.
Is 2 suit Spider Solitaire always winnable?
No, but most deals are. A solver that can see the face-down cards won 526 of the first 600 numbered deals, about 88%. The New game button on this page only deals games from that list.
How hard is 2 suit Spider Solitaire?
It sits between the two other levels. It is clearly harder than 1 suit, because mixed runs cannot be moved, and far easier than 4 suits. A careful player who uses undo wins most games.
Can I put a heart on a spade?
Yes. Any card can go on a card one rank higher, whatever the suit. But the two will not move together afterwards, so the spade is stuck until the heart has moved somewhere else.
Can I play 2 suit Spider Solitaire full screen?
Yes. Open Options and choose Full screen, or press F on a keyboard. It works on phones and tablets too, where the table already fills the screen.
Is this game free?
Yes. It is free, runs in the browser and needs no download or account. Your game and your statistics are saved on your device.
Can I switch to 1 suit or 4 suits?
Yes. Click the Game # button at the top and choose the level. Each level keeps its own unfinished game and its own statistics.