Spider Patience

Spider Solitaire or Spider Patience is a popular card game where the objective is to build sequences of cards in descending order from King to Ace within a suit. Once a complete sequence is made, it is removed from the tableau. The game ends when all cards are cleared from the tableau.

General Overview of the Game:

Deck: Spider Solitaire uses two full decks of 52 cards, totaling 104 cards.
Objective: The goal is to arrange all cards in descending order within the same suit (from King to Ace).
Layout:

- 10 columns of cards are dealt at the beginning of the game.

- The first 4 columns have 6 cards, and the remaining 6 columns have 5 cards. Only the top card in each column is face-up, while the others remain face-down.

- The remaining cards are placed in a stockpile for later use.

Game Variants (1 Suit, 2 Suits, 4 Suits):

1 Suit Spider Solitaire (Beginner Level)

Deck: Uses only Spades (104 cards of the same suit).
Rules:

- You can move a card or a group of cards in descending order regardless of color or suit, but only sequences in the same suit can be removed.

- To make a move, click or drag the card to a valid space.

- Empty columns can be filled with any card or a sequence of cards.

- Once you exhaust all available moves, you can deal a new row of cards from the stockpile.

Winning: Complete 8 sequences of descending cards (King to Ace) in Spades.

2 Suit Spider Solitaire (Intermediate Level)

Deck: Uses two suits, typically Spades and Hearts.
Rules:

- You can move cards in descending order as long as they are of alternating suits, but complete sequences must be in the same suit (either all Spades or all Hearts) to be removed.

- The gameplay becomes slightly more challenging as you need to manage two suits while building sequences.

Winning: Complete 8 sequences of cards in either Spades or Hearts.

4 Suit Spider Solitaire (Advanced Level)

Deck: Uses all four suits: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs.
Rules:

- This is the most difficult version because you have to manage four different suits.

- Cards can be moved in descending order regardless of suit, but only complete sequences in a single suit can be removed.

- Planning and strategy are crucial to avoid getting stuck with mixed suits that can't be rearranged.

Winning: Complete 8 sequences in any of the four suits.

Basic Rules for All Variants:

Moving Cards: You can move the top card or an in-suit descending sequence of cards from one column to another, as long as the move creates a valid sequence.
Dealing New Cards: Once no further moves are possible, you can deal a new row of cards from the stockpile. Each time you deal, a card is placed face-up on top of each column. However, you cannot deal if there are any empty columns.
Completing a Sequence: When you successfully build a descending sequence from King to Ace within a suit, the entire sequence is removed from the tableau.
Empty Columns: Can be filled with any card or sequence, helping to reorganize the cards.

Strategies and Tricks:

1. Prioritize Empty Columns: Empty columns give you greater flexibility in moving and rearranging cards. Try to empty at least one column early in the game.

2. Reveal Hidden Cards: Focus on uncovering face-down cards to unlock new moves. This can free up more cards for movement.

3. Create Full Suits Whenever Possible: Try to build sequences of cards in the same suit as much as possible, even if the game allows you to mix suits.

4. Avoid Dealing New Cards Prematurely: Only deal new cards when you're sure there are no more beneficial moves. Dealing too soon can make it harder to manage the tableau.

5. Unblock Columns Strategically: Some columns will have face-down cards stacked deep. Try to clear those early so you have more visible cards to work with.

6. Work on One Suit at a Time (4 Suits Variant): When playing with multiple suits, focus on completing one suit before dealing with the others, which can simplify card movement.

7. Plan Moves Ahead: Since only complete in-suit sequences can be removed, think several moves ahead to avoid getting stuck.

Spider Solitaire requires a balance of strategy, patience, and foresight, especially as the difficulty increases from 1 suit to 4 suits.