Solitaire Spider Tips and Strategies
The odds of winning a game of Solitaire Spider are usually 1 in every 3 games when more than one suit is used. It is not a very promising number, but it is not a reason to feel dejected either. In fact, you can tilt the odds in your favor with simple Solitaire Spider tips and strategies from regular players, who have learned by experience all the tricks of the game.
1.Build stacks with the same suit...
To build the Foundations and win the game, you must first create full sequences, by suit, in descending order (from the King to the Ace) on the tableau. It is possible to create mixed sequences within the tableau, but these cannot be moved around or sent to the Foundations even if completed. At one point or another, you will have to deconstruct them which can become progressively harder throughout the game.
Thus, your primary focus should be to build sequences by suit right from the beginning. The quicker your complete one, the more cards you can reveal, and the easier it will be to juggle the remaining ones to create the missing sequences.
2. ...But do not lose sight of the overall game
Although building stacks of the same suit is one of the most important Solitaire Spider tips to increase your chances of winning the game, you still should take into account the overall disposition of the cards on the tableau.
You should always keep in mind the evolution of the game, instead of focusing on the moment. It is a matter of delayed gratification. In some situations, building a mixed stack can unlock important cards to create or complete other sequences and advance in the game. It may also help you reveal more cards, especially if you already have an idea of which cards may be facing down.
Creating a mixed stack might also lead you to an empty column, which can be more useful in the long run than having a partial sequence of one suit.
3. Empty columns
Expert players consider emptying columns as one of the best Solitaire Spider tips that beginners should have in mind. And the more you are able to empty, the better, although this is easier said than done.
Empty spaces can be filled with any card, which can be very useful when trying to rearrange or unlock sequences and cards. However, you need to be smart to take full advantage of them.
Choose to place a card in an empty space only if you will be able to take it out of there again in a couple of moves. The point is to turn it into a useful tool and use it to your advantage throughout the game. If you send a card there without any prospects of removing it soon, you will lose that space and its usefulness.
4. Avoid placing a King in an empty space
This tip comes as a continuation of the previous. Kings are the trickiest cards in a game of Solitaire Spider. As they are the base of the sequences, the only way to access the cards underneath them is by either completing their sequences or moving them to an empty space.
However, for the same reasons, it is one of the worst possible cards to place in an empty space as it will lock it and prevent its further use until that King’s sequence is completed and sent to the Foundations.
5. Clean up your stacks
Whenever the opportunity presents itself, do not hesitate to stop for a moment and focus on cleaning up and organizing your stacks instead of trying to move forward. Use any empty space as support to do it, if you have any available.
Take a good look at all the cards you have facing forward and any sequences, mixed or with only one suit, that you might have already. If you have any mixed sequences, try to deconstruct them and turn them into one-suit stacks only if possible. It is also a good opportunity to check which cards you are still missing to complete any sequence so you can focus on finding them in the following moves.
6. Rearrange the columns
Once you have your tableau organized, the next step should be to rearrange the columns. That is, look at the partial one-suit sequences you might have and try to merge them into single stacks.
For example, let’s say you have an almost completed sequence, and you are missing only a 2 and an Ace, but in another column, you have a partial stack starting with a 4 and ending with an Ace. You can break this last stack and take the cards you need to complete the first one and send it to the Foundations. It may cost you a move and, thus, some points, but it can also get you closer to victory.
7. Use the Stock Pile only when you have to
The Stock Pile is a tricky feature in a game of Solitaire Spider as it adds one card to every column and you cannot predict which cards will be added or their position. On one hand, by adding new cards to the game, the Stock Pile may provide you with more options to build sequences and even give you the last one you need to send a stack into the foundations. On the other, these new cards can also prove themselves useless and even block the sequences you were building before.
For example, you might have a sequence that is only missing an Ace. You have no more moves to make and use the Stock Pile. There is a good chance that a King might fall on top of your sequence. This means that the stack is now blocked, and you will not be able to complete it until you move that King to an empty space or complete its own sequence, even if you now have an Ace available.
8. Take advantage of the Undo feature
If you are struggling with a particular puzzle and cannot seem to find the right path to solve it, take advantage of the Undo button. You are not penalized in any way for its use, so it counts as part of the Solitaire Spider tips you should have into consideration.
This feature can be very useful to let you test how different moves can affect the overall structure of the game. For example, when you have two cards of the same suit and number that you can move into a sequence, the undo lets you try to move both cards and check which further moves each one unlocks. Then, you just have to pick the one that gives you a better chance of successfully progressing in the game.
These Solitaire Spider strategies are quite straightforward and easy to apply… in theory at least. The biggest challenge the players face is restraining themselves. When clear open moves appear in the tableau, it can be hard to stop and to analyze the game as a whole to know if you should go forward or dismiss them altogether. But don’t worry. The more you play and the more you see the fruits of these tips, the easier it will become to apply them naturally and unconsciously.
