Casino & Gambling Information brought to you by casino bonuses and top online ecasinos

Spider Solitaire: A Strategy Guide For Beginners


Spider solitaire is a well-known solitaire game, which has gained a lot in popularity since Microsoft have started shipping it free with windows. It is very hard though, and many people want to know how they can increase their chances of winning.

The aim of spider solitaire is to build an ascending suit sequence in the foundation zone. But this is easier said than done! Particularly when playing 4 suit spider, it can sometimes seem nearly impossible to finish the game.

But there are strategies you can use to dramatically increase your chances of winning. But before I go into that, a quick note. In this article, I assume you have a solitaire game that allows multi-undo, and that you don't mind using it. Some people don't have a solitaire program that supports multi-level undo, or feel that using undo is somehow "cheating". These people can still get something out of this article, but not everything they read may apply.

So what is the golden secret to winning spider solitaire?

It's simple! Empty-Columns are the key!

The first objective of spider solitaire is to get a vacant column. The objective after that is to try and get another vacant column. Once you have 2 vacant columns, the game starts to become winnable, but if you can, try and form yet another empty column. Once you get to 3 or 4 empty columns, you have a very good chance of winning, unless you get an extremely unlucky run of cards.

Getting The First Empty Column... The first move you should make in the game is whatever the highest rank card that can play is. If given a choice, play from the stacks on the right hand side, as the 6 right hand stacks start with one less card.

From then on, play cards in this order or priority:

  • If a stack is closer to other stacks to being complete, play that card (if you can)
  • If you can't play from the stack which is closest to being emptied, than play the card with the highest rank.
  • If 2 or more cards have the same high rank, and one of them can be played into a same suit sequence, then play that one.
  • Keep playing like this, until a column is emptied, or you run out of moves

    Once a column has been emptied, the focus of the game changes a little. There are now 3 main objectives, "cleanup", "re-arrange", and "expose". An overriding principal at this time is to try and keep the empty columns. Vacant columns give you a lot more choices in the game, and whenever possible, you only want to fill your empty columns temporarily.

    CLEANING UP
    The first objective for the second phase of the game is "cleanup". This is my term for re-arranging columns so that they become same-suit sequences.

    For example, suppose you had 2 columns. The first one has:

  • 7 Diamonds
  • 6 Hearts
  • and the second one has:

  • 7 Clubs
  • 6 Diamonds
  • We can temporarily use the empty column, to rearrange the columns so that these columns become:

  • 7 Diamonds
  • 6 Diamonds
  • and:

  • 7 Clubs
  • 6 Hearts
  • We do this by moving:

  • 6 of Diamonds into the empty column
  • 6 of Hearts onto the 7 of Clubs
  • 6 Of Diamonds onto the 7 of Diamonds
  • The main thing to note here, is that after we have finished cleaning up this sequence, the empty column is still vacant. This is critical, because we always need to keep our columns empty when possible.

    RE-ARRANGING
    After we have cleaned up any sequences we can find, the next objective is to re- arrange any columns. This is simply moving any sequences we can, to form longer sequences. If moving the sequence will expose a new card (or a card that is not part of the sequence), then we always move it. The rest of the time it's a judgement call, based on whether the new sequence will be the same suit, as well as what other cards are holding up the game at the moment.

    EXPOSING
    Lastly, we try and expose new cards, whilst trying to maintain our empty column. We do this by using multi-level undo:

    • Move a card/sequence into the empty column, which exposes a new card.
    • If the new card allows us to move the original sequence back do so.

    If the new exposed card does not allow us to move it back, try moving a different card/sequence instead. If you can't expose any new cards whilst keeping the vacant column, then try dealing some cards from the talon.

    The most important thing is to create empty columns, and try and keep them empty! Now, will these strategies help you to win every game? No, they won't. Are there better strategies? Yes, and you'll probably come up with some of your own as you play the game some more. But the strategies above should prove a good foundation to help you start winning more games.

    Dan Fletcher is a developer at dogMelon. They make Classic Solitaire, a fun solitaire game for Mac, Windows and Palm. Try out a free demo of Mac Solitaire today.


    MORE RESOURCES:

    A full house: Galveston businesses press for casino gambling
    CultureMap
    Casino gambling is illegal in Texas, so the state legislature would have to decide to allow it before the Chamber of Commerce would have any local control. ...
    City needs to place its chips in casino debateDaily News - Galveston County
    Survey: Most Galveston Businesses Want Casinos39online.com

    all 9 news articles »


    Casino-gambling site criticizes Deal's change of heart
    Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
    Deal, who originally voiced his willingness to consider casino gambling expansion in the state, has now backpedalled from that position. ...

    and more »


    Deal makes controversial statements about casino gambling
    PolitiFact
    During a forum on tourism in Savannah, Deal said the state should keep an "open mind" about casino gambling and other types of gaming. ...



    Hurricane Earl Path May Disrupt Atlantic City Casino Gambling
    Casino Gambling Web
    The Hurricane Earl path has been laid out by meteorologists and the news is not good for New Jersey and the Atlantic City casino gambling industry. ...

    and more »


    A Plan to Bring Casino Gambling to the City
    New York Times (blog)
    David A. Paterson and legislative leaders have finally agreed on a plan to bring casino gambling to New York City. The agreement gives Genting New York the ...
    Casino gambling heading to Big AppleUPI.com
    New Casino Agreement for New YorkCrunchCasino.com

    all 13 news articles »


    iFreshNews (blog)

    August Gambling Revenue In Macau Jumps Forty Percent
    Casino Gambling Web
    Macau has quickly become the largest casino gambling destination in the world, taking just a couple of years to overtake Las Vegas, Nevada. ...
    Macau Casino Gambling Revenue Rises 40% on VIP TablesSan Francisco Chronicle
    Macau's gambling revenue soars 40% in AugChina Knowledge Online

    all 39 news articles »


    Gomes Looks To Revive AC Casino Gambling With Resorts Purchase
    Casino Gambling Web
    Atlantic City, New Jersey is in desperate need of a jolt to help revive the struggling casino gambling industry. That jolt may have come on Monday when it ...

    and more »


    Providence Business News

    RI lawmakers won't return on casino gambling issue
    BusinessWeek
    Rhode Island lawmakers won't return to override the governor's veto of a proposed ballot question authorizing full-scale casino gambling. ...
    Deadline passes to put casino issue on ballotProvidence Journal

    all 45 news articles »


    Beau Rivage Resort And Casino Gambling Up With Jay Leno In Town
    Casino Gambling Web
    Celebrities can often be counted on to help different areas of the US after catastrophes. Jay Leno came to the aid of many in the Gulf Coast region on ...

    and more »


    Westport selectmen 'on the fence' on casino gambling in Southcoast
    Fall River Herald News
    Selectmen are just beginning to hear details on what a proposed casino in Fall River might mean in their town. ...

    and more »

    Google News

    home | site map
    © 2006