Play 4-Suit Spider Solitaire Online for Free
4-suit Spider Solitaire is Spider at full strength and one of the toughest mainstream solitaire games. All four suits are in play, so most of the moves the rules allow leave you with a mixed stack you’ll have to take apart later. Winning takes planning, patience, and a clear head about which messes are worth making.
The game above starts in 4-suit mode. If it’s too much, drop to 2 suits or 1 suit with the buttons at the top. Undo and hints are unlimited in every mode.
Why 4 Suits Is So Hard
Spider’s two core rules don’t change between difficulty levels:
- You may place any card on a card one rank higher, regardless of suit.
- You may only move or clear a run if it’s all one suit.
With one suit, those rules never conflict. With four suits, they conflict constantly. Only about one in four of the cards that could legally go on a given card share its suit, so the move that’s available is usually the move that makes a mixed stack. Every mixed stack is a column you can’t move freely until you untangle it.
Game Setup
- 104 cards: two full sets each of Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs.
- 54 cards are dealt to 10 columns (the first four get 6, the other six get 5). Only the top card of each column starts face-up.
- 50 cards stay in the stock and are dealt 10 at a time, one per column, five times.
- Win by building all eight King-to-Ace same-suit runs (two of each suit).
- Scoring starts at 500, loses 1 point per move, and gains 100 for each completed run.
- You can’t deal from the stock while any column is empty.
4-Suit Strategy
1. Treat empty columns as your most valuable resource
In 4-suit Spider, empty columns are how you sort. Move a run into the space, shift the card beneath it to where it belongs, then rebuild. Don’t fill an empty column just because a move is available. Before a deal you’ll have to put something in it, so pick the card or run that’s easiest to move out again.
2. Build in suit whenever you possibly can
When two moves are available and one keeps the suit, take it, even if the off-suit move flips a card a little sooner. Clean runs are movable. Mixed ones are not.
3. Break open the columns with the most hidden cards
Face-down cards are what you can’t plan around. Direct your effort at the tallest face-down stacks early, before later deals bury them further.
4. Don’t rush the stock
Each deal drops a card onto every column, usually on top of the runs you’ve just tidied. Use every productive move first, and deal when you’re genuinely stuck.
5. Kings and long runs go to empty columns
A King can only move to an empty column, so a King in the middle of a column blocks everything underneath it. When you do give up an empty column, a King with a long same-suit run on it is usually the best candidate.
6. Use undo as a planning tool
Undo is unlimited here, and in 4-suit Spider it’s the best way to learn. Try a line of play, see whether it frees space or just shuffles the mess around, and rewind if it doesn’t pay off. Our Spider Solitaire strategy guide covers these ideas in more depth.
Should You Play 4 Suits?
| If you… | Try |
|---|---|
| Are new to Spider | 1 suit |
| Win most 1-suit games | 2 suits |
| Can reliably untangle mixed stacks in 2 suits | 4 suits |
4-suit Spider isn’t about winning every game. Some deals simply can’t be won, and many more need near-perfect play. If you enjoy long, thoughtful games where every move matters, it’s the most satisfying solitaire there is. See how it stacks up against other variants in our solitaire difficulty ranking.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is 4-suit Spider Solitaire different from 1 and 2 suits?
The rules are identical, but all four suits are in play. Only same-suit runs can be moved as a group or cleared, and with four suits most natural builds are off-suit, so the tableau tangles quickly.
Is every game of 4-suit Spider winnable?
No. Some deals can’t be won even with perfect play, and many more need very careful planning. Losing a fair share of 4-suit games is normal, even for strong players.
What is the most important 4-suit Spider tip?
Protect your empty columns. You need free space to take mixed stacks apart and rebuild them in suit.
More Spider Solitaire
- Spider Solitaire (1 suit): the classic starting point
- Spider Solitaire 2 Suits: the popular middle ground
- Spider Solitaire Strategy: advanced techniques
- FreeCell: another deep strategy game, with every card visible