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SETTLE INTO THE LOUNGE · A WELCOME BREAK IN THE DAY

Tips & Strategy

Take a short break from play to explore Tips & Strategy. A closer read may help answer a question about your visit.

Look under the visible cards

Keep these details in mind. A longer visible run is not automatically better than a move that opens the tableau. You cannot know the identity of a hidden card before it is exposed. A move that reveals a hidden card gives you another fact to work with. Compare possible moves by what they uncover as well as by the length of the sequence they create.

Give yourself room

On this website, the following points apply. You must eventually fill every empty column before dealing from the stock. An empty column can hold a temporary sequence while you rearrange other cards. Consider the next destination before filling your only empty column. A whole-column move into another empty column does not reveal anything new on its own.

Favor matching suits

Keep these details in mind. A shorter matching group can be easier to reuse than a longer mixed-suit build. Same-suit descending cards remain movable as a group. Look for ways to join matching segments without burying a card you need elsewhere. Matching colors alone do not give that benefit in four-suit Spider.

Use mixed builds deliberately

Here is what to know. Avoid assuming that every descending column can be moved as one unit. A mixed-suit move can be worthwhile when it reveals a card or frees a column. Before extending the mixed build, look for temporary destinations that could help you separate it. Only the same-suit descending segment at the bottom moves together.

Computer solitaire

Plan around Kings

On this website, the following points apply. A King requires an empty column because there is no higher rank. Placing a King in your last empty column may reduce your immediate rearrangement options. A group beginning with a King has the same limitation. Moving a King can still be useful when it uncovers an important hidden card.

Review the tableau first

On this website, the following points apply. Keeping all columns occupied is a requirement for using the stock. Check whether a visible move can expose a card or join matching suits before you deal. A stock deal adds one card to every column and may disrupt useful sequences. Dealing remains an option when the visible layout offers no useful improvement.

Look one move ahead

The key details are straightforward. Try to leave more than one useful destination when the layout allows it. Moving a small segment may release a second move that was previously blocked. No simple rule can guarantee success on every randomly shuffled deal. Ask what a move will let you do next rather than considering only the first destination.

Compare a different line

Keep these details in mind. Compare what each alternative reveals instead of repeating the same sequence without a new idea. Undo restores the previous card state, including flips and collected runs. Replay is useful when you want to revisit the opening arrangement of the same deal. The timer does not move backward when you undo.

Make the final decision

The key details are straightforward. The suggested move may be useful for investigation without leading to a win. Repeatedly using Hint cycles through the available suggestions for the current position. Hints search legal moves in the visible position. A hint does not reveal the stock or hidden tableau cards.

Choose a comfortable challenge

Keep these details in mind. A short, focused session can be more useful for learning than rushing to finish a difficult deal. Four suits gives you more suit conflicts to resolve using the same rules. One suit is useful for practicing rank order and the controls. Two suits introduces the difference between a descending build and a movable same-suit group.