Spiderette
A one-deck Spider-style patience game.
Setup
Deal 7 tableau piles like Klondike. Use the remaining cards as stock.
How to Play
- Build cards downward regardless of suit.
- Move same-suit sequences together.
- Deal one card to each tableau pile from stock when stuck.
- Complete king-to-ace same-suit sequences to remove them.
How to Win
Remove all four complete suit sequences.
Same-suit order matters more than simply making legal moves.
Is Spiderette Right for You?
Spiderette is Spider scaled down to a single deck and a Klondike-sized tableau, building runs down in suit to clear them off. Reach for it when you want Spider's stacking puzzle but a shorter, lighter game.
Maybe skip it if: If you find it frustrating to draw a row only to bury a nearly finished sequence, this one will sting.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Dealing a fresh row before exposing every face-down card you possibly can.
- Mixing suits in a long pile so you can never lift the in-suit run off as a unit.
- Forgetting that a completed K-to-A run is only removed when it is all one suit.
Strategy Tips
- Expose face-down cards as your top priority before ever dealing from the stock.
- Try to keep builds in a single suit so the completed run can actually be removed.
- Empty a column when you can; it is the most flexible space on the board.
Popular Variations
One-Suit Spiderette
Played with a single suit so any descending sequence is movable, making it far more winnable.
Will o' the Wisp
A close relative dealt with all face-up rows of three, which exposes more information.
Our Take
We like Spiderette as a tidy single-deck taste of Spider that fits in a few minutes. It is harder to win than it looks in two suits, so we usually reach for the one-suit version when we just want to finish.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Spiderette different from Spider?
Spiderette uses one 52-card deck and seven columns instead of Spider's two decks and ten columns, so games are shorter.
Can you move a mixed-suit sequence?
You can move cards in descending order regardless of suit, but a sequence is only cleared from play once it runs King to Ace in a single suit.