# Extremely important Spider question **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2005, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142 "2005-06-13T20:55:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/1 "2005-06-13T20:55:08Z")
Do you play the four suit version? Do you ever win? Any tips for winning at four suits? I win at two suits almost every time, but I’ve never even come close in four suits. I’ve gotten bored with two suits and am playing four suits now. It wouldn’t be there if you could only win 1 out of 1000 times… would it? Does anyone play that blasted version? Please help. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/2 "2005-06-13T20:59:46Z")
I play four suits, and win about 1/10. No grand strategies other than try to empty out columns, use the cards with the smaller stacks first, and avoid stacking different suits unless you absolutely have to. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/3 "2005-06-13T21:04:26Z")
Well, one in ten is way better than I was thinking. Cool. How many times do you play a game before you give up. Not an obvious loser, but one with a little possibility? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/4 "2005-06-13T21:07:36Z")
Once? ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/5 "2005-06-13T21:10:54Z")
Really? You don’t ever restart, just go on to the next game? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Damage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@Mister\_Damage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Damage)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/6 "2005-06-14T00:10:36Z")
I win about 40% of the four-suit games I play (over 1000 games played); as for strategy, I guess I have a couple of basic rules: 1. Try to get at least one column down to zero as soon as possible (even at the expense of stacking by suit, especially early in the game) 2. Always stack by suit, except where this conflicts with Rule 1 — this includes readjusting stacks to get sequences of the same suit to be as long as possible One other thing I will do which some may regard as cheating (or at least not entirely kosher) is that I will use CTRL-Z (undo) to help evaluate when choosing between a couple of options — most often when choosing between two moves that will expose a new face-down card. I don’t regard this as cheating for two reasons: 1. The game lets you do it. 2. Each “undo” costs you a point, just like a regular move. I doubt I’d have a 40% win rate if I didn’t use CTRL-Z when I feel it is necessary, and I still have a high score of 1122, even with the extra point deductions (you start with 500, you get 100 for each of the 8 suits, so in a game you win, the final score will be 1300 - [# of moves], so my fastest win was in 178 moves). ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Damage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@Mister\_Damage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Damage)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/7 "2005-07-12T13:23:22Z")
I just ran into this, and thought I’d post here: I was playing a game of single-suit Spider, just to see how it compared with four-suit Spider, and I’m sitting here stuck with three deals to go, because the game won’t let me deal any more cards. Why? Because “You are not allowed to deal a new row while there are any empty slots” — you see, I only have nine cards left on the table, and there are ten slots. There is no way for me to cover all ten slots, but the game still won’t let me deal a new row. I’m not sure if this is a bug, or just an overly-strict interpretation of the rules, but I know I’ll start paying more attention before I clear a suit when I still have cards to deal. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/8 "2005-07-12T18:24:45Z")
> [@Mister Damage](#): > > I just ran into this, and thought I’d post here: > > I was playing a game of single-suit Spider, just to see how it compared with four-suit Spider, and I’m sitting here stuck with three deals to go, because the game won’t let me deal any more cards. > > Why? Because “You are not allowed to deal a new row while there are any empty slots” — you see, I only have nine cards left on the table, and there are ten slots. There is no way for me to cover all ten slots, but the game still won’t let me deal a new row. I’m not sure if this is a bug, or just an overly-strict interpretation of the rules, but I know I’ll start paying more attention before I clear a suit when I still have cards to deal. Yup, I have encountered the same thing. I saved the game, so I could prove to my wife that it happened. But I have **never** won at four suit. And only about 25% of two suit. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/9 "2005-07-12T18:41:20Z")
I truly suck, and I am humbled. I win 62% (currently) of the single suit games, and only 20% of the double suit games. Four suits makes my neck twitch. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/10 "2005-07-12T18:48:27Z")
Ya know, I felt that way about four suits for a long time, but I got wicked tired of two suits, and once you get used to it, four suits is fun and it makes you think. ---
**Author:** ![harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/2acd7d/32.png) [@harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmless)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/11 "2005-07-12T18:53:25Z")
I’ve been _thisclose_ to winning before with four suits. Two suits? No problem. The four suit play is danged addictive, is what it is. Good thing I gave it up for the Straight Dope and Sims2. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2005, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extremely-important-spider-question/308142/12 "2005-07-12T19:13:17Z")
**Mister Damage** , I learned the hard way that you always need ten cards, even if you can get rid of them, in single suit. 🙂 I’m at the point where I win about a third of my two-suit games. I want to get up to at least 75% before I start on the four-suit. I tried it once, and it almost made me cry with frustration. 'Course, that’s not hard to do …