# Is it possible to win Spider solitaire at the advanced level? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 6, 2007, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955 "2007-01-06T18:59:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/1 "2007-01-06T18:59:35Z")
Have you ever done it? Know anyone that has? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/2 "2007-01-06T19:14:49Z")
I’ve done it several times. I think my best score was around 230. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/3 "2007-01-06T19:16:45Z")
I haven’t done it. I searched a web a few days ago for strategies, to see what I was doing wrong. Seems I’m playing the game pretty much correctly. Some of the sites I hit claim that the game is regularly beatable, but they don’t specifically mention the windows version. I’m playing the one that came with Vista, in four suits. With two suits, I can routinely beat it. I’ve played about 250 games with four suits, and have yet to win one. What can I say - I’m a masochist. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2007, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/4 "2007-01-06T19:59:28Z")
I have won it, maybe 3 or 4 times. My husband wins more frequently. I’m not sure what his secret is. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2007, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/5 "2007-01-07T01:34:22Z")
Yes, I do it about 1 time in 20, and yes, that first time felt pretty good. It does require a willingness to split up runs, and a fanatical devotion to exposing as many cards as possible as early as possible in the game. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/6 "2007-01-11T09:01:31Z")
This thread inspired me to take on Spider Solitaire at the advanced level, and I’d like to report that after 34 games, tonight I beat it in 261 moves for a score of 1039. If not for the encouragement this thread provided, I would never have found the guts to try. _sniff_ 🙂 (Seriously, I always thought it was impossible, too, until reading otherwise.) ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/7 "2007-01-11T17:24:03Z")
The game I know as Spider I have played 20 times and beat it 13 times,so I dont think its the same as the OP’s game.What are the rules to the OP’s game? ---
**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/8 "2007-01-11T17:33:12Z")
Should have posted this with my other post,do any of you have a PC game called Solataires Journey?I started a thread about it but got no response. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/9 "2007-01-11T18:56:23Z")
I usually win about one in every twenty games. I have won twice in a row but never thrice in a row (my elusive goal)! It’s been my non-SDMB time-waster of choice for about 15 years now, though. (Yes, I have a very high boredom threshold, why?) ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/10 "2007-01-11T20:12:52Z")
[QUOTE=MadTheSwine] The game I know as Spider I have played 20 times and beat it 13 times,so I dont think its the same as the OP’s game.What are the rules to the OP’s game? [/QUOTE] [This](http://www.geocities.com/spidersolitairegame/spiderbig.gif) is what the game I’m talking about looks like. It was bundled with my Windows XP software. I don’t really want to try to describe the rules, although someone else is welcome to. There are three levels you can choose from; beginner is one suite of cards, intermediate is two suites, and advanced is four suites. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/11 "2007-01-11T20:58:43Z")
It’s not easy, but I beat it 2 times out of 3. The trick is t save your game at appropriate moments so you can go back. It keeps me busy for an hour or so. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Doctor\_Who](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Who)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/12 "2007-01-11T21:16:51Z")
[QUOTE=Quartz] It’s not easy, but I beat it 2 times out of 3. The trick is t save your game at appropriate moments so you can go back. It keeps me busy for an hour or so. [/QUOTE] Yeah - you can do it that way. In a similar vein, here are three simple tactics to keep in mind in order to beat Spider at the 4 suit level: (1) CTRL-Z. That’s “undo.” So what you do is, see what’s underneath cards / how certain options will play out. Then Ctrl-Z back to your moment of choice and try again. Example: Say you have a 10 showing and 2 9s. Place the first 9 on the 10. See what’s underneath it - and carry on playing. After you get stuck, Ctrl-Z all the way back to your choice of 9s. Try the other choice. Sure it detracts from your score - but it makes the game beatable. (2) Try to get at least one, but hopefully 2 open slots. That is, remove all the cards from one of the slots. That gives you tremendous possibilities to see what’s underneath other cards / begin constructing runs. (3) Don’t slavishly put suits together. Sometimes putting a 3 of hearts on a 4 diams (even when there is a 3 diams available) can be the best move because of what it opens up. In fact, sometimes you may want to split up runs that are already together. Be flexible. Using those three guidelines, you can beat Spider on the highest level. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/13 "2007-01-11T22:24:43Z")
[QUOTE=Doctor Who] (1) CTRL-Z. That’s “undo.” So what you do is, see what’s underneath cards / how certain options will play out. Then Ctrl-Z back to your moment of choice and try again. Example: Say you have a 10 showing and 2 9s. Place the first 9 on the 10. See what’s underneath it - and carry on playing. After you get stuck, Ctrl-Z all the way back to your choice of 9s. Try the other choice. . [/QUOTE] I had no idea you could undo more than one move back! How did I miss that? ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/14 "2007-01-11T22:33:20Z")
[QUOTE=Renee] I had no idea you could undo more than one move back! How did I miss that? [/QUOTE] you can undo all the way back to the deal (unless you have a run run out) ---
**Author:** ![Auntbeast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Auntbeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Auntbeast)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/15 "2007-01-11T22:38:24Z")
I’ve recently switched over to Ubuntu (Linux) and it has solitaire, for some reason, I am much, much worse at this version, haven’t really figured out why. Yes, I’ve beat it, but damned if I know how or why. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2007, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/16 "2007-01-11T23:30:09Z")
The “undo” is critical to winning, you can undo many steps – back to the deal or back to when a full suit was pulled off in order. I play often, I win around 8% of the time. My son thinks that’s a crappy percent to keep me going, but I find it a harmless and mind-numbing kinda game. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/17 "2007-01-12T00:04:12Z")
The undo is the key. I only undo once, but maybe I’ll cheat more now. One or two open slots allows you to swap runs of complementary suits , very helpful. I don’t start a game unless I see three moves in the initial layout. Makes things less frustrating. And I have won twice in a row once! ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Machine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Ice\_Machine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Machine)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/18 "2007-01-12T00:05:16Z")
Major timewaster for me too. I use **Doctor Who** ’s tactics and manage to win 10-15% of the time. My goal is also to win 3 in a row which I haven’t managed yet. ---
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/19 "2007-01-12T02:12:53Z")
I began playing spider 40 years ago–using real cards. I have a Solitaire Master version that has many varieties of spider (such as 4 deck versions). On my current version of Solitaire Master (about 4 years old) I have played 1970 games, with 1968 wins and 2 losses. I am VERY persistent, needless to say. I didn’t realize Windows had spider–I thought it only had free cell. I tried my first game today and won it fairly easily with 338 moves. I made frequent use of the control-z “un-do” feature. Solitaire Master allows you to undo a deal, which Windows does not permit. Three things I’ve learned: The key to winning spider is (for want of a better term) “file maintenance.” Take the time to rearrange and then rearrange again and again to get “in suit” sequences, even short ones. It often seems a waste of time, but later in the game having 5-6 of hearts rather than 5 diamonds-6 hearts can make all the difference. it may take 10 or 20 moves to correct two cards (especially if they are Queens, Jacks or tens), but it’s critical. Also, pick certain suit combinations and stick to them when you can. I do my best to match clubs with hearts and spades with diamonds when I cannot match within a single suit. Do whatever it takes to get those spaces and keep them as clean as possible. You can do amazing things with a couple of spaces especially if you have a couple of long single suit sequences. Don’t be in a hurry to get a full sequence of K-A off the board. Sequences are often extremely useful for expediting file maintenance. I love the game. With practice it is very winnable and (IMHO) the most satisfying of the various solitaire varieties. ---
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2007, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955/20 "2007-01-12T03:03:19Z")
According to my Spider statistics, my win rate is 4%. I, however, don’t play 75% of the games I start past the first deal, because I figure they’re losers and stop. It might be fractionally higher if I gave a few more of those games a chance. My longest winning streak is 3. My highest score is 1112. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-win-spider-solitaire-at-the-advanced-level/386955.md?page=2)