Scorpion and Spider Solitaire are two of the most popular card-sorting games in the solitaire family. Both variations challenge you to build clean descending sequences in the same suit, from King to Ace, to clear them from the board. However, they go about it in very different ways. One is a hybrid puzzle that borrows Yukon’s freedom of card movement, while the other is a massive two-deck test of board management.
Comparing their distinct mechanics and strategies will help you decide which challenge to take on next.
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While both games focus on sorting cards by suit, their deck sizes, layouts, and movement rules create two entirely different games.
| Game Mechanic | Scorpion Solitaire | Spider Solitaire (4 Suits) |
|---|---|---|
| Deck Size | 1 deck (52 cards) | 2 decks (104 cards) |
| Columns on Board | 7 columns | 10 columns |
| Stock Pile Deal | Deals 3 cards at once (once) | Deals 10 cards at once (five times) |
| Stacking Rules | Same suit only (e.g., 6♠ on 7♠) | Any suit descending (but cannot move mixed runs) |
| Moving Card Groups | Any face-up card (and cards resting on it) | Only fully sorted single-suit runs |
| Empty Columns | Kings only | Any card (or sorted sequence) |
| Estimated Win Rate | ~10% to 15% (Strict play) | ~15% to 20% (Expert play) |
In Scorpion, you play with a single 52-card deck dealt into seven columns. The game is a hybrid: you can only stack a card on top of another card of the same suit in descending order, but you can grab any face-up card in a column (regardless of sequence) and move it along with all cards resting on it.
Spider Solitaire uses a double deck (104 cards) across ten columns. In Spider, you can stack cards of any suit on top of each other. However, you can only move a group of cards if they form a perfect descending sequence of the same suit. Stacking mismatched suits blocks your columns.
Why Scorpion is a Tight, Tactical Puzzle
Scorpion feels like a cramped workspace. Because you can only stack cards of the exact same suit on the tableau, finding legal moves is difficult. You cannot temporarily park a Spade on a Heart to clear space.
However, Scorpion gives you the freedom to move unsorted card piles. If you see a card you need, you can grab it along with the messy stack on top of it, and place it on its matching suit card in another column.
The main hurdle in Scorpion is the “tail”—a small reserve of three cards. You deal these last three cards onto the board when you run out of moves, which can either unlock your board or bury your progress. Success depends on exposing the face-down cards in the first four columns and keeping empty columns open for your Kings.
Why Spider Solitaire is a Large-Scale Sorting Task
Spider Solitaire has a much larger board. You have ten columns to manage, which gives you more options, but the double-deck layout makes it easy to get buried in cards.
Spider allows you to stack cards of opposite suits, which makes placing cards easy. The trap, however, is that doing so breaks your sequence. A column containing a Heart stacked on a Spade becomes “dirty”, and you cannot move that stack together. You must work to untangle these mixed columns and group cards of the same suit together.
Spider also has a large stock pile that deals ten cards across all columns. Each deal adds a new layer of cards that blocks your current sequences, forcing you to constantly adapt.
Strategic Tips for Both Games
In Scorpion:
- Expose the Hidden Cards Early: The first four columns contain face-down cards. Focus all your early energy on clearing these columns.
- Keep Columns Open: Only move a King into an empty column if it uncovers a face-down card. If you fill empty columns too early, you lose your only parking spaces.
- Save the Reserve Deal: Do not click the three-card stock pile until you have exhausted every single move on the board.
In Spider:
- Build Single-Suit Columns: Try to build runs in the same suit. Even short runs of 3-4 cards of the same suit are highly valuable.
- Clear Columns for Workspaces: An empty column is the ultimate tool in Spider. Use it to separate mixed-suit stacks and build clean columns.
- Tidy Up Before You Deal: Always clean your columns and make as many single-suit sequences as possible before clicking the stockpile for a new deal.