Two suits: what is different
The two-suit game uses the same 104 cards, ten piles and five rows in the stock as every Spider deal, but the cards come in two suits: four sets of spades and four of hearts. You may still place any card on one rank higher, so a red 7 can go on a black 8. The catch arrives when you want to move it again: cards only travel together while they share a suit. A stack built in mixed suits is legal, but it is stuck, and it can bury the face-down cards you need.
| A stack on the table | What you can lift in one move |
|---|---|
| 9♠ 8♠ 7♠ 6♠ | All four cards |
| 9♠ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ | Only 8♥ 7♥ 6♥: the suit changes under them |
| 9♥ 8♠ 7♥ 6♠ | Only the 6♠, one card at a time |
That is the whole skill of the two-suit game: keep as many stacks as you can in one suit, and when you must mix, know how you will sort it out later.
Playing a two-suit deal
Read the table before your first move. Count which piles show spades and which show hearts, and look for a card that could go on a card of its own suit; that is a clean build, and it is nearly always better than the same rank in the other suit. When you have to build across suits to turn over a card, do it on the pile you plan to clear soon.
With Deals set to Winnable, the game deals only after its solver has won that exact deal, so every two-suit game you get has a way through. The Daily deal for two suits is the same for everyone each day; choose 2 suits on the home screen first. Your first two-suit win also unlocks the Emerald table colour in Themes.
Strategy for two suits
- Clean beats quick. Given an 8♠ and an 8♥ to place a 7♠ on, choose the spade even if the heart turns a card. A mixed join costs you a move later.
- Use an empty pile as a sorting tray. Move the top run of a mixed stack into the empty pile, rebuild the cards underneath in suit, then bring the run back. This is how two-suit games are won.
- Mix on purpose, not by habit. A cross-suit build is fine when it turns over a card on a short pile you can clear next. Avoid it on a pile with many cards still face down.
- Finish runs when you can. A complete King-to-Ace run in one suit leaves the table at once and frees its space; do not split one to grab a single card.
- Deal from a strong position. Before you tap the stock, fill every empty pile and make each clean build you can, since ten new cards will land on top.
Between one suit and four
If two suits feels like a wall, step back to one-suit Spider for a few deals: it uses the same layout and teaches you to manage empty piles. When two suits feels easy, four-suit Spider adds clubs and diamonds and has no winnable option, so some deals cannot be won at all. Statistics, best scores and streaks are kept for each number of suits. Read the full rules in our guide to Spider solitaire, or browse the other patience games on our card games page.
Questions
Is two-suit Spider much harder than one suit?
Yes, noticeably. You win far fewer deals at first, because mixed stacks cannot move as one. Most players find it the most rewarding level once they learn to sort stacks through an empty pile.
Which suits are used?
Spades and hearts, 52 cards of each, so you finish four runs of each suit.
Can a two-suit deal be impossible?
A random one can. Choose Winnable deals and you only get deals the solver has already won.
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Play Spider · 2 suitsOpens with 2 suits chosen
