What is Two-suit Spider?
Two-suit Spider is played exactly like the one-suit game, with the same deal and the same rules. The 104 cards are 52 spades and 52 hearts: four of each rank in each suit. Ten columns are dealt, four of 6 cards and six of 5, with only the last card of each face up, and the other 50 cards wait in the stock for five deals of ten.
You still build down by one rank in any suit, so a 7 of Hearts may go on an 8 of Spades. But only cards in order and of one suit move together, and only a King-to-Ace run of one suit leaves the table. A heart built on a spade splits a run in two: the cards above the break can move, the cards below can't come with them.
The game becomes a matter of choosing well. When two cards fit, the one of the same suit is nearly always better, and an empty column is what lets you take a mixed run apart and rebuild it in suit. Four runs of spades and four of hearts win the game.
Rule changes
| Rule | Standard Spider Solitaire | Two-suit Spider |
|---|---|---|
| The 104 cards | Standard Spider SolitaireAll spades: eight of each rank. | Two-suit Spider52 spades and 52 hearts: four of each rank in each suit. |
| Building in the columns | Standard Spider SolitaireDown one rank, and every build is in suit. | Two-suit SpiderDown one rank in any suit, so a build can mix spades and hearts. |
| Moving runs | Standard Spider SolitaireAny cards in order move together. | Two-suit SpiderOnly cards in order and of one suit move together. |
| Empty columns | Standard Spider SolitaireHandy for parking cards. | Two-suit SpiderNeeded to take mixed runs apart and rebuild them in suit. |
| Difficulty | Standard Spider SolitaireThe easiest version: most deals can be won. | Two-suit SpiderClearly harder: more deals end with no moves left. |
History
Spider was first described as a game for two ordinary packs, four suits in all. The earliest printed description patience researchers have found is a magazine article of 1937, and by 1949 Albert Morehead and Geoffrey Mott-Smith were describing the deal still used today.
The one- and two-suit versions came later as easier ways to play the same game. Nothing changes but the cards: the 104 cards repeat one or two suits instead of four. Two suits sits between the other two in difficulty.