How Many Decks in Spider Cards

The answer is 2,4 or 8 decks depending…

There are 104 cards used in the Microsoft version of Spider Cards found on most computers. Game options allow you to change the skill level which may require up to 8 decks of cards to build a game deck of 104 cards.

All game levels use 104 cards, equivalent to 2 decks of cards. Depending on the game level you will need 2, 4 or 8 decks of cards to build a game deck.

• The 4 suit advanced game uses 2 decks with all suits included. In this game you will see 2 of each card. (2 decks required)
• The 2 suit intermediate game uses hearts and spades only. In this game you will see 4 of each card. (4 decks required)
• The 1 suit beginners game uses spades only. In this game you will see 8 of each card. (8 decks required)

More Spider Solitaire strategy can be found at SpiderCards.com.

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Spider Card Game Selection

Skip those loosing Spider Card games before you start.

You know some Spider Card games are just losers from the start. Spider solitaire is a challenging game. That’s what makes it fun (and sometimes frustrating). But when you are dealt a hand that can not be won just skip it. Deal a new hand before you play the first card and the game is ignored in the game stats.

3 or more kings on the opening deal; there is no hope of a win.

Think about it logically; 30% of the blind cards are inaccessible until you move the kings to a free cell. That’s about 12% of all game cards. That makes it extremely difficult to empty a tableau pile to move the king and gain access to the blind cards.

And of course as experienced players know, the secret to beating the spider is being able to exploit those empty tableau piles to move cards around. Therefore; when moving a king to gain access to the tableau cards, you lose a free tableau pile. It is a no win situation.

Aces are also trouble.

When dealt 3 or more aces your possible moves are decreased to 60% or less. It is true that aces are buried each deal, but they keep resurfacing and end any future moves to that tableau pile. Therefore; you need to constantly re-deal the cards until they are gone and the game is lost.

Multiples of any card.

Lets face it when you are dealt 4 of any card and 3 of another your playing options are very limited. This type of deal should be a rarity, but it happens all the time. Think about it; there are 10 tableau piles and 13 cards. While an occasional pair is to be expected, 70% of all cards split between two cards is a difficult game start.

For me I enjoy playing Spider Cards when I think I can win; so, I usually skip the following game starts.

• Two or more kings
• Two or more aces.
• Three or more of any card.

For Spider Card Game winning tips and strategies go to SpiderCards.com