Scorpion Solitaire

Scorpion is a one-deck solitaire in which you may pick up any face-up card, even from the middle of a column, and carry everything above it along. The cards you carry do not have to be in order; only the card at the bottom of the bundle has to fit where you drop it.

This freedom sets Scorpion apart from Spider and Klondike, and it makes the game feel like rearranging a messy desk. Even so, most deals cannot be won.

Rules step by step

1. The deal. Seven columns of seven cards are dealt. The first four columns hide three face-down cards under four face-up cards. The last three columns are entirely face up. Three cards are left over and form the stock, set aside.
2. Build down in suit. A card can go on a card of the same suit that is one rank higher. The seven of hearts goes on the eight of hearts, and on nothing else.
3. Lift any face-up card. Tap a face-up card and it travels with every card on top of it, in order or not. The lifted card must fit the column you drop it on. The cards above it have no conditions.
4. Uncover hidden cards. When you take the last face-up card off a column, the face-down card beneath it turns over by itself.
5. Empty columns take kings. Only a king, with whatever sits on it, can move into an empty column.
6. Deal the stock. At any time you may tap the stock once. It puts one card face up on each of the first three columns, whether or not they fit. You get this deal once per game.
7. Complete a run. A run of one suit from king down to ace is removed from the table as soon as it is complete.
8. Win by removing all four runs. The table is then empty.

There is no score in this version, only time and moves.

Why most deals fail

Because there is only one deck, each card has exactly one place it can ever sit: the same suit, one rank up. A seven is only ever happy on its own eight. If the eight is buried under three cards that cannot move, that seven is stuck too. Many layouts contain a loop of such dependencies, and no sequence of moves breaks it.

The stock deal is both a lifeline and a risk. It adds three cards to the first three columns, which can cover something you needed or hand you exactly the card that frees a column.

Strategy

• Look for chains before you move. Scan for cards that already sit on their own suit and one rank up. Moving the bottom card of a chain moves the whole chain, so build chains rather than breaking them.
• Dig the long face-down columns first. The four columns with hidden cards decide the game. Turning those cards over gives you information and new moves.
• Be careful with the stock. Before dealing, check which cards would land on columns 1 to 3, and whether any of them is the king or the card you are waiting for. The stock is best used when you have run out of useful moves, not as a first step.
• Plan an empty column with a king ready. An empty column only helps if a king can fill it. A king that already sits at the bottom of a column is a good anchor to build on.
• Count the suits. Keep track of where the cards of one suit sit. If the six of spades is under the king of spades, you may have to move the king first.
• Use undo. It is free. Try a line, see what it uncovers and take it back if it closes a door.

Frequently asked questions

Can every Scorpion deal be won?

No, and this is the honest part. We checked random deals with a solver that sees every card, including the face-down ones. It found a win in roughly one deal out of eight and found none for most of the others. The deals this page gives you come from a pool that the solver has already won, so each of them has at least one winning line. That also means the pool leans toward easier deals than a random shuffle would give you, because only deals the solver could finish are kept.

How is Scorpion different from Spider?

Spider uses two decks, builds down in any suit and lets you lift only a clean same-suit run. Scorpion builds in suit but lets you lift any card with all cards above it. Spider deals ten cards at a time; Scorpion deals three, once.

Can I deal the stock whenever I like?

Yes, once, at any moment. No column has to be empty first.

Do I need an account?

No. Settings, stats and the game in progress stay in your browser. The privacy page lists the entries.

Related games

• Spiderette is the one-deck Spider with seven columns and almost always winnable deals.
• Spider uses two decks and ten columns.
• Klondike is the classic starting point.
• FreeCell shows every card from the start.

Last updated 2026-10-30