How to Play Brown Recluse Solitaire

A two-deck Spider variant that deals just one card to each of 10 tableau piles, then feeds the rest through a stock and waste pile. The goal: Sort every tableau pile into one descending run from top to bottom, regardless of suit. A pile that becomes a complete run can then move to the foundations.

Setup

1. Deal 1 card face up to each of 10 tableau piles.
2. Place remaining cards as the stock pile.
3. Leave space for a waste pile and the foundations.

How to play

• Click the stock to deal one card to the waste pile.
• Build tableau piles down by rank regardless of suit—any 6 can go on any 7.
• Only a same-suit, unbroken run of cards can be moved together as a group.
• Move the top waste card onto a tableau pile if it fits the descending build rule.
• When a tableau pile empties, it automatically refills with the top waste card, or the top stock card if the waste is empty.
• If both the stock and waste run out, only a King can be placed on an empty tableau pile.
• Ranks wrap from Ace back to King on the tableau, so a King can also be built onto an Ace.
• When a tableau pile is sorted into one complete descending run, you can send it to the foundations.

How to win

Objective: Sort every tableau pile into one descending run from top to bottom, regardless of suit. A pile that becomes a complete run can then move to the foundations.

Win by sorting every tableau pile into a single descending run; you can then send completed runs to the foundations. You're stuck when the stock runs out and no more moves remain.

Tips

• Try to keep runs in the same suit together—only matching-suit sequences can move as a group.
• Use empty piles sparingly; they're valuable for maneuvering, and only a King can start one once the stock and waste are gone.
• Plan your builds so each pile becomes one complete descending run, which you can then send to the foundations.

Play Brown Recluse free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Brown Recluse alongside 300+ other games. It saves every move as you play, so you can close the window and pick the game up later, replay any deal, and take on a new Daily Challenge deal every day. Browse every game in the Game Gallery.

Related games

More games from the Spider family:

• Double Jane — This massive four-deck game spreads 208 cards across 16 foundations and a rising, all-face-up tableau.
• Fair Maids — Build descending sequences in the tableau one rank at a time in any suit, then move complete 13-card runs to the foundations.
• Fred's Spider — A two-deck Spider variant where every tableau card is dealt face up and cards may be sent to the foundations as they become ready, making it more forgiving than classic Spider.
• Gypsy — A two-deck game combining Spider and Klondike elements.
• Irmgard — Build in alternating colors across nine tableau piles while the stock feeds new cards.