Scorpion

How to play Scorpion

Scorpion deals seven columns of seven cards — the first four columns hide their bottom three cards face-down — and holds the last three cards in a face-down reserve. Your goal is four complete King-to-Ace runs, each in a single suit, built right on the tableau. Two rules do all the work: you may pick up any face-up card together with everything stacked on top of it, in order or not; and you may set that stack down only on the same-suit card exactly one rank higher than its bottom card. Only a King may move to an empty column, and a finished run lifts off the board automatically.

Tap a card to send it to its one legal destination, or drag the stack yourself. When moves dry up, tap the reserve to deal its three cards onto the first three columns — you only get to do that once. Undo is unlimited.

Strategy tips

• Flip the face-down cards first. Twelve cards start hidden in the first four columns, and any of them can be a run-critical card — prioritize moves that empty the cards sitting on them.
• Read the whole chain before you move. Because stacks carry their cargo, one move changes several columns' futures — check what you bury as carefully as what you free.
• Beware of burying a card under its own sequence. If the 9♠ ends up on top of the 10♠, that pair can never come apart except by moving the 9♠ away — and if there's junk on top too, you may be locked out entirely. These self-burials are the most common way a deal dies.
• Value empty columns like gold. Only Kings can fill them, so free one when a King (ideally with a useful tail) is ready to take it.
• Hold the reserve for a genuine dead end. Three fresh cards on columns 1–3 can also bury your work there — spend them when you're stuck, not merely impatient.

Scorpion vs. Spider Solitaire

Scorpion is often described as Spider Solitaire turned inside out. Spider (two decks) lets any card land on any card one rank higher but only lets tidy same-suit runs travel; Scorpion (one deck) lets any messy stack travel but is strict about where it lands. Traditional Scorpion rules leave finished runs on the table — this version lifts them off automatically, the common online convention, so you can see your progress at a glance.

Frequently asked questions

How do you win Scorpion Solitaire?

Arrange all 52 cards into four King-to-Ace sequences of the same suit. You build directly on the tableau — there are no foundations — and a finished run lifts off automatically. The catch is the placement rule: a card (with everything piled on top of it) may only move onto the same-suit card exactly one rank higher.

Can I move cards that aren't in order?

Yes — that's Scorpion's signature rule. Any face-up card can be picked up along with every card sitting on top of it, whether or not that stack is in sequence. The whole clump moves as one unit. Games are won by deliberately burying and unburying cards, so a messy stack is often a tool, not a mistake.

What does the reserve (the three face-down cards) do?

Scorpion deals 49 of the 52 cards at the start; the last three wait face-down in reserve. Tap the reserve at any time to deal them face-up onto the first three columns — once, with no redeal. Most players hold the reserve until they run out of useful moves, since it can unblock a stuck position.

How is Scorpion different from Spider Solitaire?

Spider plays with two decks, lets you place any descending card regardless of suit, but only lets you pick up tidy same-suit runs. Scorpion is the mirror image with one deck: you can pick up anything face-up, ordered or not, but may only place onto the same-suit card one rank higher. Spider is about tidying; Scorpion is about excavation.

Is every Scorpion deal winnable?

No — a meaningful share of deals are dead on arrival, often because a needed card is buried under its own sequence with no way to dig it out. Unlimited undo lets you rewind a bad line, and Restart deal replays the same layout so you can try a different excavation order.

Do I need an account to save my stats?

No. Games played, win rate, streaks and best times are stored in your browser on this device. Nothing is uploaded and there is nothing to sign up for.