When to Deal in Spider Solitaire (and When to Wait)

When you deal, every occupied column gets a new card on top. Cards you've carefully organized — particularly partially completed in-suit sequences — can be buried under a random card that breaks the sequence. An 8 of spades sitting ready to receive a 7 of spades might suddenly have a 3 of hearts on top of it.

Dealing also increases board complexity. With 10 more face-up cards in play, there are more potential moves — but also more distracting possibilities that pull attention from the most important ones. Many players find the board hardest to read immediately after a deal.

Before dealing, check: is there an empty column? If yes, try harder to use it productively before burying it under a new card. Dealing into an empty column fills it, costing you that flexibility. Fill the empty column strategically — or protect it by making another column empty first — before dealing.

Also check whether any in-suit sequences are nearly complete. A 6-card in-suit run from King to 8 is close to becoming a completed sequence (K through A removes it). Dealing one card away from completion when you're 6 steps out is reasonable. Dealing when you're 2 steps out is almost always wrong.

If you have no empty columns and no legal moves that build in-suit sequences, dealing is probably correct. If you have empty columns but can't figure out any productive way to use them after careful review, dealing may be the right call to get fresh cards.

Also deal if the board is highly fragmented — many short mixed-suit columns with no clear consolidation paths. Sometimes a fresh set of cards randomizes the board enough to create new options, even if it feels backward.

This is the most expensive dealing mistake. If any column is empty, dealing will place a card there — permanently consuming that empty column for a single random card. Before every deal, make sure all 10 columns are occupied. If a column just became empty, either use it productively right now or decide to leave that column empty and skip dealing until you're ready.