Why Scorpion is tricky
Scorpion gives you powerful movement freedom, but demands strict same-suit construction. That combination makes early planning and suit organization much more important than in more forgiving tableau games.
Full rules
The 52 cards are dealt into seven columns. Columns 1–4 receive seven cards each: the bottom three are face-down and the top four face-up. Columns 5–7 are fully face-up. Three cards remain as a reserve, dealt one to each of the first three columns when chosen.
Any face-up card moves with everything above it, provided the destination is one rank higher and the same suit. Empty columns accept only a King-headed group. Build all four complete K–A same-suit runs in the tableau to win.
How Scorpion differs from Yukon and Spider
Scorpion requires same-suit placement, but any face-up card can carry the cards above it even when that tail is unordered. Spider requires its moved group to be an ordered same-suit run. Both games automatically remove a completed run in this implementation.
Read the full Scorpion strategy guide →
Account for the carried tail
You cannot place a card on a different suit. You can, however, carry an unordered tail above a correctly placed lead card. Check whether that tail will cover a useful rank at the destination and where it can move next. Evaluating the whole group is the core strategic habit in Scorpion.
Read the Scorpion strategy guide →
Scorpion is part of The Web · Spider & Scorpion.
More Spider & Scorpion games
- Three Blind Mice — Ten-column Scorpion with a two-card reserve.
- Wasp — Scorpion where empty columns accept anything.
- Spider — Build same-suit sequences to clear the board.
- Beetle — Two-deck Spider cousin with ten columns.
- Mrs. Mop — Two-deck open Spider, all face-up.
- Relaxed Spider — Spider with relaxed redeal rule.
Also try
- Beleaguered Castle (Castle games) — Eight columns flanking four aces.
- Calculation (Waste-pile builders) — Race four foundations built by fixed increments.
- Canfield (Canfield family) — Compact reserve patience with wrap-around foundations.
Learn