How to play Scorpion Solitaire

Seven columns of seven cards are dealt. In the four left columns the bottom three cards are face down; every other card is face up. The last three cards are a reserve.

Pick any face-up card and move it, with every card on top of it, onto a card of the same suit one rank higher. Only the card you grab has to fit; the cards above it come along in whatever order they are in. A face-down card flips when uncovered.

Only a King, with whatever sits on it, can fill an empty column. When a column holds a full King-to-Ace run of one suit, it is removed. Complete four runs to win.

The reserve and how Scorpion differs from Spider

When you are stuck, deal the reserve: one card goes onto each of the first three columns. You get this deal once.

Unlike Spider, you can move unordered groups, and there is no stock that deals a whole new row. Nearly every card is on the table from the start, so the game is about untangling columns, not waiting for new cards.

Scorpion Solitaire tips

• Uncover the face-down cards in the left four columns first.
• Watch for a King buried in the middle of a column. Getting it to an empty column often opens the whole game.
• Don't deal the reserve too early. Save it for when no useful moves remain.
• Moving a big unordered group is fine if it frees a card you need.
• Use Hint and Undo to test moves before you commit.

Is Scorpion solitaire free?

Yes. HypeGameRoom is free: no sign-up, no download and nothing to buy to play. Arcade games reward Neons, a play-only currency that can never be cashed out.

Do the cards I move have to be in order?

No. Only the card you pick up must be one rank lower and the same suit as the card you drop it on.

What do the three reserve cards do?

Dealing them puts one card on each of the first three columns. You can do it once per game.

How is Scorpion different from Spider?

Scorpion uses one deck, deals almost everything at the start and lets you move unordered groups. Spider uses runs only and deals new rows from the stock.