Play Wasp Solitaire
Wasp is Scorpion with friendlier empty columns. Deal a free game below and build four suits from King to Ace.
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Wasp Solitaire is a one-deck game that plays almost exactly like Scorpion. You build down in suit across seven columns, and you can move any face-up card with everything on top of it. The one difference: any card or group of cards can go into an empty column, not just a King.
How the Wasp deal is laid out
You get one deck of 52 cards dealt into 7 columns of seven. The first four columns each have three face-down cards under four face-up ones. The other three columns are face up from top to bottom. The last three cards wait face down in a reserve.
That’s the same layout as Scorpion Solitaire, card for card.
Wasp Solitaire rules
Pretty Good Solitaire, the main rules reference on this site, doesn’t list Wasp. These rules follow Wikipedia’s description of Wasp, which calls it almost identical to Scorpion apart from the empty-column rule, and the BVS Solitaire Wasp rules, which give the same deal as Scorpion.
- Build down in suit only. The 5 of diamonds goes on the 6 of diamonds.
- Move any face-up card, wherever it sits. All the cards on top of it come along, in any order.
- Fill an empty column with any card or any group of cards.
- A face-down card turns face up once nothing covers it.
- Deal the three reserve cards onto the first three columns, one card each. You can do this once.
- Win by building four complete runs, King to Ace, each in a single suit.
How Wasp differs from Scorpion and Spider
Against Scorpion, there’s one change. Scorpion only lets a King, or a group led by a King, into an empty column. Wasp takes anything. Wikipedia notes this gives you more chances of winning, and it’s easy to see why: in Scorpion, a cleared column sits useless until a King is free to move. In Wasp, it’s useful right away.
Against classic Spider, the gap is wider:
| Wasp | Spider Solitaire | |
|---|---|---|
| Decks | 1 | 2 |
| Columns | 7 | 10 |
| Build | In suit only | Any suit |
| Move | Any face-up card plus what’s on it | Same-suit runs only |
| Empty column | Any card or group | Any card or run |
So Wasp shares Spider’s empty-column rule but keeps Scorpion’s strict building and loose moving.
Wasp Solitaire strategy
Use the empty column as a holding cell
In Wasp an empty column is a parking space. Say the 8 of hearts you need sits under a pile of six unrelated cards. Grab the card just above the 8, with everything on it, and drop the whole group into the empty column. The 8 is now free. You couldn’t do that in Scorpion unless that card happened to be a King.
The catch: once you park a group there, the column is full again. Park only what you’ll clear soon.
Clear a column early
Because an empty column is so useful in Wasp, it’s worth going after one from the first move. The three all-face-up columns on the right can be the quickest to empty, since you can see every card in them and plan each one’s move.
Still open the left side
The face-down cards all sit in the first four columns. A free column helps you get at them. Use it to lift the face-up cards off a face-down pile, flip the hidden card, then sort the parked cards back out.
Untangle stuck runs
The 9 of clubs can’t go on its own 10 if the 10 sits on top of it in the same column. In Scorpion, the only fix is to find the Jack of clubs for that 10. In Wasp you have a second option: move the 10 and everything above it into an empty column. The 9 then has its home free.
Time the reserve
The three reserve cards land on the first three columns and cover what’s there. Clear anything you need from those column tops first, then deal.
Play Wasp on this site
The game above is free and runs in your browser on phone, tablet or desktop, with no sign-up and no download. You get unlimited undo, hints and auto-complete. Each deal has a number you can share. You can also switch on big-cards mode, left-hand mode, themes and fullscreen, and your stats are saved in your browser.
Want the harder original? Try Scorpion. Prefer a softer start? Easy Scorpion reveals more of the deal. For a longer two-deck game, play Double Scorpion Solitaire.
Rules source: Wikipedia: Scorpion (solitaire)
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Wasp and Scorpion Solitaire?
Only the empty-column rule. In Scorpion, an empty column accepts only a King or a group headed by a King. In Wasp, any card or group of cards can go there. The deal, the in-suit building, the any-card moving and the three-card reserve are the same in both games, so you can switch between them without learning anything new.
Is Wasp Solitaire easier than Scorpion?
Yes. Wikipedia says the open empty-column rule gives you more chances of winning than in Scorpion. A cleared column becomes a place to park any group of cards while you dig out the one you need. In Scorpion, that same column waits until you can free a King, which might not happen for many moves.
How do you win Wasp Solitaire?
Build four complete runs in the tableau, each running King, Queen, Jack and down to Ace in one suit. You build down in suit only, and you can move any face-up card along with the cards on top of it. The game is won once every card sits in one of those four runs.
Can you put any card in an empty column in Wasp?
Yes. That’s the rule that makes Wasp different. Any single card can fill an empty column, and so can any group of cards, even if the group isn’t in order. You choose the group by picking up its bottom card, and everything on top of that card moves with it.
When should you deal the Wasp reserve?
Usually after you’ve run out of other good moves. The three reserve cards land one each on the first three columns, covering whatever is on top. Before dealing, move any card you need off those three columns. You get to deal the reserve once per game, so don’t spend it early.