Spider Solitaire with nothing hidden: one deck, ten columns, every card face up and no stock. Build a suit from King down to Ace in a column and it leaves the table.
How to Play Simple Simon
Simple Simon is Spider Solitaire with nothing hidden. It uses one deck, ten columns and no stock, and every card is dealt face up, so from the very first move you can see the whole game in front of you. The rules are as easy as the name suggests, but winning takes careful planning.
The Objective
Build all four suits into runs from King down to Ace, each run in a single suit. A finished run leaves the table and goes to the foundations. You win when all four runs are complete.
The Setup
One standard deck is dealt face up into ten columns. The first three columns get eight cards each, and the next seven get seven, six, five, four, three, two and one card. All 52 cards are on the table, so there is no stock to deal from.
The Rules
- Build down by rank. Any card can go on a card one rank higher, whatever its suit. A 6 of clubs can go on a 7 of hearts.
- Move runs of one suit. A group of cards can move together only when it is a run in a single suit, such as the 9, 8 and 7 of spades. Mixed-suit groups must be taken apart card by card.
- Use empty columns. An empty column can take any card or any same-suit run.
- Complete a run. When a column holds the King to Ace of one suit in order, the whole run leaves the table on its own.
Aces are low: nothing can be placed on an Ace, and Kings can only go into empty columns.
Simple Simon Strategy Tips
- Build in suit whenever you can. Mixed-suit stacks are allowed, but they can't move as a group. When you have a choice of two places for a card, pick the one of its own suit.
- Empty a column early. The short columns on the right are there to be cleared. An empty column is your most powerful tool: it lets you take apart a mixed stack and rebuild it in suit.
- Don't fill an empty column without a reason. Every card you park there takes away your freedom. Fill it when doing so unlocks something useful, such as a long run that can then sort itself.
- Look at the whole table first. Every card is face up, so take a moment before your first move to see where the Kings and Aces are and which columns hide the cards you need.
- Work on one suit at a time. Gathering one suit into a complete run frees a column and removes thirteen cards from the table, which makes the rest much easier.
- Use Undo to explore. Undo has no limit, so you can try a line of play and take it back if it leads nowhere.
Playing Simple Simon on Solitaire Parlor
- Tap or click a card to send it to the best legal spot, or drag and drop it where you want it. A same-suit run moves together.
- Undo takes back as many moves as you like, and Hint highlights a useful move.
- Restart replays the same deal. New Game deals a new numbered deal, and Daily Deal gives everyone the same deal each day.
- Stats records games played and won, win rate, best time, your win streaks and the badges you have earned.
- Settings changes the table color and card backs, turns on four-color suits, switches sounds on or off, and can start a numbered deal.
Your game and stats save automatically in your own browser. There is no sign-up and nothing to download.
About Simple Simon
Simple Simon is a younger game than most classic patience games, and it became popular through computer solitaire collections. It belongs to the Spider family: like Spider Solitaire, it builds runs inside the columns and lets finished runs leave the table, and like Spiderette, it uses just one deck. What sets it apart is that every card is visible from the start, which turns it into a puzzle you can plan rather than a game of hidden cards.
If you like seeing every card, try FreeCell next. For the full two-deck challenge, play Spider with two suits.
Simple Simon FAQ
Is Simple Simon free to play?
Yes. Play it in your web browser with a mouse or touchscreen. There is no sign-up and nothing to download.
How is Simple Simon different from Spider?
Spider uses two decks, deals many cards face down and has a stock that adds a row of cards at a time. Simple Simon uses one deck, deals every card face up and has no stock at all.
Can every game of Simple Simon be won?
No, but many can with careful play, and seeing every card gives you a real chance to work it out. If you get stuck, Undo and try another order.
Can I put any card in an empty column?
Yes. Any single card, or any run in one suit, can move into an empty column.