Play Simple Simon Solitaire
Every card face up, no stock, ten columns. Deal a free game of Simple Simon below and sort four suits from King to Ace.
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Simple Simon is a one-deck Spider game where every card is dealt face up and there’s no stock. You build down in any suit across ten columns, move same-suit runs as a group, and win by sorting the deck into four King-to-Ace runs, one per suit.
How the Simple Simon deal is laid out
The whole deck of 52 cards goes onto the table at once, all face up, in 10 columns. The first three columns get eight cards each. The fourth gets seven, the fifth six, and so on down to a single card in the tenth column.
So you can see every card from the first move. Nothing is hidden and nothing arrives later.
Simple Simon rules
These rules follow Pretty Good Solitaire’s Simple Simon page.
- Building. Put a card on any card one rank higher, in any suit. A 10 of diamonds can go on a Jack of spades.
- Moving. Move a single card, or a run that goes down in sequence in one suit.
- Empty columns. Any card, or any legal run, can fill an empty column.
- No stock. All the cards are dealt at the start.
- Winning. Sort all the cards into four runs, King down to Ace, each in one suit.
How Simple Simon differs from Spider
Simple Simon keeps Spider’s core rules: build in any suit, move only same-suit runs, build full King-to-Ace runs. Pretty Good Solitaire also notes it bears some resemblance to Scorpion Solitaire, which deals most of its cards face up too.
| Simple Simon | 2-suit Spider | |
|---|---|---|
| Decks | 1 | 2 |
| Columns | 10 | 10 |
| Face-down cards | None | All but the top card of each column |
| Stock | None | Dealt a row at a time |
| Runs to build | 4 | 8 |
The missing stock and the open deal change how you play. In Spider, you don’t know what’s under each column or what the next deal brings. In Simple Simon, the whole deal is in front of you, so the game is about planning. Pretty Good Solitaire rates it as easy, and calls it mostly skill.
Simple Simon strategy
Empty the short columns first
The last columns start with one, two and three cards. Those are the quickest to clear, and empty columns are the key to Simple Simon. Before you make a move anywhere else, look at whether you can empty the tenth column, then the ninth.
Move mixed runs in pieces
Only same-suit runs move as one group. But you can still move a mixed run if you break it into its same-suit parts and park them. Wikipedia’s Simple Simon article compares this to FreeCell.
Here’s how it works. Say a column ends in the 9 of hearts, 8 of hearts, 7 of clubs, 6 of clubs, and you want all four on a 10. Move the 7-6 of clubs into an empty column. Move the 9-8 of hearts onto the 10. Then move the 7-6 of clubs back onto the 8 of hearts. One empty column moved a two-part run. More empty columns let you move runs with more parts.
Build in suit even when you don’t have to
Any-suit building is allowed, but a same-suit build is worth more. Pretty Good Solitaire’s tip is to prefer same-suit sequences. Every suit change in a run is one more piece you’ll need a free spot for later.
Plan the Kings
A King can only move to an empty column, since no card ranks above it. A King in the middle of a long column, with low cards under it, will need an empty column of its own. Count your empty columns before you commit to freeing one.
Look before the first move
You can see everything, so spend a moment on the opening layout. Note which suits have their Kings near the bottom of a column, since those are natural places to build a full run. Note which low cards are trapped under high ones.
Play Simple Simon free
The board 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, auto-complete and stats saved in your browser. Every deal has a number you can share or replay. You can also switch on big-cards mode, left-hand mode, themes and fullscreen.
Other one-deck Spider games: Spiderette uses a Klondike-style deal with a stock, and Will o’ the Wisp Solitaire deals seven columns of three.
Rules source: Pretty Good Solitaire (Goodsol)
Frequently asked questions
Is Simple Simon Solitaire easy?
Pretty Good Solitaire rates Simple Simon as easy and mostly a game of skill. Every card is face up from the start, and there’s no stock, so nothing is hidden and luck plays a small part. The challenge is planning: you need empty columns to move mixed-suit runs, and freeing them takes careful moves.
How do you win Simple Simon?
Sort all 52 cards into four runs, one per suit, each running King, Queen, Jack and down to Ace. You build down in any suit, but only same-suit runs move as a group. Once every card sits in a complete suit run, the game is won. There’s no stock to deal, so every move counts.
What is the difference between Simple Simon and Spider Solitaire?
Spider uses two decks, deals most cards face down and keeps a stock to deal later. Simple Simon uses one deck in ten columns, deals every card face up and has no stock. The building and moving rules are the same: build down in any suit, and move only same-suit runs as a group.
What can go in an empty column in Simple Simon?
Any card or any same-suit run. Empty columns are the most useful thing in the game, because they let you break up mixed runs and move them in parts. Try to empty the short columns on the right early, and keep at least one free while you sort out the longer columns.
Does Simple Simon have a stock pile?
No. Pretty Good Solitaire’s layout deals all the cards to the ten columns at the start: eight cards to each of the first three columns, then seven, six and so on down to one. You see every card from the first move, which is what makes Simple Simon a game of planning.