Play Mrs. Mop Solitaire

What is Mrs. Mop Solitaire?

Mrs. Mop is a two-deck Spider variant in which all 104 cards are visible from the first move. The cards are dealt into thirteen columns of eight cards each. With duplicates of every rank and suit in play, the board is dense and the sequencing challenges are extreme. There is no stock to draw from and no hidden cards to reveal - every constraint and every opportunity is visible from the start.

Mrs. Mop Solitaire history

Mrs. Mop extends the face-up no-stock concept, seen in Simple Simon, to two full decks. The result is a game that requires long-range planning across a wide board with highly constrained maneuvering space. It is considered one of the hardest single-player card games in the Spider family, and its fully open information makes every loss a detailed lesson in sequence planning rather than an unlucky draw.

How to play Mrs. Mop Solitaire

Build the tableau in descending rank regardless of suit. A single card may be placed on any column whose top card is one rank higher. A multi-card stack can only move as a group if it forms a same-suit descending sequence. When a K to A same-suit run of 13 cards forms at the base of a column, it clears to a foundation. Complete all eight foundation sequences to win.

Step-by-step play guide

Survey all thirteen columns before moving anything. The density of duplicates creates deceptive patterns that only become clear with a full board reading.
Identify which pair of same-suit columns is most likely to merge and start consolidation there. Chain effects - where one merge unlocks another - are the engine of a winning game.
Target both copies of each suit simultaneously to avoid one blocking the other. A hearts run that advances while the second hearts run stalls is more dangerous than advancing neither.
Prioritize freeing Kings near the base of columns early, since foundation runs must build from King down to Ace and a buried King arrests an entire suit.
Treat empty columns as premium resources: they require clearing all eight cards from a column and are hard to recreate once filled with mixed-suit cards.
Use undo after each sequence of moves to test long chains before committing. On a thirteen-column board, reversing two moves can save ten moves later.

Two decks: asset and trap. Every suit appears twice in Mrs. Mop. Two hearts runs can merge into one long sequence that clears a foundation - but one can also permanently block the other if mixed-suit moves disrupt the ordering. Every tableau decision involves tracking both copies of each card and how they interact across all thirteen columns.

Strategies to win Mrs. Mop Solitaire

Survey all thirteen columns before making any move. The density of duplicates creates deceptive patterns.
Target the two copies of each suit simultaneously to avoid one blocking the other.
Prioritize freeing Kings early so foundation runs have room to form.
Reserve empty columns for stack extraction rather than casual parking.
Avoid mixing suits in temporary chains that cannot be moved as a unit later. Recovery is extremely costly on a thirteen-column board.

Mrs. Mop Solitaire rules and objective

Any single card may be placed on a column whose top card is exactly one rank higher, regardless of suit. Multi-card stacks require a same-suit descending sequence. Empty columns accept any card or valid stack. Complete all eight K to A same-suit sequences to win.

Deal layout

Feature	Detail
Decks	2 (104 cards total)
Tableau columns	13
Cards per column	8, all face-up
Total dealt at start	104 (all cards)
Stock	None
Foundations	8 (K to A, same suit each)
Single-card tableau rule	Any suit, one rank lower
Stack move rule	Same-suit descending only
Empty column rule	Any card or valid same-suit stack

How Mrs. Mop compares to related games

Game	Decks	Columns	Cards visible	Stock	Win rate
Simple Simon	1	10	All face-up	None	~2-5%
Mrs. Mop	2	13	All face-up	None	~6%
Spider Four Suits	2	10	Partial	50 cards	~12%
Double Scorpion	2	10	Partial	4 reserve	~12%
Josephine	2	10	Partial (4 per col)	64 cards	~24-40%

Mrs. Mop Solitaire variants

The closest relatives are Simple Simon (one deck, ten columns, all face-up), Spider Four Suits (two decks with partial information and stock), and Josephine (two decks with stock and in-suit movement). Mrs. Mop occupies the most demanding position in the face-up no-stock tier.

How difficult is Mrs. Mop Solitaire?

Mrs. Mop is very hard. The thirteen-column layout with eight stacked cards per column, duplicated suits, and no stock creates a combinatorial challenge that overwhelms most players on their first attempts. Even experienced Spider players report low win rates. The fully open board means there is no luck element - only planning quality determines the outcome.

What is the Mrs. Mop win percentage?

A practical benchmark for Mrs. Mop is about 6% wins. It is one of the lowest-win Spider-family formats, but the fully open layout makes each loss highly instructive for advanced planning improvement.

What is the difference between Mrs. Mop and Spider Four Suits?

Spider Four Suits starts with 54 cards dealt (many face-down) and has 50 more in stock across five deal rounds. Mrs. Mop deals all 104 cards face-up from the start with no stock. Spider Four Suits involves partial information and replenishment; Mrs. Mop is a fully open single-phase challenge with no resets and no new cards.

Mrs. Mop Solitaire FAQ

Why are there duplicate cards in Mrs. Mop?

Mrs. Mop uses two complete decks. Every rank and suit appears twice, which means eight foundations must be completed to win. The duplicates create both opportunities and conflicts: two copies of the same card can enable long same-suit merges, but they can also create cross-suit blocking patterns that require deep planning to resolve. Tracking both copies of each key rank across all thirteen columns is essential for advanced play.

How many empty columns will I get?

Empty columns form only when you clear all eight cards from a column. That requires substantial stack consolidation. Treat any empty column as a premium resource. They are hard to create and easy to waste with careless single-card parking. Plan each empty-column clear around a specific sequence extraction task before you begin the clearing process.

Can I undo moves in Mrs. Mop?

Yes, undo is available. Using undo is especially valuable in Mrs. Mop because the density of the board makes it easy to make moves that seem beneficial but foreclose important later options. Using undo to test four-to-six move chains before committing is standard practice for experienced players rather than a sign of weakness.

What is the best opening move in Mrs. Mop?

Identify which columns contain the highest concentration of same-suit sequences and start consolidating there first. Look for a single move that connects two long runs of the same suit - these chain effects are the engine of a successful Mrs. Mop game. Avoid moving single cards across suits early unless it directly enables a same-suit merge.

Is Mrs. Mop harder than Simple Simon?

Yes. Both are face-up no-stock games, but Mrs. Mop doubles the deck count to 104 cards across 13 columns instead of 52 across 10. The extra 3 columns and 52 cards create significantly more inter-suit conflicts. Simple Simon wins roughly 2-5% of games; Mrs. Mop wins roughly 6%, though the larger board makes individual games feel far more complex despite the slightly higher measured win rate.

Mrs. Mop Solitaire