Play Simple Simon Solitaire

What is Simple Simon Solitaire?

Simple Simon is a single-deck Spider-family variant designed for pure strategy. All 52 cards are visible from the first move, distributed across ten columns in decreasing sizes: 8, 8, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The absence of a stock means every decision carries full consequence - there are no new cards to bail you out. It is one of the few solitaire games where luck plays no role after the initial deal.

Simple Simon Solitaire history

Simple Simon is attributed to the early 20th century English card game tradition and appears in numerous classic solitaire compilations. Its defining feature - complete information from the first move - was an early experiment in turning a luck-dependent card game into a pure skill puzzle. The name may reference the nursery rhyme character, implying that despite appearing "simple," the game demands sophisticated planning to win.

Simple Simon deal layout

One deck deals across ten columns in a stepped pyramid. All cards face-up from the start. No stock at all - every card is on the board before move one.

Column	Cards	Face-up	Notes
1, 2, 3	8 each	8	Deepest columns - highest planning complexity
4	7	7	Second tier
5	6	6	Third tier
6	5	5	Fourth tier
7	4	4	Fifth tier
8	3	3	Sixth tier
9	2	2	Seventh tier
10	1	1	Shallowest - single card, empties first
Stock	0	0	No stock exists - all cards are dealt initially

How to play Simple Simon Solitaire - step by step

Before your first move, scan the entire layout. Identify where all four Kings sit and trace the path each one needs to build its K-to-A same-suit run. This pre-move analysis is essential - Simple Simon has no undo safety net beyond the provided button.
Plan your first moves around clearing blockers from the shallowest columns (8-10). These short columns empty fastest and create the empty-column workspaces you need for rearranging deeper columns.
Use single-card moves to reposition blocking cards onto columns with a one-higher top card of any suit. This frees up space without requiring in-suit sequences.
Build same-suit descending runs whenever the full sequence is visible. Only a same-suit descending run can be moved as a group - mixed stacks are immobile.
When a complete King-to-Ace same-suit run forms at the base of a column, it clears to a foundation automatically. Aim to complete one suit at a time to reduce collision pressure.
Use empty columns as temporary holding spaces for blocking cards that must be moved out of the way before the card beneath them can join its suit run.

Strategies to win Simple Simon Solitaire

Work backward from the kings - identify which cards block each K-to-A path before moving anything.
Prioritize building complete same-suit sequences over rapid column consolidation that looks tidy but blocks future moves.
Treat empty columns as high-value assets for extracting specific blocking cards, not as vacant filing spots.
Avoid burying playable cards under mixed-suit stacks - once a stack is mixed, it cannot be moved as a unit.
Plan at least three moves ahead for every stack transfer. Simple Simon severely punishes short-sighted play.

The full-information paradox: Simple Simon looks easier than Spider because you can see all 52 cards. In practice it is harder, because there is no stock to add new positioning options. Every card that exists is already on the board competing for space. Full information means full responsibility - every mistake was predictable and therefore avoidable. The discipline to look 5+ moves ahead before acting is what separates winning Simple Simon players from losing ones.

Simple Simon vs. related games

Game	Cards	Columns	All face-up?	Stock deals	Est. win rate
Simple Simon	52 (1 deck)	10	Yes - full info	None	~2-5%
Mrs. Mop	104 (2 decks)	13	Yes - full info	None	<1%
Spiderette	52 (1 deck)	7	No - hidden cols	Up to 3	~10%
Spider Four Suits	104 (2 decks)	10	No - 5 hidden per col	Up to 5	~8%
Spider One Suit	104 (1 suit)	10	No - 5 hidden per col	Up to 5	~65%

How difficult is Simple Simon Solitaire?

Simple Simon is hard. Despite seeing all cards from the start, the combinatorial depth of ten columns with no second chances from a stock is formidable. With 52 cards across 10 columns averaging 5 cards deep, there are thousands of possible move sequences and very few winning paths. Most losses come from irreversible stack entanglement, not from bad luck.

What is the Simple Simon Solitaire win percentage?

A practical win rate for Simple Simon is about 2-5% for casual play. Expert players using systematic backward planning from kings can push this higher, but many deals are technically unsolvable regardless of skill. Since all cards are visible, this win percentage purely reflects strategic execution quality - there is no luck component after the deal.

What is the difference between Simple Simon and Spiderette?

Spiderette hides most cards face-down and has a stock for additional deals. Simple Simon reveals all 52 cards immediately and has no stock whatsoever. Spiderette is a game of partial information where new cards from stock can rescue a stuck board. Simple Simon is a pure planning puzzle where everything you will ever have is already visible - success or failure is determined entirely by the quality of your move sequencing.

Simple Simon Solitaire FAQ

Can I move any single card anywhere?

You can place any single card on top of a column whose top card is exactly one rank higher, regardless of suit. You can also move a single card to an empty column. However, moving a multi-card group requires all cards in the group to form a same-suit descending run. A single Jack can move to any Queen; a stack of Jack-10-9 can only move if all three are the same suit.

Is Simple Simon solvable from every deal?

No. Some Simple Simon deals are not winnable even with perfect play and optimal move choices. Solvability depends on how suits and ranks are distributed across the ten columns in the initial layout. Certain distributions create unavoidable suit-lock situations where two cards that must swap positions are each blocking the other with no intermediate space to resolve the conflict.

Why is Simple Simon considered harder than Spider Four Suits?

Spider Four Suits uses two decks with 54 cards dealt across ten columns and 50 cards remaining in stock for up to five additional deals. Those stock deals can provide crucial repositioning options when the tableau stalls. Simple Simon has no stock rescue. Once the initial 52 cards are positioned, every move is a zero-sum reshuffling of a fixed set of cards with no new inputs possible.

What is the best opening strategy for Simple Simon?

Identify where each King sits in the layout and trace what blocks its complete K-to-A suit run. Start systematically moving blockers from the shallowest short columns (9, 10) first - these columns empty fastest and free up empty-column workspace for tackling the deep columns (1, 2, 3). Do not make moves just because they are legal. Every move should serve a traced plan toward completing at least one full suit sequence.

What does the starting column depth tell me about difficulty?

Columns 1-3 start with 8 cards each and contain the most complex suit interactions. If a King in column 1 has cards from all four suits mixed throughout its stack, that suit run will require extensive multi-column reorganization. Columns 8-10 (3, 2, 1 cards) are the quick wins that open workspace. Always start by clearing the short columns to create leverage for attacking the deep ones.

Simple Simon Solitaire