Play Simple Simon Solitaire Online - Open One-Deck Patience

Simple Simon deals all 52 cards face up. You can see every card from the first move. Your goal is to build four suits from King down to Ace. The rules are short. The games are still hard.

How to Play Simple Simon Solitaire

Goal: Build each suit from King down to Ace. A finished suit moves to a foundation on its own.

Game Setup

• One deck: All 52 cards are used.
• Ten piles: The first three piles hold 8 cards each.
• The rest: The next piles hold 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 cards.
• All face up: No card is ever hidden.
• No stock: Every card is in play from the start.
• Four foundations: These hold the finished suits.

The Rules

• Build down by rank alone. Suit does not matter here. A red 8 can go on any 9.
• You may move one card at a time.
• You may also move a run of the same suit in order. The 9, 8 and 7 of spades move as one group.
• A group of mixed suits cannot move. Split it up first.
• An empty pile takes any card or any legal group.
• Build a full King-to-Ace run in one suit. It goes to a foundation at once.
• You win when all four suits reach the foundations.

An Example

You hold the 7 of clubs on top of a pile. A red 8 sits on another pile. You may place the 7 on that 8. The suits do not match, and that is fine. But the 7 can only travel with cards of its own suit below it.

Winning Strategy Tips

• Read the board first. Every card is visible, so plan before you touch one.
• Find the Kings. Each suit must end up under its own King.
• Keep suits together. A long same-suit run is easy to move later.
• Watch mixed stacks. A wrong-suit card on a run locks the whole run in place.
• Open a pile early. An empty pile is the best tool you have.
• Do not waste a space. Fill it only when the move helps a suit.
• Use undo. The deal never changes, so you can test a line and step back.

Freeing a Buried Card

Cards get stuck under cards of other suits. Count the moves you need to lift them off. Move them to a pile where they still help. A card parked on a wrong pile can block you later.

Using an Empty Pile

An empty pile can hold a run while you sort the pile beneath it. Try to keep one open when you sort a long column. Filling a space too soon is a common way to lose.

How Simple Simon Compares

Simple Simon and Spider

Both games gather suits from King down to Ace. Spider uses two decks and a stock. Simple Simon uses one deck and deals everything at the start.

Simple Simon and Klondike

Klondike builds down in other colours and sends cards up from the Ace. Simple Simon builds down by rank and collects finished suits instead.

Difficulty and Win Rate

Simple Simon is a medium challenge among open games. You can see everything, but the same-suit move rule is strict. Careful players win a fair share of deals. Some deals cannot be solved at all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I move a group of mixed suits?

No. A group must be one suit in falling order. This is the rule that makes the game hard. Move the odd card away first.

Can I put a card on any lower card?

Yes, if the rank is one lower. Suit and colour do not matter when you place a card. They only matter when you move a group.

What goes in an empty pile?

Any card, or any group you are allowed to move. There is no King rule here.

What happens when I finish a suit?

The run leaves the tableau at once and lands on a foundation. That frees the space it used.

Is every deal winnable?

No. Some deals lock up and cannot be solved. There is no stock and no redeal, so a deal can run out. The game ends the deal as soon as no run of moves can complete another suit. That can happen while cards are still legal to shuffle, so you are told at once instead of sliding cards about to find out. Undo to try another line.

Open the whole deck and plan your way out. Play Simple Simon now.