This is a slightly-modified version of a standard solitaire, and differs from the other games in Simple Pleasures in that the number of cards totaling fifteen is not fixed, but can be anything from 2 to 9 cards. This creates a lot more possibilities in terms of how cards may be removed.

It is a member of the "Simple Addition" family of solitaire games, in which the object is to remove cards that add up to a certain number, in this case, 15.

Setup

The layout is three rows of four cards, and the object is to remove groups of cards that total fifteen. Only the lower cards are available to be grouped into fifteens. 10s, Jacks, Queens, and Kings are removed in quartets of the same suit.

The number of valid combinations in this game is too great to enumerate in this limited space ... experiment for yourself!

The game is won if you discard all the cards.

Strategy

When creating groups, in general give priority to the high cards (6, 7, 8, and 9), and save the lower cards for as long as possible. If you "use up" the lower-value cards too soon, you may end up with an impossible situation at the end of the game, even though you've exhausted the deck.

Odds

Your chances of winning are about one out of every seven or eight games. Here are my current statistics:

• Games Played: 104
• Games Won: 14 (13.46%)
• Average Score: 21.20