Behind the Games
Designing Browser Games for a One-Minute Break
A short game still needs a complete arc: understand the goal, make meaningful choices, see the result, and restart without friction.
6 min readRead guide
Learn as you play
Game rules, made simple.
Clear explanations, useful examples, and practical strategy for the games you already enjoy.
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All game guides
Card Games
Euchre Strategy: Calling Trump and Going Alone
Good Euchre decisions begin before the first trick. Judge the hand, the dealer, and the likely value of the turned suit.
9 min readRead guide
Behind the Games
Touch, Mouse, and Keyboard Controls for Browser Games
The same game should feel natural on a phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop—and remain understandable without guesswork.
6 min readRead guide
Card Games
Hearts Passing Strategy: What Three Cards Should You Pass?
The pass shapes the whole hand. Use card risk, suit length, and passing direction to choose three cards with a plan.
8 min readRead guide
Card Games
Hearts vs. Spades vs. Euchre: Which Card Game Fits You?
All three use tricks, but they ask players to solve very different problems.
7 min readRead guide
Behind the Games
How the Hearts, Spades, and Euchre Bots Choose Moves
The bots use understandable game heuristics and the same visible information available to a player.
8 min readRead guide
Behind the Games
How Fair Card Deals, Shuffling, and Rule Tests Work
Fair play comes from simple, inspectable rules: complete decks, unbiased shuffles, server validation, and repeatable tests.
7 min readRead guide
Card Games
How to Bid Nil in Spades: Risk, Cover, and Defense
Nil is worth 100 points when it works and costs 100 when it fails. Evaluate every suit before taking the risk.
8 min readRead guide
Card Games
How to Play Euchre: Trump, Bowers, Scoring, and Strategy
Euchre moves quickly once you understand its unusual trump ranking and two-round bidding.
8 min readRead guide
Card Games
How to Play Hearts: Rules, Scoring, and Beginner Strategy
Hearts is a trick-taking game with a twist: the player with the lowest score wins.
8 min readRead guide
Card Games
How to Play Spades: Bidding, Tricks, Scoring, and Strategy
A beginner-friendly guide to bidding accurately, making your partnership contract, and managing bags.
8 min readRead guide
Behind the Games
How Word Snap and Word Duel Build Valid Letter Trays
Every tray begins with at least one valid six-letter word, then opens the door to many shorter discoveries.
6 min readRead guide
Puzzle Games
Minesweeper Pattern Cheat Sheet and Interactive Trainer
Use the diagrams as a reference, then test the same deductions without guessing.
7 min readRead guide
Puzzle Games
How to Play Minesweeper: Rules and Patterns for Beginners
Read the numbers as clues, mark only what you know, and turn a crowded minefield into small logic problems.
7 min readRead guide
Puzzle Games
Minesweeper Strategy: Tips, Tricks, and Patterns That Work
Move beyond the basic rules with a systematic way to find forced moves, compare clues, and make smarter choices when logic runs out.
9 min readRead guide
Card Games
Printable Card Game Rules: Hearts, Spades, and Euchre
A table-side reference for three four-player classics. Use the print button for a clean paper copy.
6 min readRead guide
Card Games
Pyramid Solitaire Pairs Chart: Every Match That Makes 13
A compact, printable reference for the seven ways to remove cards in Pyramid Solitaire.
4 min readRead guide
Card Games
How to Play Pyramid Solitaire: Rules, Pairs, and Strategy
Learn the pairs that total 13, how cards become exposed, and which moves keep the board open.
6 min readRead guide
Card Games
Pyramid Solitaire Strategy: Stock and Redeal Planning
Clearing exposed cards is only half the puzzle. The order of the stock determines which partners can meet each other.
7 min readRead guide
Card Games
How to Shoot the Moon in Hearts—and How to Stop It
A moon attempt needs control, timing, and a backup plan. Learn the signs of a viable hand from both sides of the table.
8 min readRead guide
Card Games
Solitaire Draw One vs. Draw Three: Rules and Strategy
The tableau rules stay the same, but the stock behaves very differently. Learn how that changes planning and difficulty.
7 min readRead guide
Card Games
How to Play Solitaire: Rules and Strategy for Beginners
A straightforward guide to setting up Klondike, making legal moves, and giving yourself more chances to win.
7 min readRead guide
Card Games
Stuck in Solitaire? How to Find Another Move
Before abandoning a deal, check the board in a consistent order and work backward from the card that is blocking progress.
7 min readRead guide
Card Games
Spades Bidding Guide: How Many Tricks Should You Bid?
Turn a 13-card hand into a realistic contract by counting likely winners and discounting cards that need help.
9 min readRead guide
Card Games
Spades Score Calculator: Contracts, Nil, and Bags
Enter the bids and tricks for one hand to calculate both teams exactly as Made Simple Games scores them.
6 min readRead guide
Card Games
Trick-Taking Card Game Glossary: 30 Terms Explained
A printable plain-English reference for Hearts, Spades, Euchre, and other trick-taking games.
7 min readRead guide
Word & Strategy Games
Word Game Strategy: How to Find More Words, Faster
A repeatable scanning method helps you find ordinary words quickly and save time for the difficult ones.
6 min readRead guide