Pyramid Solitaire Rules and How to Play TriPeaks
Updated
In Pyramid solitaire you clear a pyramid of 28 cards by removing two uncovered cards whose values add up to 13; a king is removed on its own. In TriPeaks you clear three peaks of cards by moving them to a waste pile, one rank higher or lower than its top card, in any suit. Both games use one 52-card deck, and both end when the layout is clear or the stock runs out.
Both are clearing games with pyramid-shaped layouts, but Pyramid is about adding and TriPeaks about counting up and down. For a quick tour of other solitaires, see types of solitaire.
Pyramid solitaire rules
Setup
- Deal one card face up at the top.
- Deal two cards face up below it, each half covering it, then three below those, and so on down to a row of seven. That makes seven rows and 28 cards.
- Put the remaining 24 cards face down as the stock.
A card is uncovered, or free, when no card overlaps it. At the start, only the seven cards of the bottom row are free.
Card values and the pairs that make 13
Aces count 1, number cards count their number, jacks 11, queens 12 and kings 13.
| Pair | Total |
|---|---|
| Ace + Queen | 1 + 12 = 13 |
| 2 + Jack | 2 + 11 = 13 |
| 3 + 10 | 13 |
| 4 + 9 | 13 |
| 5 + 8 | 13 |
| 6 + 7 | 13 |
| King | 13 on its own |
How to play Pyramid
- Remove any two free cards that add up to 13, or any free king on its own.
- Each time cards leave, check which cards are now uncovered. Removing both cards that cover a card frees it.
- When you run out of pairs, turn the top card of the stock face up onto a waste pile.
- The stock card and the top card of the waste can each pair with a free pyramid card, or with each other.
- Removed cards are out of the game for good.
- The game ends when the stock is used up and no pair is left.
Under the strict rules, you win only if every card, from the pyramid and the stock, has been removed. With one pass through the stock, only about one game in 50 can be won, according to Wikipedia's Pyramid article.
Pyramid variants
- Relaxed Pyramid: you win as soon as the pyramid itself is clear, even with cards left in the stock.
- Redeals: some versions let you turn the waste over and go through the stock again; one known variant allows two redeals.
- Covering pairs: some versions let you remove a card together with the card that covers it, for example an ace lying on a queen, as long as nothing else covers them.
- Draw three: Tut's Tomb deals three cards at a time from the stock.
Browser versions settle these choices for you, so check the game's own rules before your first deal.
How to play TriPeaks solitaire
Setup
TriPeaks deals 28 cards into three peaks. Each peak has six face-down cards, and a row of ten face-up cards runs along the bottom. The other 24 cards form the stock, and the first stock card is turned up to start the waste pile.
Playing a run
- Move a free face-up card from the peaks onto the waste if it is one rank higher or lower than the waste's top card. Suit does not matter.
- That card becomes the new top card, so keep going as long as you can: 7, 8, 9, 8, 7 is a legal run.
- When a face-down card is no longer covered, turn it face up.
- When no card fits, turn the next stock card onto the waste and start a new run.
- You win by clearing all three peaks. If the stock runs out and cards remain, the game is lost.
Many versions let the run wrap around between king and ace. In Solitaire Story - Tripeaks, the example run is ace, 2, 3, 2, ace, king, queen, jack. In strict rules there is no wrap, so check the game you open.
TriPeaks was created by Robert Hogue in 1989. His own analysis, cited in Wikipedia's Tri Peaks article, found that over 90% of deals can be cleared completely.
Pyramid vs TriPeaks at a glance
| Pyramid | TriPeaks | |
|---|---|---|
| Layout | 7 rows, 28 cards, all face up | 3 peaks of face-down cards over a face-up row of 10 |
| How cards leave | Pairs that add up to 13, kings alone | One rank higher or lower than the waste card, any suit |
| Stock | 24 cards, drawn one at a time | 24 cards, drawn one at a time |
| Hidden information | Only the stock | The stock and the face-down peak cards |
| Chance of winning | Low under strict rules | Most deals can be cleared |
Tips for Pyramid
- Look before you pair. Each value appears four times. If two 6s are free and only one 7, take the 6 whose removal uncovers more cards.
- Clear from the bottom evenly. Cards near the top are covered by many others, so work on the rows that free them instead of clearing one corner.
- Use the stock carefully. Pair a stock card with the pyramid when you can, and save the waste card for a pyramid card that is about to come free.
- Remember what has gone. Queens pair only with aces, so once three queens are out, the last queen needs the last ace. If that ace is one of the cards covering that queen, the deal cannot be cleared under strict rules.
Tips for TriPeaks
- Choose the card that opens a face-down card. When two cards fit, play the one that uncovers something, so you see more options.
- Look ahead along the run. Before you start, trace which order lets you play the most cards in one chain.
- Do not rush to the stock. Every stock card you turn is one card less for later. Turn one only when no card in the peaks fits.
- Keep a spare. If a free card will fit later, for example a 9 while you are running down from 8, sometimes it is better to leave it for the next run.
Play Pyramid and TriPeaks in your browser
Solitaire 8 Collection includes both Pyramid and TriPeaks, along with Golf, Klondike and others. Its deals come from a list checked to have a solution, hints are free and undo is unlimited. Solitaire The Collection holds 33 variants, among them Pyramid, Tri Peaks and Golf.
For TriPeaks alone, Solitaire Story - Tripeaks asks you to clear as many cards as possible in runs, and Solitaire Grand Harvest is built on TriPeaks levels worth up to three stars each.
Two close relatives use the same up-or-down rule. Fairway Solitaire is golf solitaire, where you remove all the cards from the grid, and Black Hole Solitaire has you move every card to the black hole by counting up or down.
More card games are in the puzzles category and the brain collection. For Klondike, read how to play solitaire, and for the two-deck game, spider solitaire rules.
Common questions
What cards add up to 13 in Pyramid solitaire?
Ace and queen, 2 and jack, 3 and 10, 4 and 9, 5 and 8, 6 and 7. A king is worth 13 and leaves on its own.
Can every game of Pyramid be won?
No. Under strict rules with one pass through the stock, only about one deal in 50 can be won. Versions with redeals, or that count the clear pyramid as a win, are much easier.
Does a king go on an ace in TriPeaks?
In many versions, yes: the run wraps from king to ace and back. In the strict rules it does not, so check the game's own rules.
Is TriPeaks easier than Pyramid?
Usually. Most TriPeaks deals can be cleared, while strict Pyramid is mostly luck. TriPeaks does hide most of its cards, so you have to guess more at the start.
In Pyramid you count to 13, in TriPeaks you count up and down, and in both the stock is the resource to spend slowly.
