In Pyramid solitaire you clear a pyramid of 28 cards by removing pairs that add up to 13. A King is worth 13 on its own and clears alone. You win when the pyramid is gone, even if cards are left in the stock.
It is one of the quickest solitaires to learn and one of the hardest to win often. Here is how it works in Pyramid Solitaire.
The deal
Twenty-eight cards are dealt face up in a pyramid of seven rows, one card at the top and seven at the bottom. Every card above the bottom row is overlapped by two cards in the row below. The other 24 cards form the stock.
Card values
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2 to 10 | face value |
| Jack | 11 |
| Queen | 12 |
| King | 13 |
So the pairs are Ace and Queen, 2 and Jack, 3 and 10, 4 and 9, 5 and 8, and 6 and 7. Kings go alone.
Moving cards
- A card is available only when both cards overlapping it have been removed. At the start, that means the bottom row.
- Remove two available cards that add up to 13, or one available King.
- The top card of the waste is available too, and can pair with a pyramid card.
- When nothing pairs, turn a card from the stock onto the waste.
- Here you get three passes through the stock.
Habits that win more deals
Pair pyramid cards with each other first. The pyramid is what you have to clear. When a pyramid card can pair either with another pyramid card or with the waste, the pyramid pair is usually better.
Look one row up. Removing a card is only useful if it frees something. Before pairing, check which cards it uncovers and whether they can be paired.
Watch for buried partners. Every card has four possible partners. If the ones you need are all above it in the pyramid, it can only be cleared with a card from the stock, so keep an eye out for that card as the stock goes by.
Respect the last pass. On the final trip through the stock, a card that goes by is gone for the rest of the game. Slow down.
Why Pyramid is hard to win
Deals here are shuffled, not chosen to be winnable, and Pyramid is unforgiving: a single card whose partners are all trapped can block the whole pyramid. A good player still loses many deals. When you clear one, it counts.
Ready? Play Pyramid Solitaire, or try TriPeaks for another quick clearing game.