Pyramid and TriPeaks Solitaire: Rules and Tips for Higher Scores
By the CrazyArcade team ·
Pyramid and TriPeaks are quick solitaire games built around a pyramid-shaped layout, and both reward thinking about which cards are covering others. They play very differently, though. Pyramid is about pairs that add up to 13, while TriPeaks is about chains of cards one rank higher or lower.
This guide uses our own Pyramid Solitaire and TriPeaks Solitaire as examples.
Pyramid: the rules in short
Twenty-eight cards form a pyramid of seven rows, and the rest form the stock. You remove uncovered cards in pairs that add up to 13: Ace and Queen, 2 and Jack, 3 and 10, 4 and 9, 5 and 8, 6 and 7. A King counts as 13 and is removed on its own. The top card of the waste pile can pair with any uncovered pyramid card.
Pyramid: choose pairs that uncover cards
Often you can make the same total with two different cards. If a 6 could pair with the 7 on the waste pile or with a 7 in the pyramid, prefer the pyramid 7 when removing it uncovers new cards. The waste card will still be there; a buried card stays stuck until something above it is cleared.
Clear the bottom row evenly across the pyramid instead of digging down one side. The cards at the top are covered by two cards each, so working on both sides at once frees them sooner.
Pyramid: count the passes
In Classic mode you can go through the stock three times. On your first pass, note which stock cards you could not use and which pyramid cards they would match. If the matching card is buried, plan to uncover it before the next pass. In our game, each pass after the first also lowers the bonus for clearing the pyramid.
TriPeaks: the rules in short
Twenty-eight cards form three overlapping peaks. You can play any uncovered face-up card that is one rank higher or lower than the top card of the waste pile, regardless of suit. In our version, ranks wrap by default, so a King plays on an Ace and an Ace on a King. When nothing matches, you turn a new card from the stock, and the stock is not recycled.
TriPeaks: build long chains
Scoring in our TriPeaks rewards chains: each card in a row without drawing is worth more than the last, and drawing resets the chain. Before you play, look for the longest path. A 7 on the waste pile might allow 8, 9, 8, 7, 6 if you pick the right cards in the right order, while a quick 6 might end the chain at once.
When two cards could be played, prefer the one that turns over a face-down card. More face-up cards means more options for the rest of the chain.
TriPeaks: save the stock
Every stock card is a second chance, and in our game unused stock cards add to your bonus when you clear the board. Draw only when no card on the table can be played, and clear the peak tops when you can, since each of the first two is worth a bonus.