Play Pyramid Solitaire Online for Free
Pyramid Solitaire is a quick, satisfying matching game. Cards are dealt in a pyramid shape, and you remove any pair of uncovered cards whose values add up to 13. Kings count as 13 and go solo. Clear the whole pyramid to win.
How to Play Pyramid Solitaire
- 28 cards are dealt face up in a pyramid of seven rows. Only cards not overlapped by the row below them are available at the start.
- Tap or click two available cards whose ranks add to 13 - for example 5 and 8, or Queen and Ace.
- Kings are worth 13 on their own, so tap a King to remove it immediately.
- As cards are removed, the cards they were covering become available.
- The remaining 24 cards form the stock. Draw them one at a time to the waste pile; the top waste card can be matched with any available pyramid card.
- Match and remove every card in the pyramid - and ideally the stock too - to win.
- The game ends when no more pairs adding to 13 are possible.
Pyramid Solitaire Rules
Objective
Remove all 28 pyramid cards by pairing cards whose values sum to 13.
Setup
Seven pyramid rows: 1 card in row one, up to 7 in row seven, each row overlapping the row above. 24 cards remain in the stock.
Stock And Waste
Draw stock cards one at a time into the waste. The top waste card pairs with available pyramid cards or with the next waste card itself. This version allows one pass through the stock.
Card Values
Ace is 1, cards 2-10 are face value, Jack is 11, Queen is 12, King is 13. Kings remove themselves without a partner.
Availability
A card is available only when nothing covers it. In the pyramid, a card is covered by the two cards resting on its lower corners.
Scoring
Simple and satisfying: each removed card is one point, so a perfect clear scores 52.
Strategy
Pyramid is a game about choosing which pair to remove, not about finding a pair - there is almost always one available. Remove Kings the moment they are uncovered: they need no partner and they clear two cards of the row above them at once. Otherwise, prefer removals high in the pyramid, because a card there is covered by two cards and taking it can expose both, while a bottom-row removal exposes nothing at all. Keep track of the sixes and sevens as the board thins: 6 and 7 pair with each other, so an odd number of them left near the end usually means the game is already lost. The waste card is a spare that can pair with a pyramid card, but remember that a waste pairing only clears one pyramid card while two pyramid cards clear two, so it is the weaker move unless it frees something buried.
Common Mistakes
The most expensive mistake is spending stock cards before you have counted what is still buried. The 24-card stock is a single pass, so a card you draw early is a card you cannot use later to match a rank that only turns up in the last two rows. Players also forget that the top waste card can pair with a pyramid card, and they waste opportunities by clearing easy bottom-row pairs while a King sits buried in the middle row. And many deals are simply unwinnable: with standard rules roughly one deal in seven can be cleared even with perfect play, so ending with six or eight cards left is normal rather than a sign you played badly.
Winning
Remove all 28 pyramid cards. Clearing the stock as well is a perfect game.
Tips & Strategy
- Scan for Kings first - they cost nothing and instantly free up covered cards.
- Count which numbers are buried in each row before burning stock cards you might need.
- Prefer removing pyramid pairs over waste pairs; the pyramid is the actual goal.
- Track the 6s and 7s - they pair with each other, so leftover 6s at the end usually mean a blocked game.
- When you can remove a pair from either of two spots, take the one that uncovers more new cards.
- Memorise the pairs before you start: A-Q, 2-J, 3-10, 4-9, 5-8, 6-7, and Kings on their own.
Frequently Asked Questions
What card combinations add up to 13?
Ace+Queen, 2+Jack, 3+10, 4+9, 5+8, 6+7, and King alone (13). Memorize these six pairs and the game becomes fluent.
Can I pair two cards from the pyramid with each other?
Yes, as long as both are uncovered. You can also pair the top waste card with a pyramid card or with another waste card.
Why did my game end with cards left?
No remaining available pair sums to 13 and the stock is exhausted. Roughly 4 in 5 deals are unwinnable in single-pass rules - just redeal.
Is Pyramid Solitaire good for beginners?
Very. The rules take one minute to learn and games run five to ten minutes, making it one of the best coffee-break solitaire variants.
Which card pairs add up to 13?
King alone (worth 13), Queen with Ace, Jack with 2, 10 with 3, 9 with 4, 8 with 5, and 7 with 6. Everything else has to wait until the cards covering it are removed.
Can I go through the stock more than once?
No. The stock is dealt once and cannot be recycled, so every draw is permanent. When the stock is empty and no exposed pair adds to 13, the hand is over.
Why is Pyramid harder to win than TriPeaks?
Only about one deal in seven (12-16%) is winnable, because each card is covered by two cards rather than one and there is no chain bonus to recover a slow start. Clearing the pyramid means removing 28 cards with a single fixed matching rule.
How many cards are in a Pyramid Solitaire deal?
Fifty-two: 28 laid out in the seven-row pyramid and 24 in the stock. There is no second pass through the stock, so the 24 draws are the entire extra resource you get, and the game ends the moment no uncovered pair adds up to 13 and the stock is empty.
Is Pyramid Solitaire mostly luck?
More than most variants, yes. Only about 12-16% of deals can be cleared even with perfect play, and a careful player wins somewhere around one deal in ten, because the layout can bury the card you need under two others that never open. Skill still matters - choosing high removals and not wasting stock wins the deals that are winnable - but a losing board is often decided before your first click.
How do you win pyramid solitaire?
Clear all 28 cards. In practice that means removing Kings immediately, preferring pairs high in the pyramid so each removal exposes two more cards, and resisting the urge to draw from the stock while a pyramid pair is still available. Count what is buried in the lower rows before you spend a draw, and accept that most deals cannot be cleared - winning one in seven or eight is a good run.
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