Pyramid Solitaire Rules, Strategy and Tips (Tested on 50,000 Deals)

Pyramid Solitaire rules in one minute

28 cards are dealt face up in a pyramid of seven rows, from one card at the top to seven at the bottom. Every card is partly covered by two cards in the row below. The other 24 cards form the stock.

• Free cards: a card can be used only when both cards covering it are gone. At the start, only the seven cards in the bottom row are free.
• Pairs of 13: tap two free cards that add up to 13 and both disappear.
• Kings: a King is worth 13 on its own, so one tap removes it.
• The stock: tap it to turn one card onto the waste. The top waste card is free and can pair with a pyramid card.
• Passes: when the stock is empty, tap it to turn the waste back over. On NitroPlayer you get 3 passes in total.
• Winning: clear all 28 pyramid cards. Cards left in the stock do not matter.

Which strategy wins most? We tested 50,000 deals

We dealt 50,000 random deals with NitroPlayer's rules (3 passes through the stock) and let a simple computer player clear them with different rules for choosing the next pair. Each rule played the same 50,000 deals.

The gap is big for such a small habit: looking one move ahead to see which pair frees cards above it wins about one game in five more often than picking pairs at random. A person who also plans the stock and uses Undo does even better, but this is the rule to start with.

Worked example: the deal from the video

The bottom row in the video reads 8, 5, Queen, Ace, 6, 7, King. The first card of the row above is the 4 of clubs, and the top card of the stock is the 9 of diamonds.

1. 8 + 5 = 13. Both go. +20 points.
2. Queen + Ace = 12 + 1. Both go. +20.
3. King. One tap, it is gone. +10.
4. 6 + 7 = 13. The bottom row is now empty, so all six cards in the next row are free.
5. Tap the stock. The 9 of diamonds lands on the waste and pairs with the 4 of clubs. +20.

Five moves, 11 cards gone, 90 points. The video deal is set up so every bottom card has a partner; a real deal rarely lines up this neatly, which is why the choice of pair matters.

Pyramid Solitaire strategy: 6 tips

1. Look one row up before you pair. Removing two bottom cards that sit side by side frees the card above them. Two cards far apart may free nothing.
2. Clear Kings at once. They need no partner, and each one opens space.
3. Save the waste card when you can. If a waste card pairs with a pyramid card that is not urgent, check whether a pyramid-only pair would free more first.
4. Watch for a card sitting on its partner. A 6 resting on a 7 can never pair with that 7, because the 7 stays covered until the 6 is gone. It needs another 7 from elsewhere.
5. Count partners. Each value has four partners in the deck. When three are gone, the last one is precious.
6. Learn the stock order. Cards come out in the same order on every pass, and you have only three passes, so plan the last one.

Common Pyramid Solitaire mistakes

• Clearing one side only. If you work only the left half, the right half stays locked and you run out of free cards. Working both halves gives you more choices on every move.
• Drawing too early. Check every free card for a partner before you tap the stock. If the waste card has a partner in the pyramid, the next draw covers it until the following pass.
• Forgetting the peak. The top card is covered by every row below it. If its partners keep leaving the game early, you can clear 27 cards and still lose.
• Wasting the last pass. On the third pass there is no way back. Know which stock cards you still need before you start it.

Scoring on NitroPlayer

A pair of 13 earns 20 points and a King earns 10. Each time you turn the waste back into the stock you lose 20 points, but the score never drops below zero. When the last pass is used and no King or pair of 13 is left, the game ends as a loss. Before that, Undo lets you step back and try another order in solo play. You can play a deal now in free Pyramid Solitaire, with no download.