How to Play Pyramid Solitaire
Deal 28 cards into a seven-row pyramid, each card overlapping two beneath it, and keep the other 24 as a stock. Remove any two uncovered cards whose values add to thirteen — Ace 1, Jack 11, Queen 12. Kings are worth thirteen and are removed alone. Clear the whole pyramid to win.
The rules, step by step
- 1Build a pyramid of 28 cardsSeven rows, one card in the top row down to seven in the bottom, each card overlapping two below it. The remaining 24 cards form the stock.
- 2Remove pairs that total thirteenAce 1, numbers at face value, Jack 11, Queen 12. Any two exposed cards adding to thirteen come off together.
- 3Kings leave on their ownA King is worth thirteen by itself, so click an exposed King to remove it.
- 4Only uncovered cards can be usedA pyramid card is available once both cards resting on it have been removed.
- 5Turn the stock for more cardsClick the stock to turn one card face up onto the waste. The top of the waste can pair with any exposed pyramid card.
- 6Recycle twice, then that is thatWhen the stock empties, the waste turns back over. You get three passes in total.
Try it — the rules above, running
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Today’s deal
Everyone playing Pyramid Solitaire today gets deal #636309125. It changes at midnight UTC.
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Replay a deal
Every deal is a pure function of its number, so deal #20260726 is the same shuffle on any device, any time.
Keyboard
- U / Z
- Undo
- R
- Redo
- H
- Hint
- N
- New deal (asks first)
- F
- Full screen
- Space
- Turn the stock
- Esc
- Deselect, or leave full screen
How do you deal the pyramid?
- 1Lay the apexOne card face up at the top.
- 2Overlap each rowDeal two cards in the next row so each covers half of the card above. Continue until the seventh row holds seven cards. That is 28 cards.
- 3Set the stock asideThe remaining 24 cards go face down as the stock, with room beside it for the waste pile.
What are the card values?
- Ace = 1, and pairs with a Queen.
- 2 through 10 = face value.
- Jack = 11, and pairs with a 2.
- Queen = 12, and pairs with an Ace.
- King = 13, and is removed on its own.
How do you know when you are stuck?
When no two exposed cards add to thirteen, no exposed King remains, the stock is empty and you have used all three passes. The board detects this and offers you a new deal rather than leaving you clicking.
How do you win more often?
- Take pyramid pairs over waste pairsClearing two pyramid cards uncovers up to two more. Clearing one pyramid card with a waste card uncovers less, and clearing two waste cards is impossible anyway.
- Count your Kings before you startThere are four Kings and they must all be reached. If two sit deep in the same branch of the pyramid, plan the whole excavation before spending stock cards elsewhere.
- Do not burn the stock earlyEach pass through the stock is a resource. Take every free pyramid pair first, then use the stock to break the deadlock.
- Watch for the pair you will need twiceThere are only four cards of each rank. If both Sixes are buried and you have three Sevens exposed, one of those Sevens is never coming off.
Common questions about pyramid solitaire
- Can you remove a card that is half covered?
- No. Both cards resting on it must be gone. Half-covered cards are visible but locked.
- Is pyramid solitaire the same as Tut's Tomb?
- Yes — Tut's Tomb, Pile of Thirteen and Solitaire Thirteen are all names for the same game.
Ready to stop reading? Play pyramid solitaire on the full board, with statistics, deal numbers and unlimited undo.