Pyramid Solitaire is one of the most distinctive card games in the solitaire family. Where Klondike and Spider ask you to build sequences, Pyramid asks you to destroy them — pairing cards that add up to 13 and removing them from the board until the entire pyramid has been cleared. The mechanic is simple, the pace is fast, and the strategic decisions are more interesting than the rules suggest.
The game begins with 28 cards dealt face-up in a pyramid shape: one card in the first row, two in the second, three in the third, and so on down to seven cards in the bottom row. Each card in the pyramid partially overlaps the two cards in the row below it. A card is only available to play — uncovered — when both cards overlapping it from the row below have been removed. The remaining 24 cards form a face-down stock.
The goal is to remove all 28 cards from the pyramid by pairing them with cards that bring the total to exactly 13. Kings count as 13 and are removed individually with no pairing required. The game is won when all 28 pyramid cards have been removed.
Pyramid's rules are quick to learn, but a few specifics around card availability and stock cycling are worth understanding precisely before developing strategy.
The Pyramid: 28 cards dealt face-up in seven rows. Row 1 has one card at the apex, row 2 has two, and so on to row 7 at the base with seven cards. A card is available (uncovered) only when neither of the two cards overlapping it from the row below remain on the board. The bottom row is fully available at the start.
Pairing to 13: Any two available cards whose values sum to exactly 13 can be removed together. Card values: Ace = 1, number cards at face value, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13. Valid pairs: Ace + Queen, 2 + Jack, 3 + 10, 4 + 9, 5 + 8, 6 + 7. Kings are removed alone — no pairing partner needed.
The Stock: The 24 remaining cards after the pyramid is dealt, placed face-down. You draw one card at a time from the stock onto the waste pile. Only the top card of the waste pile is available for pairing. The stock can typically be cycled through a limited number of times before it is exhausted permanently.
The Waste Pile: Cards drawn from the stock go face-up onto the waste pile. Only the top card is available for pairing — either with an uncovered pyramid card or with another available card if the rules permit it.
Card Availability: A pyramid card and the top card of the waste pile can be paired with each other. Two uncovered pyramid cards can be paired if their values sum to 13. Kings anywhere — uncovered in the pyramid or on top of the waste pile — are removed individually.
Winning and Losing: The game is won when all 28 pyramid cards are removed. The game is lost when the stock is exhausted, no valid pairs exist among uncovered pyramid cards, and the waste pile top card cannot pair with any uncovered pyramid card.
Pyramid Solitaire rewards a specific kind of forward-looking awareness. The game looks simple — find pairs of 13, remove them — but the order in which you remove pairs determines which cards become uncovered, and an early pairing decision can silently close off a winning path several moves later.
Prioritise uncovering cards in the upper rows. The apex card can only be removed when all 27 cards below it have been cleared. Upper-row cards are the longest constraint on the game. Whenever a choice exists between a pairing that uncovers an upper-row card and one that uncovers a lower-row card, prefer the upper-row move.
Be cautious about removing stock cards that are also pyramid pair partners. When you draw a card and pair it immediately, you've used one instance of that value from the stock. If the pyramid still contains other cards that need that same value as a partner, you've reduced the available partners. Before making a stock pairing, check whether the pyramid still needs that value elsewhere.
Use pyramid-to-pyramid pairs when possible. Pairing two uncovered pyramid cards removes two cards from the pyramid at zero stock cost. Pairing a pyramid card with a stock card removes one pyramid card but costs one draw. Prioritising pyramid-to-pyramid pairs conserves stock passes and gives more flexibility later.
Plan the removal order for the base row before committing to pairs. The seven base cards are all available at the start. Before making the first move, scan them: identify all possible pyramid-to-pyramid pairings, which base cards need to be removed to uncover specific upper-row cards, and which removals open the most options.
Manage Kings deliberately. Kings remove alone and require no partner, which makes them the easiest cards to remove — but also the only cards that consume a removal without producing a partner. A King on the waste pile blocks cards beneath it. Remove Kings blocking upper-row pyramid cards as a priority.
Pyramid Solitaire's pairing mechanic has inspired several variants that modify the pyramid structure, the win condition, or the availability rules to create different difficulty levels.
Tut's Tomb adds a second, inverted pyramid beneath the standard pyramid, creating an hourglass-shaped layout. The upper pyramid is standard and the lower pyramid serves as an extended pool of pairing partners. The win condition typically requires clearing only the upper pyramid. Tut's Tomb is more forgiving than standard Pyramid because the larger partner pool reduces stuck positions.
Double Pyramid uses two full decks to deal a larger pyramid — typically nine or ten rows — and the win condition requires clearing the entire expanded pyramid. With more cards and more rows, Double Pyramid is significantly harder. The upper rows are blocked by far more cards, and the extended stock cycling means the game runs longer with tighter constraints.
Relaxed Pyramid modifies the availability rules: rather than requiring both overlapping cards to be removed before a card is uncovered, Relaxed Pyramid allows a card to be played as soon as at least one of the two overlapping cards has been removed. This single rule change dramatically increases the number of available pairs and raises win rates substantially. Relaxed Pyramid is the recommended starting variant for new players.
Scan the entire pyramid before making your first pair. Before removing any pair, look at all available cards in the bottom row and identify every possible pyramid-to-pyramid pairing, every King available for solo removal, and which pairs would uncover the most valuable upper-row cards. The opening scan prevents impulsive first-pair choices.
Don't draw from the stock when pyramid-to-pyramid pairs are available. Drawing from the stock when uncovered pyramid cards can be paired is one of the most common errors. Stock draws consume limited stock passes and advance the waste pile. Exhaust all pyramid-to-pyramid pairs and solo Kings before drawing.
Track which values are running low. Pyramid uses a single deck with four of each value. If three of the four 6s have been removed, any remaining 7s in the pyramid are at risk — there's only one 6 left to pair with them. Tracking depleted values alerts you early to cards that may need special attention.
Save stock passes for the upper rows. The stock cycles through a limited number of times. Using stock passes aggressively in the early game leaves fewer passes for the harder upper-row cards. Use pyramid-to-pyramid pairs to clear the base row and reserve stock draws for when no pyramid pair is available.
Remove blocking Kings from the waste pile promptly. A King on top of the waste pile blocks every card beneath it in the stock from becoming available. Removing a waste pile King as soon as it appears is almost always correct — it costs nothing and immediately makes the next stock card available.
When stuck, look for indirect unblocking paths. When no immediate pairs are visible, look for a two-step sequence: is there a pyramid card that, if removed, would uncover another card that pairs with something currently available? Indirect unblocking — making a pairing not for its own sake but to uncover a more valuable pairing — is the pattern that separates strategic play from reactive play.
Pyramid Solitaire has a lower theoretical win rate than most other popular solitaire variants, and its win rate is more influenced by deal quality than by player skill. A significant proportion of deals — estimates range from 20% to 40% depending on the rules variant and number of stock passes — are unwinnable from the initial deal regardless of strategy.
With careful play — applying the strategic habits above consistently — typical Pyramid Solitaire win rates fall in the 40–60% range. The variance between deals is high: some deals have multiple viable winning paths, while others have no winning path regardless of play quality.
The most reliable way to raise Pyramid win rates is to increase the number of stock passes permitted. Moving from one stock pass to two or three significantly raises the win rate. Relaxed Pyramid rules also raise win rates substantially and are worth enabling if the standard game feels consistently unbeatable.
Pyramid Solitaire is won by removing all 28 cards from the pyramid by pairing them with a card of complementary value — two cards whose values sum to exactly 13. Kings count as 13 and are removed alone; all other cards must be paired. Queens (12) pair with Aces (1), Jacks (11) pair with 2s, 10s pair with 3s, 9s pair with 4s, 8s pair with 5s, and 7s pair with 6s. Only the pyramid cards need to be cleared to win.
Any two available cards whose values sum to 13 form a valid pair. The complete pairing list: King (13, removed alone), Queen + Ace (12 + 1), Jack + 2 (11 + 2), 10 + 3, 9 + 4, 8 + 5, 7 + 6. Only uncovered pyramid cards and the top card of the waste pile are available for pairing at any time.
No. A significant proportion of Pyramid Solitaire deals — estimates range from 20% to 40% depending on the rules variant and number of stock passes — are unwinnable from the initial deal regardless of strategy. This is why Pyramid win rates plateau around 50–60% even with careful play.
In standard Pyramid, a card is only available when both of the two cards overlapping it have been removed. In Relaxed Pyramid, a card becomes available as soon as at least one of the two overlapping cards has been removed. This single rule change significantly increases available pairs and raises win rates. Relaxed Pyramid is recommended for new players.
The number of stock passes depends on the platform's settings. Most online implementations default to two or three passes, though some allow only one or offer unlimited cycling. The number of passes permitted is one of the largest single factors in Pyramid's win rate — one pass makes the game significantly harder than three passes.
Tut's Tomb adds a second, inverted pyramid beneath the standard seven-row pyramid, creating an hourglass-shaped layout. The lower pyramid serves as an extended pool of available pairing partners, and the win condition typically requires clearing only the upper pyramid. Tut's Tomb is more forgiving than standard Pyramid because the larger pool of immediately available partners reduces stuck positions.
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