Learning how to play Pyramid Solitaire takes about a minute: clear a 28-card pyramid by removing pairs of cards that add up to thirteen. The strategy underneath takes pleasantly longer. Here is the complete beginner's walkthrough, playable along on our free Pyramid Solitaire, no download, no sign-up.
The setup
Twenty-eight cards deal face-up into a seven-row pyramid: one card on top, seven along the bottom, each row overlapping the one above. The remaining twenty-four cards form a face-down stock. A card is playable only when fully uncovered, at the start, that means the bottom row, and digging upward is the whole journey.
The one rule: pairs that make 13
Remove cards two at a time when their values total thirteen. Aces count one, number cards face value, jacks eleven, queens twelve. The pairs to memorize: queen and ace, jack and two, ten and three, nine and four, eight and five, seven and six. Kings count thirteen all by themselves, tap a king and it leaves alone, no partner needed.
The stock and waste
Stuck for pairs among the uncovered cards? Deal from the stock: each tap turns one card onto the waste pile, and the top waste card can pair with any free pyramid card. When the stock runs dry, it recycles from the waste. The stock is your lifeline, but it is finite in usefulness, spending it thoughtfully is most of the skill.
The habits that win deals
First, clear kings on sight; they cost nothing. Second, prefer pairs using two pyramid cards over pyramid-plus-waste, only pyramid cards win the game. Third, before taking any pair, glance at what it uncovers: equal pairs are not equal, and the one that opens two new cards beats the one that opens none. Fourth, watch for buried partners: if both remaining tens sit under both remaining threes, that corner of the pyramid is a trap to dig carefully around.
Can every deal be won?
No, and that is by design: some deals bury partners irretrievably, and recognizing a doomed line early is itself a skill. Win rates climb steeply with the digging habits above, which is exactly what makes the game replayable. For the wider card-game family, our free card games roundup maps where Pyramid sits among its cousins.
FAQ
What are the card values in Pyramid Solitaire?
Ace is 1, number cards count face value, jack 11, queen 12 and king 13. Pairs must total exactly 13, and kings, worth 13 alone, are removed singly with no partner.
What happens when the stock runs out?
Tapping the empty stock recycles the waste pile so you can pass through the helpers again. Treat stock cards as a budget: spend them where they enable pyramid-card pairs, not on idle cycling.
Is Pyramid Solitaire luck or skill?
Both: deals vary in difficulty and some are unwinnable, but excavation choices, which of two equal pairs to take, when to clear kings, when to spend stock, swing win rates dramatically. Skill decides the marginal deals.