How to play Pyramid solitaire
Pyramid is a pairing game: take cards off a pyramid of 28 by matching two that add up to 13.
Setting up
One deck. 28 cards are dealt face up in a pyramid of seven rows, one card at the top and seven at the bottom, each row overlapping the one above. The other 24 cards are the stock.
Card values
Aces count 1, number cards their number, jacks 11, queens 12 and kings 13. So the pairs are A+Q, 2+J, 3+10, 4+9, 5+8 and 6+7, and a king is removed on its own.
How to play
A pyramid card is available when no card is resting on it, that is, when both cards below it in the next row are gone.
Tap the stock to turn up its next card. The turned-up card and the top card of the waste pile beside it are both available too. Pair any two available cards that make 13 by dragging one onto the other, or tap one and then the other. Tap a king to remove it.
When the stock runs out you can turn the waste back over: twice by default, or never, or as often as you like, depending on the Redeals option.
Winning
By default you win by clearing all 28 pyramid cards. With "Clear every card" you also have to pair off every card from the stock and waste, which is much harder.
Tips
Look at what each pair uncovers. When two cards could pair with the same partner, take the one that frees more of the pyramid. Don't spend a stock card on a pair you could make from the pyramid alone later.
Options on this site
- Redeals: 2 redeals (default), No redeal, Unlimited
- To win: Clear the pyramid (default), Clear every card
Questions
Why is Pyramid so hard to win?
Under strict rules only a small share of deals can be won, so the default here allows two redeals and counts a cleared pyramid as a win. "Only deal games that can be won" makes sure the deal can be cleared under the options you chose.