Pyramid Solitaire Rules

Objective

Pyramid is a one-player game with a standard deck. Twenty-eight cards are laid out face up in the shape of a pyramid, and the aim is to remove all 28 of them by pairing cards whose values add up to 13. Unlike Klondike or FreeCell there are no foundations to build — cards simply leave the table in pairs. On CardCouch the game is won when the pyramid is empty; the strict traditional game also requires the stock and waste to be cleared (see the variations below).

Players and cards

• Players: 1.
• Deck: a standard 52-card deck, no jokers.
• Card values: Ace = 1, number cards their face value, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13.
• Suits never matter. Only the values count.

The deal

1. Deal 28 cards face up in seven rows: one card at the top (the apex), then two, three, four, five, six and seven. Each row overlaps the row above it, so every card except the bottom row is partly covered by the two cards beneath it.
2. The remaining 24 cards form the stock. On CardCouch the stock sits beside the apex and its top card is face up and in play; many other versions keep the stock face down.
3. The waste is an empty space next to the stock. Drawn cards go there face up, and only its top card is in play.

Uncovered cards

The most important rule in the game: a pyramid card may be used only when it is uncovered.

• A card is uncovered when both cards directly below it — the one below-left and the one below-right — have been removed.
• The seven cards in the bottom row have nothing below them, so they are uncovered from the start.
• Remove two neighbours in a row and the card they were both covering, one row up, becomes available.
• The apex is the last card that can come free, because everything below it must go first.
• Covered cards are always visible so you can plan, but they cannot be selected. On CardCouch, uncovered cards are the ones you can tap.

Cards in play

At any moment, exactly these cards may be used in a move:

• every uncovered pyramid card;
• the top card of the waste, if any;
• the face-up top card of the stock, if any (a CardCouch convenience; in versions with a face-down stock only the waste top is in play).

Any two of these may be paired with each other: two pyramid cards, a pyramid card and the waste, a pyramid card and the stock top, or the waste and the stock top. To pair with the stock top, select the other card first and then tap the stock — tapping the stock with nothing selected draws a card.

Pairs that make 13

A move is removing two cards in play whose values total exactly 13. There are six combinations:

Tap the first card to select it, then tap its partner to remove both. Tap the selected card again to deselect it. A pair that does not make 13, or that includes a covered card, is simply refused.

Kings

A King is worth 13 by itself, so it needs no partner. An uncovered King in the pyramid or on the waste is removed alone with a single tap. A King on top of the stock is drawn to the waste first (tapping the stock draws) and removed from there with a second tap. Kings never combine with any other card.

The stock, waste and passes

1. At any time — usually when no pair is available — draw the top card of the stock onto the waste. Drawing is never limited within a pass.
2. The top card of the waste is in play. When it is removed, the card beneath it becomes the new top and is in play again.
3. When the stock is empty, you may recycle the waste: it is turned back into the stock in the same order as before.
4. On CardCouch you get three passes through the stock in total — the first pass and two recycles. The table shows how many recycles (passes left) remain. After the third pass the stock stays empty for good. The strict traditional game allows one pass; see the variations below.

Moves, undo and winning

• Every pair removal, King removal, draw and recycle counts as one move.
• Undo takes back the last action, including a draw or a recycle, and can be repeated all the way to the deal.
• You win when the pyramid is empty — all 28 cards removed. Cards still in the stock or waste are ignored (the relaxed win condition; the strict game is below).
• The deal is stuck when the stock is empty, no passes remain, and no card in play is a King or has a partner making 13. CardCouch tells you when there are no moves left; Undo or a new game are the ways out.
• Your personal bests — wins, fastest time and fewest moves — are kept on your device.

Common variations

• Strict (traditional) Pyramid: one pass through the stock, and the game is won only when the whole deck — pyramid, stock and waste — has been removed. Under these rules only a minority of deals can be won.
• Relaxed Pyramid: clearing the pyramid alone counts as a win, whatever is left in the stock and waste. This is what CardCouch and most computer versions use.
• One, three or unlimited passes: the traditional game allows a single pass; three passes is common in computer versions; some apps allow unlimited recycles. CardCouch uses three.
• Face-down stock: many versions keep the stock face down so you only see a card once it is drawn. CardCouch shows the top stock card face up and lets you pair it directly.
• Tut's Tomb: the stock is turned three cards at a time with unlimited redeals. Not used here.
• Pairing through a cover: some apps let a card be paired with the one card still covering it. Not used here — both covering cards must be gone.

Frequently asked questions