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 — and the game is won when the pyramid is empty.

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.
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.

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.

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, on the waste or on top of the stock — is removed alone with a single 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. You get three passes through the stock in total — the first pass and two recycles. CardCouch shows how many passes are left. After the third pass the stock stays empty for good.

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 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

• One pass or unlimited passes: the strict traditional game allows a single pass through the stock; some casual versions allow unlimited recycles. CardCouch uses the common three-pass rule.
• 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.
• Clearing the whole deck: a harder goal in which the stock and waste must be removed as well. Here, an empty pyramid is a win.
• Relaxed Pyramid: some versions let you pair a card with the one directly covering it, or move cards to a reserve. Not used here.

Frequently asked questions