Values and exposed cards
Ace counts as 1, Jack 11, Queen 12, and King 13. A pyramid card becomes available only after both overlapping cards below it are gone. Stock and waste cards can partner with exposed pyramid cards.
Pyramid Solitaire
Remove every card in the pyramid by selecting exposed pairs worth thirteen; Kings are removed alone.
How to play
Remove every card in the pyramid by selecting exposed pairs worth thirteen; Kings are removed alone.
- Select two uncovered cards whose ranks total thirteen.
- Remove an exposed King without pairing it.
- Draw through the stock and waste when no pyramid pair is available.
Strategy tips
- Favor pairs that uncover two new pyramid cards.
- Check whether a stock card is needed for a deeper blocker.
- Remove exposed Kings promptly because they need no partner.
Complete guide
Rules, scoring, and strategy
Pyramid is a dependency puzzle: remove exposed pairs totaling thirteen while choosing the pair that unlocks the most useful cards beneath it. An exposed King removes by itself.
Scoring and stock order
Every removed card adds ten points. Drawing changes the waste target but does not score by itself. Because stock order is fixed, preserve a rare partner when a deeper blocked pyramid card still needs it.
Common mistakes
A visible pair is not automatically the best pair. Prefer a removal that exposes two cards instead of one. Remove Kings promptly, and avoid pairing stock cards together when either one releases a critical pyramid blocker.
Read dependency chains
Look from the bottom row toward the center and compare what each pair exposes. When two choices seem equal, keep the rarer rank and choose the branch that reveals more information. Numbered replays show where an early choice closed the route.
Questions players ask
Which ranks total thirteen?
Ace–Queen, Two–Jack, Three–Ten, Four–Nine, Five–Eight, and Six–Seven. Kings remove alone.
Can I use a partly covered card?
No. Both cards overlapping it from the row below must be removed before it is exposed.
Why can a deal run out of moves?
A needed partner may have passed through the stock or been used in another pair. Replay the deal and preserve that rank earlier.