Objective
Remove all 28 cards from the pyramid by pairing them so each pair sums to 13. You win when every pyramid position is cleared.
Setup
- 28 cards are dealt face-up into a 7-row pyramid.
- The top row has 1 card; each row below has one more card than the row above.
- The remaining 24 cards form the face-down stock.
Piles (what each area is)
- Pyramid (tableau): the 28-card triangle you are trying to clear. All cards start face-up.
- Stock: the remaining 24 cards placed face-down. Click to draw one card at a time when you need more options.
- Waste: drawn stock cards, placed face-up. Only the top waste card is playable.
- Foundation: where matched pairs and removed Kings go. Cards sent here are out of play.
Card values
- Ace = 1, 2–10 = face value, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13.
- Valid pairs (sum = 13): A+Q, 2+J, 3+10, 4+9, 5+8, 6+7.
- Kings are removed alone — no pair needed.
Accessible cards
- A pyramid card is accessible (playable) when neither of the two cards directly below it is still on the board.
- The bottom row is always fully accessible.
- The top card of the waste pile is always accessible.
- Stock cards are face-down and cannot be paired until drawn.
Stock and waste
- Click Stock to draw one card face-up to the waste pile.
- Only the top waste card can be paired.
- When the stock is empty, click it again to recycle all waste cards back into the stock.
- There is no limit on how many times you can recycle the stock on Solitarium.io.
Making a move
- Click an accessible card to select it (highlighted in gold).
- Click a second accessible card that pairs with the first to remove both to the foundation.
- Clicking a King removes it immediately to the foundation without selecting a partner.
- Click the selected card again to deselect it.
- Clicking a new card while another is selected switches the selection.
Controls and helpers
- Undo is available in the HUD and via Cmd/Ctrl+Z; Redo via Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y.
- Hint highlights the best available move.
- New Game starts a fresh randomly shuffled game.
- Restart replays the exact same deal from the beginning.
Winning and losing
- You win when all 28 pyramid positions are cleared.
- The game is lost when no pairs remain and the stock cannot be recycled (stock and waste are both empty with no valid moves).
- Not every deal is winnable. Some pyramids lock the needed matching ranks under each other, even if you cycle the stock perfectly.
What is the history of Pyramid Solitaire?
Pyramid belongs to the addition-and-pairing branch of patience games. Instead of building suited sequences like Klondike, these games ask you to remove exposed cards by matching ranks to a target total.
Older rule books used names such as Simple Addition, Thirteens, and Pile of Twenty-Eight for related ideas. The seven-row Pyramid format became familiar through mid-20th-century solitaire references, including The Complete Book of Solitaire and Patience Games by Albert H. Morehead and Geoffrey Mott-Smith.
Computer versions later made the pyramid layout more visible. Microsoft Entertainment Pack 2, released in 1991, included Tut's Tomb, a Pyramid-family game with its own stock rules.
Strategy tips
- Look for pairs that uncover the most cards. A move from the lower rows often opens more future choices than a pair near the top.
- Do not take the first pair you see automatically. If two cards can match the same rank, prefer the move that frees a blocked card or removes a duplicate rank from the pyramid.
- Remove accessible Kings early. They never need a partner, and leaving one in the pyramid can keep two cards above it blocked.
- Use the waste deliberately. A waste card can be useful, but drawing too quickly can bury a rank you will need before you have a matching card available.
- Watch for trapped complements. If all Queens are blocked, an exposed Ace may be hard to use; if several Sevens are buried, an exposed Six may need to wait.
Common Pyramid Solitaire variants
- Relaxed Pyramid: you only need to clear the pyramid — cards can remain in the stock or waste and you still win. This variant is significantly easier.
- Par Pyramid: a stricter style of play usually handled with limited passes through the stock.
- Tut's Tomb (King Tut): a Pyramid-family variant popularized by Microsoft Entertainment Pack 2 in 1991. Versions commonly change the stock or waste handling.
- Apophis: uses multiple waste piles instead of one, giving more flexibility in which drawn card can be matched.
- Giza and Triangle: relatives that keep the pair-to-13 idea but change the starting layout.
What cards can be paired in Pyramid Solitaire?
Any two accessible cards whose values total 13 can be paired and removed. Ace counts as 1, number cards at face value, Jack as 11, and Queen as 12. Valid pairs are: Ace + Queen, 2 + Jack, 3 + Ten, 4 + Nine, 5 + Eight, 6 + Seven. Kings (value 13) are removed alone without a partner.
Can more than two cards be combined to make 13?
No. Standard Pyramid Solitaire only allows pairs of exactly two cards (or a single King). You cannot combine three or more cards even if their values sum to 13 — for example, Ace + 5 + 7 = 13 is not a valid move. Only two-card combinations are permitted.
Which cards in the pyramid are accessible?
A pyramid card becomes accessible once both cards directly below it have been removed. Cards in the bottom row are always accessible. The top card of the waste pile is also accessible at all times. Stock cards must be drawn to waste before they can be paired.
How does the stock work in Pyramid Solitaire?
Click the face-down stock to flip one card to the waste pile. Only the top waste card is available to pair. When the stock runs out, click it again to shuffle all waste cards back into a new stock. On Solitarium.io you can recycle the stock as many times as needed.
Is every Pyramid Solitaire deal winnable?
No. Pyramid can create impossible positions because cards only leave in fixed 13-value pairs. If the ranks you need are buried under each other, or if a key card is trapped below both of its useful complements, perfect play cannot always rescue the deal. Published win-rate estimates vary a lot because Pyramid rules vary: some versions limit stock passes, some allow redeals, and relaxed versions only require the pyramid itself to be cleared.
Can I undo moves in Pyramid Solitaire?
Yes. Click the Undo button in the HUD or press Cmd+Z (Mac) / Ctrl+Z (Windows) to undo the last move. Redo is available with Cmd+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y. Undoing a pair removal returns both cards to their positions on the board.
Sources and further reading
These references informed the rules, history, and variant notes on this page.