Tri Peaks Solitaire

Play Tri Peaks Solitaire free online — no login. Clear all three peaks by chaining cards one rank up or down. Aces wrap K-A-2, with unlimited undo, hints, and shareable deals.

Tri Peaks Solitaire — rules and how to play

This page documents the exact Tri Peaks Solitaire rules implemented in Solitarium.io.

Objective

Clear all 28 cards from the three peaks by moving exposed cards onto the waste pile. You win when every peak card is gone — the cards left in the stock do not matter.

Setup

  • Three overlapping peaks are dealt with 28 cards in total: three single-card tips, then rows of six and nine, sharing a bottom row of ten.
  • The ten cards in the bottom row are dealt face up. The covered cards above them are face down until uncovered.
  • The remaining 24 cards form the face-down stock at the bottom left.
  • The waste pile starts empty, so your first move can be any exposed card.

Piles (what each area is)

  • Peaks: the three pyramids of 28 cards. A card is "open" only when the two cards directly below it have been removed.
  • Stock: 24 face-down cards. Click it to turn one card onto the waste. There is no redeal once it runs out.
  • Waste: the central play pile. You build on it one rank at a time by playing open peak cards.

Allowed moves

  • Only open peak cards (with nothing covering them) can be played.
  • An open card can move to the waste when it is one rank higher or one rank lower than the current waste card.
  • Suits do not matter.
  • Ranks turn the corner: an Ace connects with both a 2 and a King, so you can run sequences like Q-K-A-2-A-K.
  • When you play a card, any card it was covering flips face up once both of its covering cards are gone.

Stock

  • When no open peak card can be played, click the stock to deal one card onto the waste.
  • You can only go through the stock once — there is no recycling or redeal.
  • Each stock card counts as a move, so save the stock for when you are genuinely stuck.

Winning and losing

  • You win by clearing all 28 peak cards onto the waste.
  • You lose when no open card can be played and the stock is empty.
  • Undo is always available, so you can back up and try a different line before the stock runs out.

Controls and helpers

  • Click or tap an open peak card to move it to the waste.
  • Click the stock to deal the next card.
  • Undo is available in the HUD and via Cmd/Ctrl+Z; Redo via Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+Z or Ctrl+Y on Windows.
  • Hint highlights a playable peak card first, then the stock when no peak move is available.

Saving and sharing

  • Your progress auto-saves locally in the browser and restores if you refresh or reopen the tab.
  • Use Share to copy a short link that recreates the same starting deal.

Why is it called Tri Peaks Solitaire?

The name comes from the three peak-shaped pyramids that make up the board. Tri Peaks was designed by Robert Hogue in 1989 and blends the layout of Pyramid Solitaire with the one-rank-up-or-down play of Golf Solitaire.

Because you build a single running sequence on the waste, a good deal lets you sweep across all three peaks in long chains, which is where the game gets its fast, satisfying rhythm.

Strategy tips

  • Plan long chains. Before you start a run, look across all open cards and find the longest up-and-down sequence you can play in one go.
  • Uncover the peaks evenly. Clearing cards that expose new face-down cards keeps your options open; tunneling down a single peak can leave you stuck.
  • Mind the corner. Ace-King wrap turns dead ends into chains — a King is not a dead end when an Ace is open.
  • Hold the stock. Every stock draw is one of only 24, and it changes the waste rank. Exhaust your peak moves before drawing.
  • Think about the rank you land on. The last card of a chain sets what you can play next, so end your runs on a rank that keeps cards in play.

How is Tri Peaks different from Pyramid and Golf?

Pyramid Solitaire removes pairs of cards that add up to 13, working a single triangle. Tri Peaks instead plays open cards onto a shared waste pile by rank, like Golf, but across three peaks rather than seven columns.

Compared with Golf, Tri Peaks rewards reading the whole board: the overlapping peaks mean one well-chosen card can unlock a cascade, while Golf is a flatter, column-by-column game.

Is every Tri Peaks deal winnable?

Not every deal can be cleared, but Tri Peaks is among the more winnable solitaire games. Statistical analysis of the original game suggested that a large majority of deals are solvable with good play, though your real-world win rate depends on planning and a little luck with the stock.

When you are stuck with no open card within one rank of the waste and an empty stock, the game is over — but undo lets you rewind and test a different sequence before committing the stock.

Does an Ace connect to a King in Tri Peaks?

Yes. In this version ranks turn the corner, so an Ace connects with both a 2 and a King. This wrap-around increases the number of available chains and is the standard modern Tri Peaks rule.

Can I undo in Tri Peaks Solitaire?

Yes. Unlimited undo is available via the Undo button or Cmd/Ctrl+Z. Because Tri Peaks rewards planning chains and timing your stock draws, undoing to try a different line is a normal part of the game.

Related solitaire games to try next

Tri Peaks sits between Pyramid and Golf. If you enjoy the fast rank-chaining, try Golf; if you like clearing peaks, try Pyramid; and Klondike adds the classic build-and-sort challenge.

Sources and further reading

These references informed the rules, history, and variant notes on this page.