Pyramid solitaire is a quick, clever card game where simple arithmetic meets careful planning. Twenty-eight cards are laid out in a seven-row pyramid, and your job is to clear them all by removing pairs that add up to 13. On PlayToffee you can play pyramid solitaire free in your browser, with three passes through the stock, undo, hints, and autosave, on deals that are checked by a solver before they reach you.
What is Pyramid Solitaire?
Pyramid is a member of the solitaire family that plays very differently from Klondike. There is no building in alternating colours and no foundations to fill. Instead, each card has a value: Aces count 1, number cards count their number, Jacks 11, Queens 12, and Kings 13. You remove two cards together when their values total exactly 13, such as a 6 and a 7, an Ace and a Queen, or a 2 and a Jack. A King already makes 13 by itself, so it is removed alone.
The 28 pyramid cards are dealt in seven overlapping rows, one card at the top and seven along the base. The other 24 cards form the stock. A pyramid card is available only when nothing rests on it, which means both cards that overlap it from the row below have been removed. At the start, that is just the seven cards on the bottom row.
A typical game takes only a few minutes, which makes pyramid solitaire a great quick break. If you would rather sort and build, try classic Klondike Solitaire or the trickier Solitaire Turn 3.
How to Play Pyramid Solitaire
- Find free cards. Uncovered cards are shown in full; cards still covered by others are slightly dimmed and cannot be used yet.
- Make 13. Tap one free card, then tap a partner that brings the total to 13. Both cards are removed. You can also drag one card onto its partner.
- Remove Kings straight away. Tapping a free King removes it on its own.
- Turn the stock. Tap the stock, or press Space or D, to turn one card onto the waste. The top waste card can pair with any free pyramid card.
- Recycle up to twice. When the stock is empty, tap it to turn the waste back over and start the next pass. You get three passes in total.
- Clear the pyramid to win. You do not need to use up the stock. The game is won the moment the last pyramid card is gone.
- Watch for the end. If no pair can be made and the stock cannot be turned again, the game ends.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Select a card | None | Click it | Tap it |
| Remove a pair | None | Click the partner, or drag one card onto the other | Tap the partner, or drag one card onto the other |
| Remove a King | None | Click the King | Tap the King |
| Turn the stock | Space or D | Click the stock | Tap the stock |
| Clear selection | Esc | Click an empty spot | Tap an empty spot |
| Undo last move | Ctrl+Z / Cmd+Z | Click Undo | Tap Undo |
| Get a hint | H | Click Hint | Tap Hint |
Tips & Strategies
- Work on the whole pyramid, not one side. Spread your removals across the bottom rows so that more cards become free at once. Digging deep in one corner often leaves you with few choices.
- Count the partners still in play. Each rank has four copies. If three Queens are already gone and you need the last one for a buried Ace, think twice before using that Queen elsewhere.
- Prefer pyramid pairs to waste pairs. Clearing two pyramid cards frees more of the layout and scores 20 points, while a waste card scores only 5. Use the waste to unblock the pyramid, not as a goal in itself.
- Look at what a removal uncovers. Before taking a pair, check which cards it will free. A pair that opens up a card you can use right away is better than one that opens nothing.
- Watch the waste before you turn. Once you turn the stock, the old top card is buried under the new one. If the current waste card has a partner on the pyramid, take that pair first.
- Plan for later passes. The stock order stays the same on each pass, apart from the cards you have removed. Remember which cards are coming so you can save the right partners.
- Use Undo and Hint freely. The hint shows a King or pair to remove, or points at the stock when drawing is the only option.
Pyramid Rules and Scoring
Pyramid solitaire on PlayToffee gives you three passes through the stock: the first deal plus two recycles. The pass counter beside the stock shows where you are, and a short message confirms each new pass. When the third pass is used up and no pairs remain, the game ends with a count of the cards left on the table.
Scoring rewards clearing the pyramid efficiently:
- +10 for every pyramid card removed
- +5 for every waste card removed
- +250 for clearing the whole pyramid
- +100 for each pass you did not need when you clear it
So clearing the pyramid on your first pass earns a 200-point bonus on top of the 250 for the clear itself.
Random pyramid deals are often impossible to clear, which is why many players find the game frustrating elsewhere. Ours are checked by a solver before you play. If it cannot find a way to clear the pyramid within its search budget, the deal is thrown away and a new one is tried, so almost every game you start can be won.
Want more solitaire? For the classic building game, play Klondike Solitaire, turning one card at a time, or test your planning with Solitaire Turn 3. Our card games page collects every deck-based game on PlayToffee.
Features
- Classic pyramid rules: pairs that add up to 13, Kings removed alone
- Three passes through the stock with an on-screen pass counter
- Deals checked by a solver, so almost every pyramid can be cleared
- Tap two cards to pair them, or drag one onto its partner
- Covered cards are dimmed so you can see what is free
- Scoring with bonuses for a clear and for unused passes
- Undo, hints, and a move counter
- Personal stats: games played, win rate, best time, and streaks
- Autosave: close the page and finish the same deal later
- Works on phones, tablets, and desktops, with no download and no sign-up
