What is Pyramid solitaire?

Pyramid trades the build-and-stack of Klondike for quick arithmetic. It's fast to learn but surprisingly stingy about letting you win.

Quick answer: Pyramid is a matching solitaire played with a 28-card pyramid. You remove pairs of exposed cards that add up to 13, with Kings removed on their own. The goal is to clear the entire pyramid. Under strict rules it's tough, with only about 20% of deals winnable.

How Pyramid works

Pyramid lays 28 cards in a seven-row pyramid, each card partly covered by two below it. You remove exposed pairs that sum to 13: a nine with a four, a ten with a three, and so on. Jacks count 11, Queens 12, and Kings are 13, so a King clears by itself. You draw from a stock to find partners for stranded cards.

Why it's hard to win

Only about one Pyramid deal in five is winnable under strict rules, making it one of the tougher matching games. The blocking structure is the culprit: removing a card requires both cards it covers to be gone first, so a single awkwardly placed card can lock a whole branch. See winnability by variant for how it ranks.

Quick and casual

Despite the low win rate, Pyramid is a great pick-up game, over in a couple of minutes and easy to learn, which is why our beginner guide lists it among the fast confidence-builders. If you like the matching style, try TriPeaks next.

Play Pyramid Solitaire

Related questions

What is TriPeaks solitaire?

TriPeaks is a quick matching solitaire where you clear three overlapping peaks of cards. You remove any exposed card that's one rank higher or lower than the current waste card, wrapping King to Ace. Long chains score big, and a full game takes only a minute or two.

What percentage of solitaire games are winnable?

It varies enormously by variant. About 99.999% of FreeCell deals are winnable with perfect play, roughly 80% of Klondike Turn 1 deals, around 80% of Yukon deals, and only about 20% of strict-rules Pyramid deals. Real win rates are much lower than these theoretical ceilings.

Which solitaire game is best for beginners?

Klondike Turn 1 is the classic starting point - simple rules and a high share of winnable deals. 1-suit Spider is even more forgiving. TriPeaks and Golf are fast, casual picks. Once comfortable, FreeCell teaches real planning, and Russian or Forty Thieves await when you want a challenge.