How to Play Pyramid Solitaire

A classic pairing game where you remove cards from a pyramid by matching pairs that total 13, or removing Kings alone. Draw from the stock to find more matches.

Setup

1. The pyramid has 7 rows with cards overlapping: one card on top, two in the next row, increasing to seven at the bottom (28 cards total)
2. Remaining 24 cards form the stock
3. Cards drawn from the stock go to a waste pile

How to play

• Only cards not covered by cards in the row below are playable (uncovered cards)
• Click the stock to deal one card at a time to the waste
• The top card of the waste is playable
• Remove pairs by dragging an uncovered pyramid card onto its matching partner
• Valid pairs add up to 13: Ace (1) with Queen (12), 2 with Jack (11), 3 with 10, 4 with 9, 5 with 8, 6 with 7
• Kings (13) are removed individually without a partner
• The waste can be redealt up to 3 times total (3 passes through the stock)

How to win

Objective: Clear every card from the pyramid by removing pairs that total 13 points (Ace = 1, Jack = 11, Queen = 12), or single Kings (which equal 13).

You win when every card is removed from the pyramid. You're stuck when no more pairs can be matched and the stock is exhausted.

Tips

• Only uncovered cards can be played, so look for moves that uncover more pyramid options
• Watch for natural pairings that will unblock high-value cards
• Kings can be removed on their own, freeing up the cards they were covering

Play Pyramid free on Windows

CardTray is a free solitaire app for Windows that includes Pyramid alongside 300+ other games. It saves every move as you play, so you can close the window and pick the game up later, replay any deal, and take on a new Daily Challenge deal every day. Browse every game in the Game Gallery.

Related games

More games from the Pyramid family:

• Triangle — An inverted pyramid pairing game where you remove pairs of cards that total 13 or single Kings from a seven-row pyramid.
• Eleven Triangle — A pyramid pairing game where you clear cards by matching pairs that add up to 11, plus matching pairs of same-rank face cards.
• Double Pyramid — This two-deck pyramid game spreads 104 cards across nine rows and a deep stock.