To play Pyramid Solitaire, you deal 28 cards face up in a pyramid of seven overlapping rows and try to remove them all by pairing two uncovered cards that add up to 13. Aces count 1, Jacks 11, Queens 12, and Kings count 13 on their own, so a King comes off alone. The other 24 cards form a stock you turn over one at a time for extra partners, and you win when the pyramid is gone.
Below are the full rules exactly as Poozee's Pyramid Solitaire plays them, with a worked opening from a real deal. Every diagram was replayed with the game's own rules engine, and every number comes from deals we counted with it. Where other versions play differently, we say so. Once the rules click, our Pyramid Solitaire strategy guide covers how to win more often.
Pyramid Solitaire rules at a glance
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Cards | One standard 52-card deck, no jokers |
| Layout | 28 cards face up in 7 rows (1 card at the top, 7 at the bottom), each row overlapping the one above |
| Stock | The other 24 cards, face down |
| Card values | Ace 1, 2 to 10 as marked, Jack 11, Queen 12, King 13 |
| A play | Remove two uncovered cards that add up to 13, or a King alone |
| Uncovered | No card in the row below still overlaps it |
| Stock cards | Turn one at a time. The card just drawn and the top of the waste can both be played |
| Passes | Choose 1, 2 or 3 trips through the stock on Poozee (3 to start) |
| Win | Clear all 28 pyramid cards |
| Game over | No pair, no King and nothing left to draw |
The layout: 28 cards in a pyramid, 24 in the stock
Shuffle and deal one card at the top, then a row of two that half covers it, then three, and so on down to a row of seven: 28 cards in all, every one face up. The 24 cards left over go face down as the stock. Here's deal #1 on Poozee, as it starts:
At the start, only the 7 cards in the bottom row are uncovered. Every other card is overlapped by the two cards below it, and comes free only when both of those are gone.
What adds up to 13
Each play takes out cards worth exactly 13, so every rank has one partner rank:
| Card | Pairs with |
|---|---|
| Ace (1) | Queen (12) |
| 2 | Jack (11) |
| 3 | 10 |
| 4 | 9 |
| 5 | 8 |
| 6 | 7 |
| King (13) | Nothing: it comes off alone |
A play is always exactly two cards, or one King. You can't make 13 out of three cards (6 + 4 + 3 doesn't count), and suits and colors don't matter: the 5 of diamonds pairs with any 8. The deck has four cards of every rank, so every card except a King has exactly four possible partners.
Which cards are uncovered
A pyramid card is uncovered (also called exposed or free) when neither of the two cards that overlap it from the row below is still there. Only uncovered cards can be played. In deal #1, for example, the 9 of spades is uncovered as soon as the 5 of diamonds and the 8 of spades below it are gone.
That rule has two consequences worth knowing:
- A card can never pair with a card it covers. In deal #1, the 5 of diamonds lies on the 8 of diamonds. They add up to 13, but the 8 isn't uncovered until the 5 is gone, so they can never come off together. Each of them needs a different partner. This is common: in 96.1% of the 100,000 deals we checked (deals #1 to #100,000 on Poozee), at least one card rests directly on its own partner, and in all 100,000 some card overlaps a partner further down.
- The top card always goes last. All 27 other pyramid cards overlap it, directly or through other cards, so it's uncovered only when it's the only pyramid card left. Unless it's a King, its partner has to come from the stock.
On Poozee, you can only pick up or tap a card once it's uncovered, so you can't break this rule by accident.
The stock, the drawn card and the waste
When the pyramid has no play you want, turn the top card of the stock. On Poozee, it goes to the drawn spot next to the stock. Turn another and the drawn card moves onto the waste pile beside it, with the new card taking its place.
Up to two stock cards are in play at once: the card just drawn and the top card of the waste. Either one can pair with an uncovered pyramid card, or with each other. A drawn King comes off alone. The cards further down the waste are stuck until the cards on top of them are used.
Passes: going through the stock again
When the stock runs out, you may turn the waste over to make a new stock, if you have a pass left. The cards come back in the same order they were first dealt, minus the ones you took out, so on the second pass you know exactly what's coming.
On Poozee, you choose 1, 2 or 3 passes (3 to start), and changing the setting starts a new deal. With 1 pass you see each stock card once; with 3 you can turn the waste over twice. The Pass counter above the table shows which pass you're on, and the empty stock shows a circular arrow while a pass is left (a crossed-out circle when none are). The number of passes makes a big difference to how many deals can be won; the strategy guide measures exactly how much.
How you win, and when it's over
You win when all 28 pyramid cards are gone, and the game shows "Pyramid cleared!" Cards still in the stock or the waste don't count against you.
The game is over when there's no pair, no King and nothing left to draw: the stock is empty and you have no passes left. Poozee then shows "No more moves" with the number of pyramid cards left, and offers Undo, Restart or a new deal.
Poozee also keeps a score: 10 points for each pyramid card you remove, 5 for each stock card, and 100 more for clearing the pyramid.
A worked opening: deal #1, step by step
Here's how the first moves of deal #1 (the layout above) go, with 3 passes:
- Take out the King of diamonds. It counts 13 by itself.
- Pair the 5 of diamonds with the 8 of spades. That uncovers the 8 of diamonds and the 9 of spades.
- Pair the 9 of hearts with the 4 of hearts. (The 4 could also go with the 9 of spades, now that it's uncovered.) That frees the 2 of hearts and the 5 of spades.
- Pair the 8 of diamonds with the 5 of spades. Now the uncovered cards are the 2 of diamonds, the 7 of clubs, the 9 of spades and the 2 of hearts, and none of them pair, so it's time to draw.
- Draw the King of spades and take it out.
- Draw the 2 of spades. It needs a Jack, and no Jack is uncovered.
- Draw the Jack of diamonds. The 2 of spades moves to the waste.
This one position puts most of the rules together. The Jack you just drew can pair with an uncovered pyramid card (the 2 of diamonds or the 2 of hearts) or with the top of the waste (the 2 of spades). All three are legal, but they aren't equal: Poozee's solver, which checks every line of play, proves that the deal can't be won after pairing with the 2 of hearts or the 2 of spades, and can after pairing with the 2 of diamonds (or after drawing instead). The Hint button points at the 2 of diamonds.
- Pair the Jack of diamonds with the 2 of diamonds. You have taken out 10 cards, 8 of them from the pyramid, for 90 points, and the stock still holds 21 cards.
Choosing between legal pairs like this is where the game is won or lost; the strategy guide shows how to count partners and when to draw instead.
What the opening usually looks like
We dealt deals #1 to #100,000 with Poozee's engine and counted the plays each opening layout offers before you draw: Kings and pairs in the bottom row. On average there were 2.06.
| Plays on the opening layout | Deals | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (you have to draw) | 7,438 | 7.4% |
| 1 | 23,606 | 23.6% |
| 2 | 35,428 | 35.4% |
| 3 | 24,452 | 24.5% |
| 4 or more | 9,076 | 9.1% |
So about 1 deal in 13 starts with nothing to do but draw. In those 7,438 deals, the first stock card made a play in 3,935, and no deal needed more than 13 cards turned before a play showed up.
Pyramid Solitaire terms
- Pyramid (tableau): the 28 face-up cards in seven rows.
- Uncovered (exposed, free): a pyramid card with no card overlapping it from the row below. Only these can be played.
- Stock: the face-down pile of the 24 cards not in the pyramid.
- Drawn card: the card just turned from the stock. On Poozee it sits in its own spot, next to the stock.
- Waste (talon): the face-up pile of stock cards you've turned and not used. Only the top card plays.
- Pass (redeal): one trip through the stock. Turning the waste over starts the next one.
- Foundation (discard pile): where removed cards go. On Poozee it's the pile at the top right, marked 13 until the first card lands there.
House rules: how Poozee compares
Pyramid has many versions, so check which one you're playing. Here's what Poozee does, and what you might run into elsewhere:
| Rule | On Poozee | Other versions |
|---|---|---|
| What you must clear | The 28 pyramid cards | Some count a win only when the stock and waste are cleared too |
| Passes through the stock | 1, 2 or 3, your choice | Strict versions allow one; others allow a set number of redeals |
| Stock cards in play | The drawn card and the top of the waste | Some deal three cards at a time, or use more than one waste pile |
| A card with the card it covers | Never | Some allow it when no other card covers the lower one |
| Extra cards | None | Some deal a reserve row below the pyramid |
| Scoring | 10 per pyramid card, 5 per stock card, 100 for clearing | Some just count the pyramid cards left, where 0 is perfect |
The stricter "clear the whole deck" rule can only make a deal harder, never easier: every game you win under it would also be a win on Poozee.
Keep playing
- Play Pyramid Solitaire and try deal #1 yourself with the Deal # button
- Pyramid Solitaire strategy: how many deals can be won with 1, 2 or 3 passes, and why grabbing every pair loses
- How to play Solitaire, the rules of Klondike
- How to play FreeCell, a solitaire game where every card is face up from the start
Frequently asked questions
What adds up to 13 in Pyramid Solitaire?
An Ace and a Queen, a 2 and a Jack, a 3 and a 10, a 4 and a 9, a 5 and an 8, or a 6 and a 7. A King counts 13 by itself, so it comes off alone.
How many passes do you get in Pyramid Solitaire?
It depends on the version. The strictest rules give you one trip through the stock; others let you turn the waste over and go through it again. Poozee lets you choose 1, 2 or 3 passes and starts you on 3.
Do you have to clear the stock to win Pyramid Solitaire?
Not on Poozee: you win the moment all 28 pyramid cards are gone, whatever is left in the stock and waste. Some stricter versions only count a win when the stock and waste are cleared too.
Can you pair a card with the card it's covering?
No. A card under another one isn't uncovered until that card is gone, so the two can never be in play together. Some house rules allow it, but Poozee doesn't.
What happens if you have no moves?
Draw a card from the stock. If the stock is empty, turn the waste over for another pass if you have one left. With no pair, no King and nothing left to draw, the game is over.