Pyramid Solitaire strategy

The key to Pyramid Solitaire strategy is choosing which pair to take: when a card has two partners, take the one that frees the most cards above it. Pair cards inside the pyramid before using the stock, watch for cards that sit on their own partners, clear both sides evenly, and remember the order of the stock. Here is each idea, with worked examples.

If you are new to the game, start with how to play Pyramid Solitaire: which cards are free, the pairs that make 13 and how the stock works. This page picks up from there.

Choose the pair that frees the most

Most of the time a card can pair with more than one partner. They all make 13, but they do not all leave the same pyramid behind. Before you take a pair, look at the cards just above each choice and ask which ones it would free.

The 5♥ can go with either 8. Take it with the 8♦: that frees the 9♦, which pairs with the 4♠, and with those gone the 10♣ is free too. Taken with the 8♣ instead, the 5♥ frees only the Q♥, which still needs an Ace.

One good pair that sets off another is worth more than two pairs that lead nowhere. With a little practice you will start to see two or three pairs ahead.

Pair inside the pyramid first

When a pyramid card can pair either with another pyramid card or with the turned-up card, use the pyramid card. A pair from the pyramid clears two places at once, and on this site the stock comes round again as often as you like, so the turned-up card is not lost. Keep the stock for the pairs only it can make.

Watch for cards that sit on their partners

A card can never pair with a card that covers it, because the two are never free at the same time. So a card high in the pyramid with its partners below it has fewer partners than it seems.

The A♣ sits on two of the four Queens, so it can only pair with the Q♥ or the Q♣. The Q♦ and Q♠ below it each need one of the other three Aces.

Here, if the Q♥ and Q♣ are both used up on other Aces before the A♣ is free, the A♣ can never leave, and the pyramid cannot be cleared. When you spot a card like this, count its partners and keep one for it. Kings never have this problem: they leave on their own.

Clear both sides

The top card of the pyramid is covered by everything below it on both sides. A pyramid cleared deep on the left with the right side untouched will stall: the middle cards stay covered, and the free cards on the left run out of partners. Work across the rows rather than down one side.

Use the stock well

Take Kings at once, from the pyramid or the stock. A free King never helps anything by staying.
The turned-up pile works backwards. When its top card is used, the card turned before it is free again, so you can take two or three pairs from the pile one after another.
The stock keeps its order. When it runs out, the turned-up pile is turned over and comes round in the same order. If you notice that the 6♣ you need sits just after the 10♦, you know when to stop and look.
Turn before you guess. If no pair in the pyramid frees anything useful, a turn of the stock costs nothing.

Count the pairs

There are four cards of every value, so every card except a King has exactly four possible partners: an Ace any of the four Queens, a 4 any of the four 9s, and so on. When a card is buried near the top, count its partners as they go. If three of the four 4s are gone and a 9 is still waiting high up, keep the last 4 for it.

Can every deal be won?

With a fully shuffled pack, about seven deals in ten can be cleared when the stock may be gone through as often as you like. On this site every deal has been played through and cleared before you see it, so a way through always exists. If you are stuck, undo a few pairs and try another order, or press Hint: it shows a pair that leads to a win and says why.