Pyramid Solitaire Rules

Pyramid is a one-pack patience game. The goal is to remove all the cards in a pyramid by pairing cards whose values add up to 13.

🔺 Play it now: open Pyramid Solitaire.

Layout

• 28 cards are dealt face up in a pyramid of seven rows: 1 card on top, then 2, 3 … 7 at the bottom. Each card overlaps two cards in the row below.
• The other 24 cards form the stock, face down. Next to it is the waste pile.

Card values

Play

• A card is free if no card overlaps it from the row below. At the start, only the bottom row is free.
• Remove any two free cards that add up to 13. Remove a free King on its own.
• Turn the top card of the stock onto the waste. The top card of the waste is free and can be paired with a free pyramid card (or removed if it is a King).
• When the stock runs out, you may turn the waste over and go through it again. Cheettukali allows three passes in total.

Winning

You win when all 28 pyramid cards are gone. (Some versions also require clearing the stock; we don't.)

Variations

• Some games allow pairing the top stock card with the top waste card.
• Some allow only one pass, which makes the game much harder.
• "Giza" deals the stock face up so you can plan the whole game.

FAQ