Pyramid Solitaire Rules & Pairing Guide

28 cards are dealt face-up in a triangular pyramid: row 1 has one card at the top, row 2 has two, and so on through row 7 at the bottom with seven cards. A card is 'free' (eligible to be paired) only when both cards that overlap it from the row below have been removed. The remaining 24 cards form the stock.

Ace = 1, 2 through 10 at face value, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, King = 13.

Valid pairs: A+Q, 2+J, 3+10, 4+9, 5+8, 6+7. Kings are removed alone — they don't need a partner.

You can pair two pyramid cards with each other (if both are free), a pyramid card with the top waste card, or the top waste card is auto-removed if it's a King. Two stock or waste cards cannot pair directly with each other — one card from the pair must always be in the pyramid (or be the current waste top).

Click the stock to flip one card to the waste pile. The top waste card is always available for pairing. When the stock is empty, you may optionally recycle the waste pile back into the stock — the number of allowed recycles varies by rule set (typically one or two recycles total).

You win by removing all 28 pyramid cards. The 24 stock/waste cards don't need to be cleared — only the pyramid. You lose when no more pairs can be formed and no recycles remain. Some deals are unwinnable regardless of play order; Pyramid has a lower theoretical win rate than Klondike.