Pyramid is about access, not just arithmetic.
Spotting a pair that totals 13 is trivial. Choosing the right pair from among several legal options — the one that exposes the most useful cards and preserves the best future matches — is the whole game.
Last updated: May 2026
History and background
Pyramid Solitaire belongs to the family of patience games where the goal is to remove all cards from a layout by pairing them according to a numeric rule. The pyramid arrangement — a triangular layout with one card at the apex, two in the second row, down to seven in the base — is a distinctive visual format that gives the game its name.
The version most players know pairs cards that total 13, using the jack as 11, queen as 12, king as 13 (removed alone), and ace as 1. This version is included in Microsoft Solitaire Collection and is by far the most played variant. Numerous close relatives exist — Giza, Apophis, Triangle, Tut’s Tomb — that share the pairing mechanic but alter the layout or the recycling rules.
Pyramid is one of the harder common solitaire games to win. Win rates typically fall between 5 and 15 percent for casual play, rising to roughly 20 to 25 percent with deliberate strategy. Some deals are provably unwinnable regardless of play.
How the game is set up
The 52-card deck is split into two parts: 28 cards form the pyramid (7 rows, with 1 card in row 1 through 7 cards in row 7), and the remaining 24 cards form the stock. Cards in the pyramid are dealt face-up but are only available when both cards that overlap them from the row above have been removed.
- Available cards — Cards fully uncovered in the pyramid, plus the top card of the waste pile, plus the top card of the stock.
- Removals — Pairs of available cards totaling 13 are removed together. Kings (value 13) are removed alone.
- Stock and waste — Flip one card at a time from stock to waste. In standard rules, the stock can be recycled a limited number of times once exhausted (most implementations allow one recycle, some allow two or unlimited).
The game is won when all 52 cards have been removed.
How to evaluate pyramid pairs
When multiple legal pairs are available, the first question is: which removal uncovers the most useful cards? “Useful” has a specific meaning here: a card is more useful if it creates additional pair options or unblocks a larger section of the pyramid.
Prefer the removal that reveals the most face-down pyramid cards, especially in upper rows. A card in row 3 that covers two row-4 cards is worth more than a card in row 6 that covers one row-7 card, all else being equal.
The secondary question is pair preservation. If you can pair a 4 from the pyramid with a 9 from the stock, or pair the same 9 with a 4 from row 2 that would uncover two row-3 cards, the pyramid pair is almost always better.
Kings are a special case. They are removed alone, which makes them free tempo if they are blocking nothing and useful if they are in upper rows. A King in the upper three rows of the pyramid should be removed as soon as it becomes available. A King sitting in the bottom row is less urgent since it is likely already exposed and not covering anything critical.
Stock and waste management
The stock and waste pile introduce a hidden-information element absent from the pyramid itself. You do not know the order of the stock when the game begins, which means some of your decisions about whether to use a stock card for an immediate pair are bets about what comes later.
When to use the stock card for a pyramid pair
Using the stock card to clear a pyramid card is generally good if the pyramid card is in an upper row or if it is the only card blocking a chain of further removals. Be cautious about using the current stock card if it appears to be a card you will need as a pair partner for a card that is about to become available in the pyramid.
When to cycle through the stock
If no useful pairs are available with the current stock card, advance the stock. There is no penalty for passing on the stock card — it goes to waste and can be revisited during the recycle. What matters is knowing that waste cycling is limited. Each pass through the stock is a finite resource.
You have exhausted the stock once and are on your second pass. You see a 6 in the waste that could pair with a 7 in the pyramid — but that 7 is in row 6 and removing it would expose nothing useful. Meanwhile, a row-3 card is one removal away from being uncovered.
Skip the immediate pair and look for the row-3 removal path instead. Burning the 6–7 pair now, when you are running out of recycles, is likely to leave you short on stock cards for the harder pairs later.
Strategic priorities in order
- Clear the upper rows first.Each card removed from rows 1–4 unlocks a geometric increase in available cards below it. The apex card (row 1) unlocks one card in row 2, which unlocks two cards in row 3, and so on.
- Prefer pyramid pairs over stock pairs. A pair using two pyramid cards removes two obstacles simultaneously. A pair using one pyramid card and one stock card removes one obstacle while consuming a limited stock resource.
- Remove Kings immediately when they are blocking. A King in an upper row is removed free of cost (no partner needed) and often unlocks two or more cards below it.
- Track the cards you need. If a 4 in the pyramid is blocking access to three cards below it, notice how many 9s are still available in the stock and waste. If the only reachable 9 was just buried in the waste during a pass you cannot recycle, you may need to find an alternative path.
Common mistakes
- Taking the first legal pair you see. Pyramid rewards comparing all available pairs before committing. The first legal pair is rarely the best one.
- Ignoring the pyramid in favor of stock pairs. Pairs where both cards come from the stock do remove cards from the deck, but they do not reduce the pyramid. Clearing the pyramid is the only way to win, so pyramid-involving pairs take priority.
- Racing to remove base-row cards too early. Clearing large sections of the base row before the upper rows are reduced just removes cards that may have been useful pair partners for upper-row cards that become available later.
- Mismanaging the recycle. Cycling through the stock quickly to see what is there, without using the cards you pass, burns your recycle limit for information rather than progress.
Related pyramid variants
The pyramid family has several variants that modify the layout or the rules in meaningful ways. Each changes the strategy in a different direction:
- Relaxed Pyramid — Less strict removal rules, making the game more forgiving and easier to clear the full pyramid.
- Giza — Three pyramids laid out side by side. The multi-pyramid format changes access priorities significantly.
- Apophis — A larger pyramid with additional deck overlap, raising the difficulty considerably.
- Tut’s Tomb — The pyramid is surrounded by a border of additional cards, creating a different clearance challenge.
- Triangle — Pairs must total 12 instead of 13, shifting the whole pairing arithmetic and King removal rule.