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Pyramid Solitaire Strategy and Tips
In Pyramid Solitaire the same card can often finish two different pairs, and the choice decides the deal. These five ideas come from Varaq’s Get better lessons, where a full search of each position confirms that the better pair clears the pyramid and the other cannot. Varaq’s default Relaxed rules allow unlimited passes; the ideas matter most on the variations with fewer passes.
Which pair should you clear first in Pyramid Solitaire?
When two pairs compete for one card, take the pair whose cards lie on the most others. Freed cards give you more pairs.
- Each card lies on up to two cards in the row above it; clearing it brings both closer to free.
- A card in the middle of a row lies on two cards, an edge card on only one.
- Count how many pyramid cards each pair would free, not just whether it removes a card.
- On Relaxed and Standard, a covered card may also pair with the one card left on it: look for those pairs too.
When should you save a waste card instead of pairing it?
Before pairing the top waste card, check whether a covered card needs it more. Clear what lies on that card first, then pair them.
- Pairs total 13: Ace with Queen, 2 with Jack, 3 with 10, 4 with 9, 5 with 8 and 6 with 7.
- Each value has four cards; notice when the waste holds the last partner a covered card can get.
- The top waste card stays playable until your next draw covers it, so make other pairs first.
- Clear the cards lying on the covered card, then pair it with the waste card you kept.
How should you plan around Kings in Pyramid Solitaire?
A King needs no partner, so clearing what lies on a King frees it at once. Count a covered King as nearly free.
- A King clears by itself the moment nothing lies on it.
- When two pairs compete, prefer the one that uncovers a King: it clears for free and frees more cards.
- A King high in the pyramid needs more cards cleared before it is free, so plan the pairs that reach it early.
- A King you draw from the stock clears alone from the waste; it never needs a partner.
When should you turn the waste over in Pyramid Solitaire?
Turn the waste over only when no pair uses the top waste card. The last pass shows each card once, in order.
- On Relaxed you can turn the waste over without limit; Standard and Three passes allow three passes, Classic only one.
- Before turning the waste over, make every pair the top waste card allows.
- Turning over keeps the order: the cards come back in the order you first drew them.
- You don’t need to empty the stock or waste to win: only the 28 pyramid cards count.
Should you pair the waste card or a free pyramid card?
When a waste card and a free pyramid card both fit a pair, use the waste card. The pyramid card stays free; the waste card gets buried by your next draw.
- A free pyramid card stays available until you use it; the top waste card is covered by your next draw.
- When two cards can finish one pair, use the one that would vanish soonest.
- The pyramid card you keep can still pair with a later card of the matching value.
- On Classic, with one pass, a buried waste card never comes back.
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