Pyramid Solitaire is simple in its execution but somewhat tricky to win.
Not every game is winnable, but when they are, you want to make the right choices to get you to win more often.
This is why I leverage my decades of playing this solitaire game with what other experts out there had to say to come up with these Pyramid Solitaire strategies to help you win more games right now.
Note: All image examples come from screenshots from the game here.
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Table of Contents
#1 Watch Which Cards Are Buried
The first tip I have right now is the most critical one.
Look at the Pyramid. Take note of which cards are buried deeper in the pyramid.
Pay particular attention when the match is somewhere on top of the same stack.
Look at the example here:
In this example, I noticed that there are several 8s and 5s buried in the pyramid. Even worse, the 8s are on top of that 5!
Knowing this, I will go out of my way to make matches on those 8s first to make sure I don’t end up with an unsolvable pyramid.
#2 Put The Stock Pile Cards Together When Next To Each Other
A lot of people advocate for holding off on making stock pile matches for the first go around. I support that, BUT you also need to leave the side-by-side matches alone.
You may end up near the end of the game without a way to move cards off the stock. Playing those cards next to one another before separating them to make a match in the pyramid is a good strategy.
This will allow you to play more cards to the Foundation overall and increase your score.
In the example above, I chose to match these cards in the stock before moving them to the pyramid because I knew I’d have other options.
Read more about scoring points in Pyramid Solitaire.
#3 Get Those Kings Out Of There Right Away
Kings are freebies, as they’re worth 13 on their own. Why wait to move them?
Move them out of the way right when you see them, and you’ll be able to get access to more matches.
This may seem like an obvious tip, but I’ve seen quite a few new players just kind of leave them for later. This makes the game way harder than it needs to be.
I’ve fallen for this a few times just when I wasn’t paying attention.
Clear them out so you can see better.
#4 All Things Being Equal, Remove The Card That Brings More Into Play
There may be times when you have a choice of which cards to match and take off. With all things being equal, remove the card that gives you access to more.
By equal, I’m talking about ignoring trapped cards or side-by-side stock cards for now.
If there isn’t any real reason to choose one over the other. Clear out the one that can move more cards.
For the next level up of this tip, look at the cards trapped underneath the ones you can choose from. Is there another match under that one?
If so, you can clear it out for now and then have access to another match later on too!
#5 Open Up The Pyramid Evenly
Along the game lines, you want to keep the pyramid as even as possible.
If you go down only one side, you’re leaving a ton of cards blocked. This dramatically increases your chances of losing.
Avoid this by focusing on all cards in a row and clearing them off as they come up.
An uneven pyramid is a scary one for me.
#6 Don’t Use Auto-Match (If This Applies)
This tip doesn’t apply to every game mode and not in person, but the idea applies to all.
Some games have an auto-match where as soon as a pair pops up, it removes the matching cards.
This isn’t a great idea.
Sometimes you want to wait (keep these other strategies in mind) to make an intentional match.
By the same token, when you’re playing even manually, don’t make every mate as soon as you see them.
Consider all the factors and move with intent. It’ll help you win!
#7 Play From The “Waste” Pile, Not The Turned-Up Stock
The stock pile is the deck of cards you flip over. As you flip the card, it sits first on top of the stock pile.
After this, it goes face-up on the waste pile. Another card is turned up on the stock pile before being moved over.
This is how we get side-by-side cards in the stock area.
Whatever you call it, resist playing the card as soon as it’s turned up on the stock pile.
By making it a habit to wait until you move it over and flip another card, you increase your chances of accidentally playing a card when it has a side-by-side match.
#8 Middle Before Edge
Another general rule principle is that playing off middle cards in the pyramid is better than edge cards.
This general idea covers two previous tips:
- Opening up more cards
- Keeping the pyramid even
Whatever way you prefer to think about it, middle cards are better choices.
Warning! This is only if the cards aren’t buried under one another. If they are, the top priority is getting access to buried-matched cards.
#9 Save Time By Recognizing Unsolvable Games
Not every game of Pyramid Solitaire is winnable.
If your winning conditions are to remove ALL cards from the pyramid and stock piles, you’re looking at a 5%-ish winning percentage.
If the goal is to clear the pyramid only, it’s much higher (I think around 75-80%).
Either way, you need to accept you’ll lose quite a bit.
Look for and recognize when the buried cards can’t be uncovered. (This happens when there is a lot of one card of a match underneath a single other one.)
By learning to recognize this, you’ll be able to quit the game earlier and start a new one.
Accepting this will help you stay motivated to play more often, and it’ll save you time for playing the games you can actually win!
If you love Pyramid Solitaire and other solitaire games, you have to check our SolitairEd.
It’s a great collection of free solitaire games, and it’s awesome for discovering new ways to play.
