How Do You Score Points In Pyramid Solitaire?

A lot of Pyramid Solitaire games keep track of your progress by points, and as a somewhat competitive person, I always want to score as many points as possible. 

This is exactly why I looked into the question: 

How do you score points in Pyramid Solitaire? 

Points are scored in one of two ways in Pyramid Solitaire: 1) Matching cards and moving them to the Foundation or 2) counting how many cards are left in the Pyramid. In the first, a higher score is better. In the second, a lower score is better. 

Two Methods Of Tracking Points

The High Score

The first way (and the one I’ve seen the most) is tracking points by counting up. 

The amount of points you get largely depends on the game you’re using, but one of the most common ways of tracking is by gaining 5 points for every card moved to the Foundation pile. 

So if you move a King, you get 5 points. If you move a match (such as 10-3), then you get 10 points. 

This makes a maximum of 260 (52 x 5 = 260). Of course, if you win the game by clearing the pyramid, you may have some cards left in the stock pile. 

Read more about the different ways to win Pyramid Solitaire. 

The Low Score

The more common way of tracking points is by looking for the low score. This is kind of like the game of golf. 

Once no more moves can be made, you count how many cards are left in the Pyramid and how many are left in the stock pile. 

For every card left, you add a point. The perfect score is zero. 

Read more about what each card is worth in Pyramid Solitaire.

What Is A Good Score In Pyramid Solitaire? 

It depends on who you ask and which method you use. 

If counting up by fives, I consider a good score to be over 200. This means you were able to take 40 cards off the board. 

If counting by the number of cards left, I consider a good score to be under 10. 

To be honest, I think tracking by points isn’t the way to go. 

I consider it a good game if I can get all the cards off the pyramid. It’s a great game if I also remove the cards from the stockpile. 

How To Raise Your Score In Pyramid Solitaire

You raise your score by getting the most cards out of play. 

There are a few quick strategies I recommend from my decades of playing this game: 

• Look at the pyramid and notice matched numbers that are buried under one another. Use the pile to clear these cards above all else. 
• Try to keep the pyramid even in coming off. You’ll have more options this way. 
• If you have a couple of options, pick the card that opens up the most options. 
• When you have two cards next to one another in the pile, take them first (unless their matches are buried or stacked). 
• Don’t give up! Track your points by the number of cards off (five per card) and see if you get to 200. This is a sign that it was a good game!

Check out our detailed Pyramid Strategy guide.

Do You Draw One Or Three Cards In This Version Of Solitaire?

Unlike most other Solitaire games, Pyramid only flips over one card at a time. 

You flip one card over next to the stock pile. Then, you can flip over one more card before putting it on top. 

This means you can match the cards next to one another in the stockpile to move them off to the Foundation. 

For example, if you turn an Ace then a Queen, you can match them and move them off. 

But they have to be consecutive. 

If you turn an Ace, then 5, and then a Queen, you can’t match them. 

Once you run out of cards, flip the stock pile over and start again. 

You can’t shuffle them! 

If you want to make the game WAY harder and almost impossible, do the three-card turn thing and only play the cards in order. 

This will lower your win-loss ratio by quite a bit, but if you like challenges, go for it!