Substantively reviewed August 14, 2026 · Editorial policy · Request a correction
Pyramid Solitaire is an elimination game: remove exposed pairs whose values total 13, and remove an exposed king by itself. The cited setup uses 28 face-up cards in seven overlapping rows, leaving 24 cards for the stock.
This guide follows the two-pass stock rule in the Mattel Pyramid Solitaire manual. Other physical and digital versions may allow a different number of stock passes or handle stock and waste pairing differently. Check your version’s help screen before applying the two-pass limit.
Pyramid Solitaire rules at a glance
| Item | Rule used in this guide |
|---|---|
| Cards | One standard 52-card pack |
| Pyramid | Seven face-up rows containing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 cards |
| Stock | The remaining 24 cards |
| Playable pyramid card | A card with no card overlapping it |
| Removal | Two playable cards totaling 13, or one playable king |
| Stock limit | Two passes under the cited Mattel rules |
| Win | Remove all 28 cards from the pyramid |
How to deal the pyramid
- Deal one card face up for the top row.
- Deal two face-up cards below it so they overlap the lower corners of the first card.
- Continue with rows of three, four, five, six, and seven cards.
- Keep the remaining 24 cards as the stock and create a waste pile as cards are drawn.
The row total is 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 = 28. Subtracting those cards from a 52-card pack leaves 24 for the stock. This count is a quick way to catch a setup error before play begins.
Every pair that totals 13
| First card | Matching card | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Ace (1) | Queen (12) | 13 |
| 2 | Jack (11) | 13 |
| 3 | 10 | 13 |
| 4 | 9 | 13 |
| 5 | 8 | 13 |
| 6 | 7 | 13 |
| King (13) | No partner | Remove the king alone |
Suits do not matter for matching. A four of clubs can pair with any nine, provided both cards are currently playable under the rules.
Visible does not always mean playable
Every pyramid card is face up, but only uncovered cards can be removed. A card in an upper row is blocked while either of the two cards overlapping its lower corners remains. Remove both covering cards before treating the upper card as exposed.
This is the main legality check. Finding a queen and an ace is not enough if one of them is still covered.
How the stock and waste work
Turn stock cards to the waste one at a time. The currently available stock or waste card may be used in a legal pair under the cited version. After the first pass, the Mattel rules allow the waste to be returned to the stock for one more pass. When the second pass ends and no legal pair remains, the game is over.
Do not assume that every app uses two passes. The Microsoft rules overview, for example, explains the pair-to-13 objective but software modes can add their own goals, scoring, or deal behavior.
Worked exposure example
Imagine part of the bottom row shows an exposed queen, ace, nine, four, and king. Directly above the queen and ace sits an eight; directly above the nine and four sits a five.
- Remove the exposed king by itself because its value is already 13.
- Remove the queen and ace because 12 + 1 = 13.
- The eight above them is now exposed only if those were the two cards covering it.
- Remove the nine and four because 9 + 4 = 13.
- The five above that pair becomes exposed. It may now pair with the exposed eight because 5 + 8 = 13.
This miniature layout is an editorial example, not a recorded deal. Its purpose is to show that a move can create the next legal pair by uncovering two cards in sequence.
A practical scanning routine
- Remove exposed kings first when useful. They need no partner and may uncover another card.
- Scan the entire exposed edge before drawing. A pyramid-to-pyramid pair may preserve a useful stock card.
- Compare what each pair uncovers. When two legal pairs exist, inspect the cards immediately above them rather than choosing by suit or position alone.
- Track scarce complements. If several exposed cards need the same matching rank, avoid spending the only visible complement without checking the blocked cards.
- Know the pass limit. A two-pass stock makes timing matter; a different implementation may change that decision.
Pyramid removes cards by matching totals, unlike the suit foundations in the site’s Klondike guide or the same-suit completed runs in the Spider Solitaire guide.
Common Pyramid rule mistakes
- Matching to 10 instead of 13: the pairs in this ruleset total 13.
- Looking for a partner for a king: an exposed king leaves by itself.
- Using a covered card: face up is not the same as exposed.
- Ignoring stock-pass differences: this guide uses the cited two-pass rule, not a universal limit.
- Counting suits: rank values determine legal pairs; suits do not.
Related reading
Editorial note: This independent guide explains a cited two-pass Pyramid ruleset and a clearly labeled hypothetical example. No first-hand play test is claimed. It is not affiliated with Google, Microsoft, Mattel, or a game platform. Corrections can be sent to blog@solitairegoogle.com.
Where to play Pyramid Solitaire online
This site teaches Pyramid rules but does not host a game. The external destinations were checked on August 13, 2026; platform rules can differ, so compare the stock-pass rule with the guide above.
- Play Pyramid at Solitaire Bliss — the page requires JavaScript.
- Open Microsoft’s official web collection and select Pyramid.
- See all verified solitaire version entrances.