Pyramid Solitaire is a fun elimination game with a distinctive initial tableau. Although there is a strong element of luck,
a good memory can make the difference between winning and losing. Pyramid Solitaire has a low success rate.
The aim of Pyramid Solitaire is to eliminate all cards from both the pyramid and the talon.
Pyramid Solitaire is an elimination game.
The opening tableau has:
During play, cards are dealt from the talon. At any time, a maximum of two cards from the talon are visible.
Eliminate cards by selecting pairs of cards (or a King by itself) which add up to 13. Cards may be selected from the talon
reserve piles, or from the pyramid itself, as long as the cards are completely exposed.
The possible selections are:
Click the talon when additional cards are needed. You can cycle through the talon 3 times.
Pyramid Solitaire is won when the entire deck is eliminated.
Always eliminate Kings immediately.
When you eliminate a card, it may or may not expose a new card, depending on the current layout. When you have a choice between
eliminating two cards, eliminate the one which will expose a fresh card.
Another thing to watch for in pyramid solitaire is maximizing the number of choices available later in the game. If possible,
try to eliminate evenly across the pyramid. Try not to leave a deep run, because it can be difficult to eliminate. In the
following example, there are no other cards in the pyramid, so your choices are limited to the cards as they are dealt from
the talon:
It's important in pyramid solitaire to eliminate cards evenly
You can cycle through the talon three times. If possible, try to remember the order cards come out from the talon on the first
cycle. Sometimes, the difference between winning and losing pyramid solitaire comes down to eliminating the right cards, at
the right time.
Suppose that the initial deal looks like this:
Pyramid Solitaire deal 1
You can immediately eliminate the King of Diamonds. The 3 of Hearts can be eliminated with either the 10 of Spades of the
10 of Diamonds. At this stage, there is not enough information to choose between them - it depends on which cards are due
to come out of the talon.
Soon after, we arrive at the following interesting scenario:
The next move would be the 9 and the 4...
We can eliminate the 9 of Clubs with the 4 of Diamonds. Then we have a choice:
It's not immediately obvious which choice is better, and this is where clever anticipation comes into play. It's these choices
which make pyramid solitaire so fun!