TriPeaks Solitaire Rules: Complete Guide

What Is TriPeaks Solitaire?

TriPeaks (also called Tri Peaks or Three Peaks) is a popular solitaire card game where 28 cards are arranged in three overlapping pyramid peaks. Your goal is to clear all cards by playing them onto a waste pile — one rank higher or lower, with wrapping allowed. It's faster and more forgiving than most solitaire variants, making it a perfect casual game.

Play TriPeaks Solitaire online for free.

Setup

TriPeaks uses a standard 52-card deck:

1. Board: 28 cards arranged in three overlapping peaks across 4 rows:

• Row 1 (top): 3 face-down cards — one at the peak of each pyramid
• Row 2: 6 face-down cards
• Row 3: 9 face-down cards
• Row 4 (bottom): 10 face-up cards

1. Waste pile: 1 card placed face-up as the starting card
2. Stock pile: The remaining 23 cards, face-down

Card Exposure Rules

A card is exposed when both cards below it (its "children") have been removed from the board. Bottom row cards are always exposed since they have no children.

When a face-down card becomes exposed, it automatically flips face-up and becomes playable.

How to Play

Playing Cards

Click any exposed, face-up card to play it onto the waste pile. A card can be played if it is exactly one rank higher or lower than the current waste top card.

Suit does not matter — only rank.

Wrapping

Unlike Golf Solitaire, TriPeaks allows wrapping: you can play a King on an Ace and an Ace on a King. This makes the game significantly more forgiving.

| Waste Top | Can Play | |---|---| | 5 | 4 or 6 | | King | Queen or Ace | | Ace | 2 or King |

Drawing

When no exposed card can be played, click the stock pile to draw one card face-up onto the waste pile.

Winning and Losing

• You win when all 28 board cards have been removed
• You lose when no exposed card can be played AND the stock is empty

The Three Peaks Structure

The layout creates three distinct pyramids that overlap at the base. Each peak has:

• 1 card at the top (face-down)
• 2 cards in the second row (face-down)
• 3 cards in the third row (face-down)
• The bottom row is shared across all peaks (10 face-up cards)

Clearing a peak's top card is satisfying and opens up the board significantly.

Strategy Overview

• Build chains — play sequences of consecutive ranks to clear multiple cards per turn
• Clear peaks evenly — don't focus on one peak while ignoring the others
• Save stock draws — exhaust all board plays before drawing
• Use wrapping — King-Ace connections keep chains alive
• Prioritize uncovering face-down cards — more face-up cards means more options

Win Rate

TriPeaks is one of the most winnable solitaire variants:

• ~90% of deals are theoretically winnable
• Experienced players win 50-60% of their games
• The wrapping rule and exposed-card flipping make it much more forgiving than Golf Solitaire

Comparison with Golf Solitaire

| Feature | Golf | TriPeaks | |---|---|---| | Layout | 7 flat columns | 3 overlapping peaks | | Hidden cards | None | 18 face-down | | Wrapping (K↔A) | No | Yes | | Cards to clear | 35 | 28 | | Stock cards | 16 | 23 | | Win rate | ~10-15% | ~50-60% |

Further Reading

• How to Play TriPeaks — step-by-step beginner guide
• TriPeaks Strategy — tips to improve your win rate
• Golf Solitaire Rules — the flat-column variant
• Which Solitaire Game Should You Play? — compare all variants

Play Now

Play TriPeaks Solitaire free in your browser — no download needed.