Pyramid Card Game: How to Play and Make Thirteen

Know the six pairs and the King

The matching pairs are Ace and Queen, two and Jack, three and ten, four and nine, five and eight, and six and seven. Each pair totals thirteen. A King is worth thirteen on its own and needs no partner. Suits and colors do not matter, so a red five and a black eight are a valid pair.

Only exposed cards are available. At the start, the seven bottom cards are exposed. Higher cards remain blocked until both cards directly below them are gone. A partly uncovered card is still unavailable, even if its rank would make exactly the pair you want.

Follow a simple turn sequence

Look at what a match will uncover before taking it. If two available cards can each pair with the same rank, choose the one that opens a useful route. For example, removing the five that helps expose a King may give you an immediate extra clear, while a different five could leave the higher row blocked.

1. Scan the exposed cards for a King or a pair totaling thirteen.
2. Compare the cards each possible match would uncover.
3. Clear the chosen pair and check the newly exposed cards.
4. Use the top draw card for a pair, or draw again if no useful match is available.

Manage the stock and the end of a deal

The top waste card can pair with an exposed pyramid card. Only the top waste card is available; clearing that card exposes the one beneath it. Drawing places a new card on top of the waste. This version allows two stock turn-overs after the initial pass. Other Pyramid games may use different recycling limits, so check the rules of the version you play.

You win by clearing all 28 pyramid cards, even if cards remain in the stock. Klondike Gold 24K, coming soon for iPhone and iPad, includes hints, Undo, local saves, and a solvable warm-up. Full shuffled deals are not guaranteed solvable. If a needed partner is trapped with no route to release it, you can try another deal.