TriPeaks Solitaire

1 Overview

Tri Peaks Solitaire (also called Three Peaks or Triple Peaks) is a solitaire card game played with a standard 52-card deck. The layout features three overlapping pyramids (peaks) of face-down cards. Players uncover and clear cards by playing sequences one higher or lower than the current top of the waste pile, regardless of suit. Goal: clear all cards from the tableau before running out of stock.

Tri Peaks is one of the most popular digital solitaire variants -- it was a pack-in on Windows and appears in virtually every mobile card game app. The chaining mechanic (playing long runs of sequential cards) makes it satisfying and fast-paced compared to Klondike.

2 Setup

1. Create three overlapping triangular peaks from 28 cards:
   • Row 1 (top): 1 card per peak = 3 face-down cards
   • Row 2: 2 face-down cards per peak = 6 face-down cards
   • Row 3: 3 face-down cards per peak = 9 face-down cards
   • Row 4 (base, overlapping peaks): 10 face-up cards across all three peaks
2. Place remaining 24 cards face-down as the stock pile.
3. Flip the top stock card face-up to start the waste pile.

A card in the tableau is "available" to play when no other card covers it.

3 Gameplay

1. Look at the top waste card. You may play any available tableau card that is one rank higher or lower (wrapping: Ace is both above King and below 2 in most versions, or Kings are high -- check your variant).
2. When you play a tableau card onto the waste pile, it becomes the new top card, and you can continue playing cards adjacent to it in rank. This creates "chains" of sequential cards.
3. Flipping tableau cards: when all cards covering a face-down card are removed, flip it face-up. It becomes available to play.
4. If no tableau card is playable, flip the top stock card onto the waste pile.
5. Continue until the stock is empty. At that point you may no longer draw -- play out the remaining available moves.

4 Strategy

• Plan chains ahead. Before starting a chain, look 3 to 4 cards ahead. A chain that dead-ends is worse than a shorter chain that uncovers a valuable face-down card.
• Uncover peaks first. Each peak's top cards are the hardest to reach. Prioritize clearing the top rows of all three peaks to give yourself maximum flexibility.
• Save stock cards. Don't draw from the stock if you have playable tableau cards. The stock is a limited safety valve -- use it only when genuinely stuck.
• Ace/King transitions. Know your variant's rule on Ace/King wrapping. Planning a chain through a King-Ace boundary can save entire sections of the tableau.

5 Scoring System

Most TriPeaks implementations use a streak-based scoring system that rewards consecutive tableau clears:

• First card cleared from a new chain earns 1 point
• Each consecutive card cleared in the same unbroken chain earns 1 more point than the previous (2, then 3, then 4, and so on)
• Drawing from the stock resets the streak counter to 0; the next tableau card played restarts at 1
• Clearing a complete peak earns a flat bonus (commonly 15 points per peak)

The streak system is why building long chains is the primary objective. A single 10-card chain scores 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+10 = 55 points, far exceeding ten separate single-card plays at 10 points total. Preserving chains aggressively is the difference between good and great scores.

6 Common Mistakes

• Drawing stock before exhausting tableau plays. This is the most damaging mistake in TriPeaks. Every stock draw costs streak points and wastes a limited draw. Scan all three peaks carefully before drawing; available cards are sometimes in columns you are not currently focused on.
• Forgetting wrapping rules mid-chain. In versions that allow King-Ace wrapping, players sometimes break a chain at the K/A boundary out of habit from non-wrapping solitaire games. If your variant wraps, a chain can flow through King to Ace or Ace to King without breaking. Losing a long streak because you forgot wrapping is costly and avoidable.
• Clearing one peak before touching the others. A common beginner approach is to fully clear one peak before starting the others. This is usually wrong. The peaks share a base row, and clearing cards from all three simultaneously gives you more active tableau cards and more chain flexibility. Work all three peaks in parallel rather than sequentially.
• Not anticipating which face-down cards will flip. When you remove a face-up card, check which face-down card it was covering. That flip could provide exactly the rank you need to extend your current chain. Planning 1 to 2 moves ahead includes anticipating which ranks will be revealed by upcoming flips.

7 Variants & App Differences

Standard TriPeaks (Physical Card Game)

The physical card game uses the exact layout described in this article: 28 tableau cards in three peaks, 24 stock cards. Win condition is clearing all tableau cards. Scoring in physical play is usually pass/fail rather than point-based since counting streaks manually is cumbersome.

TriPeaks Solitaire Mobile Apps

Most mobile TriPeaks apps add wildcard jokers, extra stock cards, and special power-up mechanics not present in the physical game. They also use the streak scoring system above. The core matching mechanic is identical to the physical game. If you learned TriPeaks on an app and are trying the physical rules, simply ignore any app-specific power-ups.

Four Peaks

A harder variant using four peaks instead of three. The base row has 13 cards; the full tableau uses 40 cards. Stock has only 12 cards. Significantly more challenging because the stock is smaller relative to the tableau, and chains must be longer to clear the additional fourth peak before the stock runs out.

Volcano Solitaire

A single large pyramid using all 52 cards in a 10-row triangular layout. More similar to Pyramid Solitaire in structure but using TriPeaks' sequential matching rules instead of sum-to-13 pairing. Slower-paced and more strategic than TriPeaks due to the much larger tableau with more blocked cards.

8 FAQ