Unlike many other solitaire games, Tri Peaks Solitaire makes it fun to do the same deal many times over, because you can keep playing trying to maximize your score.

Requirements/statistics

Space: High

Level: Challenging

Players: One

Layout

The initial layout for Tri Peaks Solitaire is 3 pyramids. These Pyramids overlap, and are 4 rows high, using up a total of 28 cards, all face up.

There is 1 card turned up in the waste pile and there are 23 cards in the talon, which can be dealt at any time.

Cards can be moved to the waste pile, if they are 1 less than, or 1 more than the rank of the current card on the waste pile.

For example, if an 8 is at the top of the waste pile, then a 7 or a 9 can be moved onto it.

Unlike Golf Solitaire, when playing Tri Peak Solitaire, cards wrap around from King to Ace. This means an Ace can be built ontop a King, and a King can be built ontop an Ace.

Play

All building is carried out on the single waste pile. Any completely uncovered card in the tableau may be moved to the waste pile if it follows either an ascending or descending sequence regardless of suit.  The foundation may be built up or down regardless of suit. In the original version of the game, a king was a stopper – unable to connect to either a queen or an ace. Later versions of the game have liberalized the rules so that the order of cards is continuous: … 2-A-K-Q …

Sequences may turn the corner with Kings building on Aces and Aces building on Kings. When no more cards can be transferred from the tableau to the waste pile, a card from the stock is dealt to the waste pile and building resumes.

When the stock is exhausted, and no more building can occur, then the game is over. You’ll receive a bonus every time you completely demolish one of the three peaks and you’ll also receive a bonus for each card that remains in the tableau when you win the game.

To win the game

The object of Tri-Peaks is to transfer all the cards from the tableau to the waste pile, uncovering cards further up the peaks, making them available for play. You win the game when you’ve removed all the cards from the tableau to the waste pile, demolishing the three peaks.

However, you may also use a scoring system in order to keep playing. The scoring system is as follows:

You get points based on how long an uninterrupted sequence of moves you can make from the Pyramids.

– The first card you move from a Pyramid gives you 1 point.

– The second card you move from a Pyramid gives you another 2 points.

– The third card you move from a Pyramid gives you another 3 points.

– The fourth card you move from a Pyramid gives you another 4 points.

– etc.

As soon as you deal a card from the Talon, you lose 5 points, and the sequence goes back to 1 point again.

This first two pyramids you clear will give you 15 points each, and when you clear the final pyramid, you will get an extra 30 points.