TriPeaks Solitaire Strategy: How to Build Longer Streaks

TriPeaks is the friendliest game in the solitaire family. It is quick and colorful, and a decent share of deals can be cleared. It also rewards a bit of thought, and the difference between a sloppy and a careful player shows up in the score.

How the game works

Twenty-eight cards are laid out in three overlapping peaks, in rows of 3, 6, 9 and 10. The bottom row of ten cards is face up. The cards above are face down and turn face up automatically once the cards covering them are removed.

The remaining 24 cards are split: 23 form the stock, and one is turned up at the start as the waste card. On each turn you play an uncovered card exactly one rank higher or lower than the waste top. Suit does not matter. If nothing fits, you draw from the stock. There is no redeal, so the stock is a single pass. You win by clearing all 28 peak cards.

By default King and Ace connect both ways: you can play an Ace on a King or a King on an Ace. Add ?wrap=0 to the address of our TriPeaks Solitaire page to play without the wrap. The strategy below holds either way, and other sites may use different rules.

The big idea: look for the longest run

New players play the first legal card they see. Better players trace the longest chain available before touching anything.

Example

The waste shows a 7. The uncovered cards include 8, 9, 10, 6 and 5. Going up, you play 8, 9, 10 for three cards. Going down, you play 6, 5 for two. Each direction opens a different chain, so count both before you commit.

You can switch direction mid-run, but only if the card is there. After 8 and 9 the next play must be an 8 or a 10, so turning back down needs a second 8. Plan for that. The habit is simple: before you play, trace two or three possible runs and take the longest, unless a shorter one uncovers face-down cards.

Priority rules

1. Uncover face-down cards

Your real goal is getting every card out, not points. Prefer plays that flip over covered cards. A hidden card is a possible problem, and a visible card is information.

2. Clear the peaks evenly

Do not drill down one peak and leave the others untouched. If you finish the left peak early, you lose its cards as stepping stones. Keeping options open across all three peaks gives you more runs.

3. Save the bottom-row cards you will need

Bottom-row cards are available from the start, so they are flexible. If several of them can serve as connectors, do not use them up on a short run that leads nowhere.

4. Watch for stranded ranks

A 2 can only be played on an Ace or a 3. If all the Aces and 3s are gone, that 2 can never connect. With the default wrap, a King can only be played on a Queen or an Ace, and the same logic applies. When the ranks next to a card are exhausted, it is stuck. Learn to spot this early.

Using the stock

You have 23 stock cards, and not all of them have to be used. A good deal often finishes with a few left over. A bad deal runs out of stock with peaks still standing.

Do not draw if you can play

If a play exists, even a short one, it is almost always better than burning a stock card. The exception is when playing would break a longer chain you can set up by drawing first. That case is rare. Check the whole board first, including bottom-row cards you may have overlooked.

Count what is gone

You cannot see the next stock card, but you can see which ranks are used up. If all four 9s are gone and you need a 9, drawing will not help. Likewise, if you need a 3 and none is left, look for another route.

A scenario

The waste shows a 4. Your uncovered cards are 9, J, 2 and 7, and none connects. You draw a K, and still nothing fits. You draw again and a 3 appears, which lets you play the 2 and then stop. That is the nature of the game: sometimes the deal does not cooperate. An empty stock with peaks left is not necessarily a mistake.

Streaks and scoring

Our TriPeaks uses streak scoring. Each card you play in a row without drawing scores one more than the last: +1, +2, +3 and so on. Drawing a stock card resets the streak to zero. There is no bonus for clearing a peak.

A run of n cards therefore scores n(n+1)/2 points. A run of 6 is worth 1+2+3+4+5+6 = 21 points. Two runs of 3 are worth 6 each, so 12 points. The same six cards are worth almost twice as much in one run.

• Look for long runs, since the value grows with every extra card.
• Do not play a short run if it destroys a long one.
• Remember that a draw ends the streak, so a drawn card that lets you continue is a bonus, not a rescue.

If you only care about clearing the board, ignore scoring and think only about uncovering cards. The two goals usually point the same way, since a long run tends to uncover more cards.

Mistakes to avoid

Playing the first legal card. Scan first.

Ignoring what is underneath. Cards that cover the most others deserve priority.

Drawing too soon. Look at the whole board before you touch the stock.

Burning ranks. If you keep using up Queens early, Kings and Jacks have fewer links later. Keep a count of what remains.

Treating a lost deal as a failure. TriPeaks has a fair amount of luck. A deal where the stock runs dry is simply a deal.

How TriPeaks compares

TriPeaks has more forgiving rules than Pyramid and a similar pace to Golf. If you enjoy it, the Golf strategy guide uses many of the same ideas. For the bigger picture, see types of solitaire games. Unsure about a term? The glossary explains them.