Rules
TriPeaks Solitaire rules at a glance
- Use one standard 52-card deck.
- Deal 28 cards into three overlapping peaks.
- The bottom row starts face up and available.
- Higher cards are revealed when both cards covering them have been removed.
- Play an exposed card if it is one rank higher or one rank lower than the waste card.
- Suits do not matter.
- This version allows king-to-ace wrapping.
- Draw one card at a time from the stock, with no redeals.
- Win by clearing every tableau card from the three peaks.
- Lose when the stock is empty and no exposed peak card fits the waste.
How to play
How to play TriPeaks Solitaire
TriPeaks Solitaire is an up-or-down removal game. The tableau begins as three small peaks resting on one shared bottom row. You start with a waste card. Any exposed peak card that sits one rank above or one rank below that waste card can be played onto it.
If the waste is a 7, you may play an exposed 6 or 8. That played card becomes the new waste card, so the next move follows from it. A good turn can become a run: 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A, 2. When no exposed card fits, draw from the stock to set a new waste card.
Background
What is TriPeaks Solitaire?
TriPeaks Solitaire is a modern patience game built around three overlapping card peaks. You may also see it written as Tri Peaks, Three Peaks, Triple Peaks, or Tri Towers. Those names usually point to the same core idea: clear a three-peak tableau by following the next rank up or down from the waste pile.
The game is much newer than classic patience games such as Klondike. It is commonly credited to Robert Hogue in the late 1980s, and it became familiar to many players through computer solitaire collections. That software-first history is one reason small rule details, such as king-ace wrapping or redeals, vary from site to site.
Layout
The three-peak layout
- The tableau has four rows: 3 peak cards, then 6, then 9, then a base row of 10.
- The bottom row is available first.
- A card in the upper three rows is blocked until both cards touching its lower corners are gone.
- Cleared cards leave empty spaces; nothing is moved into those spaces.
- After the tableau is dealt, one card is turned to the waste and the other 23 cards form the stock.
Ranks
TriPeaks card ranks and wrapping
TriPeaks ignores suits. Ranks are the whole game. Most cards connect to the two nearest ranks: a 6 can play on a 5 or 7, a jack can play on a 10 or queen, and a 3 can play on a 2 or 4.
This page uses the common wrapping rule: aces and kings connect. That means an ace can be played on a king or a 2, and a king can be played on a queen or an ace. Wrapping makes long runs more possible, but it also makes aces and kings easy to spend too early.
AK or 2
2A or 3
76 or 8
109 or J
QJ or K
KQ or A
Availability
Which cards are playable?
A card can be playable only after it is uncovered. At the beginning, that means the ten cards along the bottom row. When you remove two cards that overlap an upper card, that upper card flips open and joins the decision.
Example: if a hidden middle card is resting on a 4 and a queen, removing only the 4 does not free it. The queen still covers the other corner. Once both lower cards are gone, the hidden card is revealed and can be played if its rank fits the waste.
Stock
The stock rule on this page
This version uses one waste card and one pass through the stock. A deal starts with 28 tableau cards, one waste card, and 23 cards left in the stock. Tapping the stock replaces the waste with the next stock card.
There are no redeals. Once the stock is empty, you must finish with the exposed cards on the table. That keeps the game quick and makes each draw matter.
Some TriPeaks rules begin with an empty waste and let the first tableau card start the run. This page does not use that opening. We turn one initial waste card before play begins, so every first move must already be one rank above or below that card.
Moves
Legal and illegal TriPeaks moves
Legal moves are simple: choose an exposed card one rank away from the waste. A 5 can be played on a 4 or 6. A queen can be played on a jack or king. With wrapping, an ace can be played on a king, and a king can be played on an ace.
Illegal moves usually fail for one of two reasons. Either the card is still covered, or the rank does not fit. A visible but covered card is not available, even if it would continue a perfect run. A 9 cannot play on a 6 just because both are exposed. You need the exact next rank up or down.
The stock and waste are not tableau spaces. You cannot save a waste card for later, move a tableau card sideways, build a descending pile, or fill a gap under a peak. Once a tableau card leaves, its empty space simply helps reveal the card above it.
Strategy
TriPeaks Solitaire strategy that changes the deal
The best move is rarely just the first legal move you notice. Look for the play that reveals the most new information. Clearing two bottom cards that uncover a face-down card can be stronger than taking a loose card on the edge, because every reveal gives you another chance to extend the run before drawing.
Think in runs, not single cards. If the waste is a 6 and you can see both a 5 and a 7, ask what each one might lead to. Maybe 7 opens 8, 9, and 10, while 5 goes nowhere. A longer run saves stock cards, and stock cards are your only reset when the peaks stop cooperating.
Be careful with aces and kings. Because this version wraps, those cards can turn the end of a run into the beginning of another one. Spending an ace too casually can break a future K-A-2 chain. Spending a king too early can strand a queen or ace that would have opened an entire peak.
When two plays reveal different covered cards, prioritize the one nearer the center of a peak or the one that releases another pair of blockers. Edge cards matter, but central cards tend to control more of the hidden structure.
Mistakes
Common TriPeaks Solitaire mistakes
- Drawing from the stock before checking every exposed card.
- Taking a short move that reveals nothing when another legal move opens a covered card.
- Forgetting that aces and kings connect in this version.
- Breaking a promising run by choosing the wrong direction from a middle rank.
- Clearing only edge cards while the middle of each peak stays locked.
- Treating the stock as unlimited instead of as a one-pass timer.
Winnability
Is TriPeaks Solitaire winnable?
TriPeaks is not always winnable. The hidden cards, the initial waste, and the stock order can combine in ways that leave important ranks buried until it is too late. A perfect player still needs the deal to offer enough rank bridges.
Skill still matters a lot. Strong play uses fewer stock cards, opens covered cards sooner, and keeps flexible ranks available for longer chains. The difference between a stuck deal and a win is often one early choice that revealed a new card before the stock had to be tapped.
Difficulty
How difficult is TriPeaks Solitaire?
TriPeaks is easy to learn but not automatic to win. The rule itself is tiny: play one rank up or down. The difficulty comes from hidden information and stock timing. You often know the move that works right now, but not whether it blocks a better reveal two cards later.
We are not publishing a fixed win-rate claim for this page yet because the honest number should come from this exact shuffle, wrap rule, and one-pass stock implementation. A version with an empty opening waste, no wrapping, extra redeals, or winnable-only deals will produce a different result.
Scoring
How TriPeaks Solitaire is scored here
This page keeps the scoring clear: win by clearing all 28 tableau cards. The game tracks moves, remaining stock, and cards left in the peaks. Draws count as moves, so a lower move total usually means you built longer runs and leaned less on the stock.
Some TriPeaks games add streak bonuses, time bonuses, or point penalties for drawing. Those systems can be fun, but they change the incentive. Here the clean goal is the card puzzle: reveal the peaks and clear them before the stock is gone.
Cards left in the stock do not count against a win here. If the last peak card clears while stock cards remain, the deal is still complete. If the stock runs out first and no exposed card fits the waste, the deal is over unless you undo and find a better route.
Variants
TriPeaks variants and house rules
The most important TriPeaks variant is the wrap rule. Some versions do not allow kings and aces to connect. This page does allow it, which makes the game more streak-friendly and closer to many modern digital versions.
Other variants change stock pressure. A strict one-pass game has no redeal. Easier versions may allow one or more redeals, or may show more cards from the start. Some scoring variants reward long chains so heavily that the best move is not simply the one that reveals a card, but the one that protects the longest possible streak.
Nearby games
How TriPeaks compares with Golf, Pyramid, and Aces Up
TriPeaks is closest to Golf Solitaire because both games ask for the next rank up or down from the waste. Golf is flatter and more open. TriPeaks is more dramatic because each removal can reveal hidden material inside the peaks.
Pyramid also uses a shaped layout, but the thinking is different. Pyramid asks you to make pairs that total 13. TriPeaks asks whether the waste can keep climbing or falling through the ranks. Aces Up is even leaner: there is no waste chain, only suit-based discards and careful use of empty piles.