Tri Peaks Solitaire: A Beginner's Guide

Tri Peaks (or TriPeaks) Solitaire uses a single deck and three peaks of cards. You clear cards by playing from the tableau onto a waste pile: a card must be one rank higher or one rank lower than the current waste card. The goal is to clear all three peaks. Here is a beginner-friendly guide to the rules and basic strategy.

Layout

The tableau has three peaks. Each peak is a triangle of overlapping cards; only the top card of each stack is playable. Some cards are face down and are turned face up when the card(s) on top are removed. Below the peaks is a row of face-up cards (the "base" or starting row). One card from the deck is turned up to start the waste pile. The rest of the deck is the stock; you turn one card at a time onto the waste when you cannot play from the tableau.

Playing Cards

You may play a card from the tableau onto the waste if it is exactly one rank above or below the current waste card. Ace can play on King or 2; King can play on Queen or Ace. Suit and color do not matter. When you play a card, it becomes the new waste card and the next card can play on it. Your aim is to clear the peaks by chaining plays. When no tableau card can play, turn the next stock card onto the waste. You go through the stock once (in the standard game); if the peaks are not cleared, the game is over.

Tips for Beginners

• Uncover face-down cards when you can so you have more options later.
• Try to create long runs (e.g., 5-6-7-8) so one stock card can clear several tableau cards.
• Do not rush to use the stock—prefer playing from the peaks when possible.

Tri Peaks mixes luck (the order of the stock) with skill (which card to play when). With practice you will see more opportunities and win more games.