Tri Peaks Solitaire Variations and House Rules

Tri Peaks has been played on computers since about 1990, and every version seems to do one or two things its own way. If the game you remember let you put a King on an Ace and this one doesn't, or the other way around, you aren't imagining it. This page goes through the differences you're most likely to meet, and shows which ones you can switch on in our Tri Peaks Solitaire game.

The options in our game

Open Settings and look under House rules. There are two switches. A change takes effect with your next deal, and your statistics are kept separately for each combination, so an easy setting never mixes with a hard one.

King and Ace wrap around (on by default)

On: the ranks form a circle. An Ace can go on a King, and a King can go on an Ace. A run can pass straight through the corner: Queen, King, Ace, 2. This is the standard rule from the original game, and it is the one we recommend.

Off: the ranks form a line with two ends. Only a Queen fits on a King, and only a 2 fits on an Ace. When the pile shows a King or an Ace, you have half the usual chances to continue.

This one switch changes the game more than you might expect. When we ran our solver over the same set of deals both ways, about 97 in 100 could be won with the wrap on, and only about 3 in 4 with it off. Even among the deals that can still be won, the winning path is narrower. Turn the wrap off when the standard game starts to feel too easy.

Show all cards face up (off by default)

Off: the standard deal. The top three rows start face down, and a card turns over when both cards lying on it are gone.

On: all 28 cards of the peaks are dealt face up. The rules for playing don't change at all. A covered card still can't be played until it is uncovered. The only difference is that you can see what is coming.

With everything visible, Tri Peaks turns from a game of hopeful guesses into a planning puzzle, a little like FreeCell. You can work out that the 9 under those two cards is the one you'll need for the 10 on the far peak. Many people find this version more satisfying. It is also a good way to learn, and the Hint button uses the extra information too. The stock stays face down, so there is still some luck left.

Things our game always does

• Winnable new deals. When you press New Game, the deal is checked by a solver first. With either wrap setting, you only get deals that have a winning path. A deal number you type in yourself is not checked.
• One trip through the stock. There is no reshuffle and no second pass.
• Unlimited Undo. Purists may call it cheating. We call it a friendly game.
• A run counter instead of points. The game shows how many cards you've played in a row and your best run of the deal.

Variations you may meet elsewhere

Scoring styles

The original game was scored, and the scoring was built around runs: the first card of a run earned one point, the second two, the third three, and so on, with a penalty for each stock card and bonuses for clearing peaks. Some versions add money-style scoring, where you "pay" for each deal and try to stay ahead over many games. Others add a clock and give time bonuses. The rules page has a traditional scoring table you can use with real cards. We left points and timers out on purpose, so there is nothing to rush.

Wild cards and jokers

A popular house rule adds one or two jokers to the stock. A joker can be played at any time, and any card can be played on it. It works as a bridge when a run would otherwise end. This makes the game easier, and with real cards it is a nice way to help a beginner.

A second trip through the stock

Some players allow the pile to be turned over once to make a new stock, or allow a set number of "free" cards. With the standard rules so many deals can already be won that this isn't needed, but it suits the no-wrap game, where a deal can be lost through no fault of your own.

Other layouts

The three-peak shape isn't sacred. The same play works with two wider peaks, with four small ones made from a bigger deck, or with all the cards in one tall triangle. The feel changes with the shape: the more cards that sit in the bottom row, the more choices you have at the start.

Close relatives

Tri Peaks borrows its two main ideas from older games, and if you like it you may enjoy them too.

• Golf solitaire is where the one-up, one-down pile comes from. Thirty-five cards are dealt face up in seven columns, and you play the bottom card of any column. Traditionally nothing can be played on a King, which makes Golf a good deal harder to clear.
• Pyramid solitaire is where the overlapping layout comes from. One big triangle of 28 cards is cleared by removing pairs that add up to 13.
• Klondike solitaire is the classic most people simply call Solitaire. It is slower and takes more patience, with columns to build and four foundations to fill.

Whichever rules you choose, the Tri Peaks strategy guide still applies: look for long runs, uncover hidden cards, and make the stock last.