TriPeaks solitaire rules
TriPeaks is the quick, streaky one. Three little mountains of cards sit over a row of ten, and you clear them by playing cards one rank up or down onto a single pile. Long unbroken runs are the fun and, in most scoring systems, the points. It was invented in 1989 by Robert Hogue, which makes it a young game by solitaire standards.
TriPeaks in 30 seconds
- Deal 18 cards face down as three peaks (rows of 3, 6 and 9 cards across the three), then a row of 10 face up along the bottom. Turn one card up to start the waste; the other 23 are the stock.
- Play any uncovered face-up card onto the waste if it is one rank higher or lower, any suit. In most versions the ranks wrap, so a King and an Ace connect.
- When both cards covering a face-down card are gone, turn it face up.
- No play? Turn the next stock card onto the waste. One pass only. Clear all 28 table cards to win.
Playing it
Shuffle one deck. For each peak, place one card face down at the tip, two below it, and three below those; the third rows of the three peaks touch, making a single row of nine. Then deal ten cards face up in a row so each overlaps the bottom of the peaks. Turn the next card face up as the start of the waste pile, and put the remaining 23 face down as the stock.
A table card is free when no card overlaps it; at the start, that is just the bottom ten. Play a free card onto the waste if it is one rank away from the waste card, ignoring suit. Keep going as long as you can: 8, 9, 8, 7, 6 is one run. Each time the last card covering a face-down card leaves, flip it up; it is now free.
The wrap rule depends on the version. Solitaire Central notes that in the original game the King was a stopper, connecting to neither the Queen nor the Ace; later versions made the order continuous, so Queen, King, Ace and 2 run together. Most apps today use the continuous order. Decide before you deal.
When nothing plays, turn the top stock card onto the waste and continue. There is no second pass. You win by clearing all 28 table cards, even with stock left over.
Streak scoring
TriPeaks is often scored by runs. In the system BVS Solitaire describes, the first card of an unbroken run is worth 1, the second 2, the third 3 and so on, and the count restarts each time you turn a stock card. So long runs are worth far more than the same cards played in short bursts:
| Run length | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points for the run | 1 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 55 |
How often can you win?
Most deals are winnable if you could see everything: the Wikipedia article cites analysis finding that over 90% of deals can be completely cleared. With the 18 face-down cards and the stock hidden, real players do much worse; Solitaire Bliss reports about 16% of TriPeaks games won by its players.
Strategy
- Prefer plays that flip cards. When two cards could continue your run, choose the one that uncovers a face-down card. New face-up cards are new options.
- Pick the longer path at a fork. Before playing, look one or two cards ahead in both directions. A run that can bounce (7, 8, 7, 6) usually beats one that only climbs.
- Spread your digging across the three peaks. The three tip cards are the last ones you can reach. Leaving one peak untouched until the stock is nearly gone often ends a game with that peak still standing.
- Count the stock against the table. With 23 stock cards and 28 table cards, every stock card you turn without making a play is one less chance. When the stock runs low, favor plays that free the most cards, not the longest run.
Play TriPeaks online or at home
Play at home: one deck and a small table. Lay each peak's face-down cards so the two cards below overlap it clearly; that way you can tell at a glance when a card is free to flip.