01THREE PEAKS. FOUR ROWS.
How do you set up TriPeaks Solitaire?
Use one standard 52-card pack without jokers. Arrange 28 cards in a three-peak tableau: three cards in the top row, six in the second, nine in the third and ten in the shared bottom row. Each higher card is overlapped by two cards below it.
Deal the upper eighteen cards face down and the ten bottom cards face up. Put the other 24 cards in a face-down stock, then turn one stock card face up to start the waste. That leaves 23 cards available to draw.
The browser deals this layout automatically. The ten bottom cards are initially exposed. The covered cards are not displayed or named until they become available.
ONE HIGHER. ONE LOWER.
Which card can you play in TriPeaks?
Choose an exposed tableau card exactly one rank above or below the top waste card. Move it onto the waste; it becomes the new target. A seven accepts a six or eight. A ten accepts a nine or jack. Matching ranks are not legal.
Suits and colours do not matter, and the chain may change direction after any move. For example, seven, eight, nine, eight, seven, six is a legal run if those cards are exposed at the right time.
Our table allows ace–king wrapping: an ace can follow a king, and a king can follow an ace. An ace can also connect to a two. A two does not connect directly to a king. Some versions prohibit wrapping; use the stated rule for the table you are playing.
REMOVE BOTH COVERING CARDS.
When does a hidden card become playable?
A tableau card is exposed only after both cards covering it are gone. Removing just one does not release it. Once both are removed, the covered card turns face up automatically and may join the chain if its rank fits the waste.
You cannot move cards between tableau positions or select a covered card. Cards played onto the waste do not return to the peaks. A card may be exposed and still be unusable because its rank is wrong for the current target.
01Play the exposed five.
The waste top becomes five.
02Follow with the six.
Removing these two neighbours opens the card above them.
03Turn the newly exposed card.
The browser reveals it automatically; physical play turns it face up.
04Check its rank.
If it is a seven, it can follow the six immediately.
A LIMITED SET OF TARGETS.
How does the stock work?
Draw the top stock card onto the waste to establish a fresh target. The old waste top becomes buried and cannot be retrieved. This version permits drawing even when a tableau move exists, although spending the stock may remove a useful route.
The stock begins with 23 cards after the initial waste card. Use it once, with no redeal, recycle, reshuffle or wild card. Drawing does not change the tableau or reveal a still-covered card.
An empty stock does not automatically end the deal. You may continue as long as exposed cards fit the current waste top. The game is stuck only when the stock is empty and no legal tableau move remains.
CLEAR THE TABLEAU.
How do you win TriPeaks Solitaire?
Remove all 28 tableau cards to win. Unused stock cards may remain. You do not need to clear the waste or move every card in the pack.
If cards remain in the peaks and both the stock and legal moves are exhausted, the deal has no moves left. The browser identifies that position. Undo can reverse a previous action, Restart repeats the same shuffled deal, and New deal creates a different one after confirmation.
Random deals are not checked for solvability. Hints identify a legal move only; they do not inspect hidden card values or promise a winning solution. This table has no timer, points system or saved win record. Reloading or leaving resets the current game.
THINK BEYOND THE NEXT CARD.
What helps you clear the peaks?
Before playing, compare which exposed moves would free cards in the next row. A longer chain can preserve stock cards, but an apparently short move may open a better route. Avoid treating Hint as a strategy solver.
When two exposed cards share a playable rank, think about the cards each one covers. Their hidden values remain unknown, so some outcomes depend on the deal rather than a visible calculation. Use Undo to compare the branches and understand the layout.
TriPeaks rules differ between publishers. This table combines hidden upper cards, ace–king connections, optional stock draws and no recycle. It uses no streak bonuses or coins. The four lessons use small prepared positions; full play uses the complete shuffled pack.
References: Solitaire Bliss’s TriPeaks guide and eSolutions’ TriPeaks rules. Their variations differ; our wrapping, visibility and stock conventions are stated above. Original explanations and prepared teaching positions. Reviewed 29 October 2026.
