TriPeaks Solitaire, also written Tri Peaks or Three Peaks, is a one-deck game in which you clear three overlapping peaks by moving uncovered cards onto a waste pile. Each card must be exactly one rank higher or lower than the current waste card; suits do not matter. On Cards4.net, Kings and Aces connect in both directions. You win when all 28 tableau cards are gone.
A run in TriPeaks Solitaire can change direction several times before you need to draw. Planning those turns saves stock cards, while uncovering a hidden card can change the route you had in mind.
TriPeaks rules at a glance
| Feature | Rule on Cards4.net |
|---|---|
| Deck | 52 cards, no jokers |
| Tableau | 28 cards arranged as three overlapping peaks |
| Starting waste | One face-up card |
| Stock | 23 remaining cards; draw one at a time, no redeal |
| Legal move | An uncovered card one rank above or below the waste top |
| Ace connections | An Ace connects to both a King and a 2 |
| Win condition | Clear all 28 tableau cards |
The tableau is the arrangement of cards on the table. The waste is the face-up pile that receives your moves. The stock supplies a new waste card when you draw. Unlike Klondike, TriPeaks has no suit foundations and no columns to rearrange.
The layout and available cards
The tableau has four levels containing 3, 6, 9, and 10 cards. The bottom ten begin uncovered. Higher cards remain blocked until both cards immediately overlapping them have been removed. Cards4.net hides their ranks until they become available.
One of the remaining 24 cards starts the waste, leaving 23 in the stock. A tableau move changes the waste top immediately, so the next move is checked against the card you just played. You cannot choose an older card buried in the waste.
How to play a turn
- Read the rank on the top waste card.
- Find an uncovered tableau card one rank higher or lower.
- Move it to the waste and check for newly uncovered cards.
- Continue the run while useful moves remain, or draw a stock card to change the waste top.
- Clear the tableau to win. If the stock is empty and no tableau card fits, the deal is over.
You may change direction during a run. From a 7, you can play 6, then 5, then another 6. Each step is checked separately. Two cards of the same rank never match directly, and matching colors or suits provides no exception.
Ace and King moves
On Cards4.net, Q → K → A → 2 is legal, as is 2 → A → K → Q. The Ace joins the two ends of the rank sequence, so a King accepts a Queen or an Ace, and an Ace accepts a King or a 2. Suit never matters.
A worked example: compare two routes
Suppose the waste is 7 and the available cards include 6, 5, 4, and 8. If those cards remain uncovered, choosing 6 lets you continue with 5 and 4, removing three cards without drawing. Choosing 8 might remove only one if no 9 or other 7 is available afterward.
That does not make the longer visible run automatically best. The 8 might be the last blocker of a hidden card, giving you another route. Compare both the cards you can already play and the cards your move will uncover. Hidden ranks mean you cannot know every consequence in advance.
When two available cards have the same rank, either produces the same waste top. Their positions break the tie: removing one might uncover two cards while removing the other uncovers none. This is a useful decision to examine with Undo because the arithmetic stays the same while the layout changes.
TriPeaks Solitaire strategy
Before drawing, follow at least two possible steps through the exposed cards. Long runs conserve stock cards, which matter because there is no second pass. Do not stop scanning after finding the first legal move; a different starting card may continue much further.
Pay attention to shared blockers between peaks. Clearing a card that helps open two neighboring areas can give you more choices than finishing an isolated edge. You can change direction whenever the ranks allow it, so keep both upward and downward paths in mind.
After your last stock draw, continue looking for playable cards. You can still clear the tableau if the remaining cards form a legal chain. For example, a waste 4 can take an exposed 3, then a 2 revealed by that move, even with no stock left.
Rule variants and scoring
Check Ace-King connections and redeals when switching apps. BVS Tri Peaks rules also allow wrapping and describe their own scoring system. Scores and bonuses from another app should not be assumed to apply on Cards4.net.
On Cards4.net, clearing the tableau wins the deal regardless of how many stock cards remain; there is no score target.
FAQ
Can you put an Ace on a King in TriPeaks?
Yes, on Cards4.net. Ace on King and King on Ace are both legal. An Ace also connects to a 2.
Do suits or colors matter?
No. Only rank and availability matter. A red 6 or a black 6 can both be played on a 5 or 7.
Can you reuse the stock?
No. Cards4.net starts with 23 stock cards after dealing the waste card, and there is no redeal.
Is TriPeaks the same as Pyramid Solitaire?
No. Both use overlapping cards, but TriPeaks builds one rank up or down on the waste. Pyramid removes pairs totaling 13, with Kings removed alone.
Try a deliberate first run
Take the 7 → 6 → 5 → 4 example into your next TriPeaks game: look beyond the first move, then scan again whenever a card turns over. If you enjoy finding ways through overlapping cards, the Pyramid Solitaire guide applies that idea to pairs. The Yukon guide explains how to uncover cards by moving whole groups between columns.