Casino & Gambling Information

Pyramid Solitaire: A Strategy Guide For Beginners


Pyramid Solitaire is a fun solitaire game, with a very distinctive opening tableau in the shape of a pyramid. There is a large element of luck involved, but there are certain strategies that can be used to dramatically increase your chances of winning.

The aim of pyramid solitaire is to remove all the cards from the tableau and the talon. Cards are removed in pairs, when their combined total is 13. The exception to this is with Kings, which are removed on their own.

Cards can only be removed when they are completely exposed (ie: When the whole card is visible, with no cards above them)

The combinations of cards you can remove are:

  • Ace and Queen
  • 2 and Jack
  • 3 and 10
  • 4 and 9
  • 5 and 8
  • 6 and 7
  • King
Whilst the rules for pyramid solitaire are quite easy to understand, the game itself offers come interesting complexities. You have to plan out which cards to remove to maximize potential options later in the game. Sometimes you must leave a card for later in the game, or you will create an impasse. And sometimes you have to carefully remember the order of the cards in the talon, or you will have cards left over at the end.

At the start of the game, scan the first four rows, looking for any situations that will make the game impossible to complete. This happens when all the cards that can be combined with a card occur in the triangle below it.

This occurs because a card cannot be selected until all the cards in the triangle below it are removed first.

For example, suppose part of the deal was like this (Taken from Classic Solitaire deal 20064) 2 J 9 Q J 86 J 4 JAll of the Jacks occur in the triangle below the top 2. So to expose the top 2, all the Jacks will have to be removed first... But that's impossible, because the Jacks can only be removed in combination with the 2's. We will be able to remove three of the Jacks, but we cant ever remove the top Jack, because the 2 it needs is above it.

So if the four combination cards appear in a cards underneath triangle, then the game cannot be finished, and you may as well redeal.

If only three of the combination cards appear in the underneath triangle, then you have discovered a potential impasse later on. Wherever that fourth combination card is, it MUST be combined with the top card. So, if the fourth combination card is in the talon, you must remember this, and be careful not to use it on any card other than the top one.

Another impasse to check for at the beginning, is to see if all the combination cards appear in the triangle above a card.

For example, suppose the deal was like this (Taken from Classic Solitaire deal 3841) 7 8 J 4 2 4 A 6 8 2 8 5 9 Q 2 7 8 9 7 K 4K A 5 3 Q 6 10All the 8's occur in the triangle above the bottom 5, so the game cannot be finished.

This last case doesn't occur very often though, so it isn't worth spending too much time checking for it. Just a cursory glance at the middle 3 cards on the bottom row is normally enough.

So to summarize, before we have even started playing, we check to see if the game is winnable (Make sure there are no cases where the four combination cards occur in the triangle below or above a card). We also check for times when three of the combination cards appear below... as these will need special attention, to make sure we don't waste the fourth card and create an impasse.

So what about general play?

Well, to start with, always remove Kings whenever you can. There is absolutely no reason not to remove the Kings, because they aren't used in combination with any other cards, so you gain nothing by waiting.

Another thing to consider is that often there is no need to rush. You can cycle through the talon three times, so often it will be better to wait and see what cards are remaining, rather than jump in and remove a combination as soon as you can.

Finally, try and remove cards evenly between the talon and the tableau. Ideally, you want to finish removing cards from the tableau at the same time as the talon is used up.

You still wont be able to win every game of pyramid solitaire with the above strategy, but you should find your probability of winning has greatly increased.

Dan Fletcher is a developer at dogMelon.com.au - They make Classic Solitaire, and have a website featuring Card Game Rules, including Pyramid Solitaire


MORE RESOURCES:

Boston Globe

Casino showdown goes to the wire
Boston Globe
In the end, after years of growing momentum and weeks of tense negotiations, those two missing votes may well spell the demise of casino gambling in ...
Mass. House Approves Casino Gambling BillCBS News
Mass. House approves casino gambling billThe Associated Press
State legislature set for casino voteWWLP 22News
Examiner.com -MyFOXMaine.com -Attleboro Sun Chronicle
all 617 news articles »


Boston Herald (blog)

Countdown on for casino gambling bill in Mass.
NECN
(NECN: John Moroney: Boston, Mass) - The countdown is on for a casino gambling bill in Massachusetts. Just one week left for legislators to hammer out their ...
Mass. gov says compromise possible on gamblingBusinessWeek
Mass. lawmakers gear up for busy end of sessionBoston Herald
Patrick returns from war zone, defends visitBoston Globe
Bostonist
all 127 news articles »


The Economist (blog)

Businessman Trump Likes US Model Of Regulated Online Gambling
Casino Gambling Web
Donald Trump has a storied history in two areas, business, and casino gambling. Representative Barney Frank is attempting to bring the two together in the ...
Internet Gaming Expansion - Where Do We Go From Here?BloodHorse (blog)
Legal online gambling in the United States still far awayOnline Gambling Paper
Frank's Online Gambling Bill Passes House Finance CommitteeCasino Gambling Web

all 221 news articles »


Panel named to craft final Mass. casino bill
BusinessWeek
Five members of the House and Senate committee named Tuesday back casino gambling. One member, Republican Richard Ross of Wrentham, voted against the bill ...
MA casino bill marches on95.5 WBRU News
Dempsey, other lawmakers work on casino bill behind closed doorsEagle Tribune
Clock ticks on slotsAttleboro Sun Chronicle
Martha's Vineyard Times -Fenway News Online (blog) -Behavioral Health Central (blog)
all 487 news articles »


NY gets $5.5 million for energy-related research projects; Nassau pursues ...
Examiner.com
Instead, Nassau and Suffolk are courting the Shinnecock Indian tribe, which recently earned federal standing after a 30-year battle, to open casino gambling ...

and more »


IGOU: Casinos aren't the answer
Wakefield Observer
Currently our state legislature and Governor are embroiled in debate about the best way to bring Casino gambling to ...



Gambling brings billions of dollars to state
Evening News and Tribune
2, behind Pennsylvania, in taxes collected from casino gambling. That's been good news for local and state governments that have used the money to replace ...



Healthcare, casino gambling petitions come up short
The Detroit News
Groups aiming to expand casino gambling in Michigan also didn't gather enough voter signatures to make the ballot. That means there will be only two ...
Gambling Proposals Fail To Reach Ballot In MichiganCasino Gambling Web
Gambling, health care miss deadlineFOX Toledo Online
Health care and casino petitions fail to collect enough signatures to appear ...Crain's Detroit Business

all 118 news articles »


Casino gambling: What other states are doing, and not doing
The Patriot Ledger
IOWA - No: Bids to expand casino gambling to four locations, legalize sports betting at racinos and casinos, and to end greyhound racing all failed. ...

and more »


First Casino Gambling, Now Ohio Governor Pushing For Slots
Casino Gambling Web
"What we are seeing in Ohio is something that takes place in almost every state where casino gambling is legalized," said Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz. ...
Slot machines for race tracks in Ohio could become realityYoungstown Vindicator
Court asked to spell out Strickland's authority on slotsToledo Blade

all 73 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006