TriPeaks Solitaire: Play Free Online

How to Play TriPeaks Solitaire

TriPeaks (also written Tri Peaks) is a fast solitaire game with a simple rule: take a card that is one rank above or below the card on the pile. Suits and colours don't matter. You win by clearing every card from the three peaks.

The layout

• The peaks: 30 cards in three peaks of 10, each a small pyramid with rows of 1, 2, 3 and 4 cards. Two peaks sit on the left and one on the right. Only the bottom row of each peak starts face up.
• The stock: the other 22 cards. One is turned over at the start to begin the pile, so you have 21 left to draw.
• The pile: the face-up card you play onto. Only its top card counts.

The rules

1. Play up or down. Tap any face-up card that is not covered and is one rank higher or lower than the top of the pile. On a 7 you can play a 6 or an 8.
2. Keep going. The card you play becomes the new top of the pile, so you can chain: 7, 8, 9, 8, 7, 6 and so on, up and down as you like.
3. Ranks wrap. An Ace sits next to both the 2 and the King, so K, A, 2 is a legal run.
4. Uncover cards. A face-down card turns over as soon as the cards lying on it have been played.
5. Draw when stuck. When nothing on the peaks can be played, tap the stock to turn a new card onto the pile. Each draw ends your streak, and used stock cards don't come back.
6. End of the round. You win when all 30 cards are gone. If the stock is empty and no card can be played, the round is lost, and Retry Hand lets you play the same deal again.

Undo has no limit. Hint shows a move on a winning path (3 free hints per deal). When the stock is empty and the rest of the board can be cleared in one run, the game finishes it for you, and Skip does it at once.

Scoring

TriPeaks scoring is all about streaks. The streak is how many cards you have played in a row without drawing from the stock.

Because each card in a streak is worth more than the last, one run of 10 cards (5,500 points) beats five runs of 2 (1,500 points). A high score comes from long chains, not just from winning.

TriPeaks Strategy

Look before you play

Before you take the first card, scan every face-up card and look for the longest run you can make from the top of the pile. Remember that you can turn around: 5, 6, 7, 6, 5, 4 is fine. Taking the obvious card first can cut off a longer chain.

Prefer cards that uncover others

When two cards of the same rank could be played, choose the one that will turn over a face-down card. A new face-up card gives you more options for the rest of the streak and later ones.

Work on all three peaks

The cards near the tops of the peaks are covered by the most cards. If you clear one peak and leave the others untouched, you may find the last cards you need buried at the end. Spread your plays across the board.

Use the wrap

Kings and Aces join up. If you are stuck on a King, look for an Ace; if you are on an Ace, look for a King as well as a 2. Many players forget this and draw a card they didn't need to.

Draw only when you must

Every draw costs you your streak and one of only 21 stock cards. Run out of stock with cards still on the peaks and the round is over. Play every move the board gives you before you tap the stock.

Plan the streak around the draw

Sometimes it pays to stop a chain on purpose and keep a card for later. If you can see that the next stock card will need a 9 and you have a 9 on the board, leaving it there can start a long new run after the draw.

Test with undo

Undo is free and unlimited. If a run ends sooner than you hoped, take it back and try the other branch. You learn to see the long chains this way.

A Worked Example

Say the top of the pile is a King, and the playable cards on the peaks are an Ace, a 2, a 3, a Queen and a Jack.

• Line one: Queen, Jack. The obvious play. Two cards, 100 + 200 = 300 points, and then you are stuck on a Jack.
• Line two: Ace, 2, 3. Ranks wrap, so the Ace plays on the King. Three cards, 100 + 200 + 300 = 600 points.
• Even better, if the cards allow it: when playing the 3 uncovers a 4, and the 4 uncovers a 5, the same streak keeps going and each card is worth 100 more than the last.

Now say the Queen sits on top of two face-down cards and the Ace covers nothing. Then the question is not only which line is longer but which one turns new cards over. The Queen line opens two cards for the next streak; the Ace line scores more now. Weigh the two, and when the streaks are the same length, take the one that uncovers more.

The point is not to find the perfect line every time but to look one or two cards ahead, count which ranks are still on the board, and prefer the plays that turn new cards over. Doing that every turn adds up to far longer streaks and higher scores.

TriPeaks vs Other Solitaire Games

TriPeaks is the quickest of the four and the one where luck in the stock order matters most to your score, though here every deal can still be won. It is a good game for a short break, and a good warm-up before a long Klondike session.

About TriPeaks Solitaire

TriPeaks was created by Robert Hogue in 1989. It builds on older games like Golf solitaire, where you also play cards one rank up or down onto a pile, and adds the three overlapping peaks. Microsoft put it in its Entertainment Pack in the early 1990s, and it later became one of the most played casual card games online.

People like TriPeaks because a round is short, the rule fits in one sentence, and a long streak feels great. On SolitairePlace each deal is checked by a solver, so every board you get can be cleared. If you want a slower game with more planning, try Klondike or Klondike Turn 3; for a puzzle with tiles instead of cards, try Mahjong Solitaire.

TriPeaks Solitaire FAQ

Is TriPeaks Solitaire free to play online?

Yes. TriPeaks on SolitairePlace is free in your browser with no download and no sign-up, on phone, tablet and computer.

What are the rules of TriPeaks?

Play any uncovered face-up card that is one rank higher or lower than the top card of the pile, with no regard to suit. When you have no move, draw a card from the stock. Clear all three peaks to win.

Can you play a King on an Ace in TriPeaks?

Yes. Ranks wrap around here, so an Ace can go on a King or a 2, and a King on an Ace or a Queen.

Can every TriPeaks game be won?

Yes, on SolitairePlace. Each deal is checked by a solver before you get it, so there is always a way to clear the board.

How does TriPeaks scoring work?

Each card in a streak scores 100 more than the one before: 100, 200, 300 and so on. Drawing from the stock resets the streak. Clearing a peak adds a bonus, and clearing the whole board adds 500.

How many cards are in the stock?

There are 22 cards outside the peaks. One starts the pile, so you have 21 draws. The stock is not reused.

Is Tri Peaks the same as TriPeaks?

Yes. Tri Peaks, TriPeaks and Three Peaks are names for the same game.

What is the difference between TriPeaks and Golf solitaire?

Both use the one-up-or-down rule. Golf deals the cards in seven open columns, while TriPeaks deals them into three overlapping peaks with face-down cards, and many versions, like this one, let ranks wrap from King to Ace.

Can I undo a move?

Yes, as many as you want. Undo also takes back the points and bonuses of the moves it reverses.

More Games Like TriPeaks Solitaire

• Klondike Solitaire: the classic solitaire everyone knows, one card at a time from the stock, and every deal can be won.
• Klondike Solitaire Turn 3: the traditional draw 3 version of Klondike: three cards at a time, only the top one playable, a real test of planning.
• Mahjong Solitaire: match pairs of free tiles to clear a layered board; a new solvable layout every game.