How to Play TriPeaks Solitaire (Rules and Strategy)

TriPeaks Solitaire is a single-player card game where you clear three overlapping peaks of cards by playing cards one rank above or below the current foundation card. It’s faster than Klondike, friendlier than FreeCell, and the mechanic — building a chain of consecutive cards — produces some of the most satisfying combo runs in any card game. Invented by Robert Hogue in 1989 and later included in Microsoft’s Windows Entertainment Pack series, TriPeaks went on to become a staple of mobile solitaire apps and one of the most popular free card games online.

Setup

From a shuffled standard 52-card deck, deal 28 cards into the tableau, arranged as three overlapping triangular peaks of four rows. In the traditional deal only the bottom row is face up and the rest are turned over as they are uncovered; many digital versions simply show every card face up.

• Top row: Three single cards (the peaks).
• Second row: Six cards (two below each peak).
• Third row: Nine cards (three below each peak’s second row).
• Fourth row: Ten cards in a single horizontal row, face up.

Each card in an upper row is partly covered by two cards in the row below it. A card cannot be played until both cards covering it have been removed.

The remaining 24 cards form the stock pile. Flip one card from the stock to start; this is your initial foundation card.

The objective

Remove all 28 tableau cards. A clear is the win condition. Most digital versions also score the run — points per card, combo bonuses for chains, big bonuses for full clears.

The core rule

You can play any uncovered tableau card whose rank is exactly one above or one below the current foundation card, regardless of suit. The played card becomes the new foundation. You build longer and longer chains by stringing consecutive cards together.

In most versions ranks wrap around: an Ace plays on a 2 or a King; a King plays on a Queen or an Ace; a 2 plays on an Ace or a 3. Some stricter rule sets stop at Ace and King, so check the setting.

When you can’t make a play, draw the top card from the stock and place it as the new foundation. Continue until either all tableau cards are cleared (win) or the stock is exhausted and no plays remain (loss).

An example chain

Say the foundation card is 7♠. You see a 6♣ in the tableau — play it. Foundation is now 6♣. You see a 5♦ — play it. Foundation is now 5♦. You see a 4♠ — play it. Then 3♥, then 2♣, then Ace♦, then King♣ (with wrap-around on), then Queen♥. Eight cards in a chain.

That chain might have unblocked two cards in the third row, which now lets you start a new chain in the other direction. Skilled TriPeaks is about seeing chains that unlock further chains.

Scoring (typical digital version)

There is no single official scoring system; each app uses its own. The common pattern looks like this:

• Chains: each consecutive card in a run is worth more than the last
• Clearing a peak: a bonus when you remove a peak’s top card
• Clearing the full tableau: a bigger bonus, often scaled by the cards left in the stock

The scoring rewards long chains and full clears. A run that clears the tableau with cards still in the stock can outscore a slow run that uses every stock card.

Strategy

Plan chains before playing them

The biggest jump in skill is learning to look at the whole tableau before making your first move. A 4 that you could play immediately might be the key to a 6-card chain if you wait until after you’ve cleared the surrounding cards. Don’t play impulsively — scan for the longest available chain and start there.

Save your wild cards

Some app versions of TriPeaks hand out a “wild” card or power-up that can be played on any foundation. Don’t burn wilds early — save them for moments when they unlock a long chain or break a stuck position. The same logic applies to high-value rank cards that bridge gaps.

Prioritize covered cards

A card at the top of a peak usually carries the peak bonus. To clear a peak, you must clear both the cards covering it. Plan your chains to expose peak tops, not to clear easy bottom-row cards that don’t unlock anything.

Watch your stock count

You have 24 stock flips. Each one breaks your chain. If you’re about to flip the stock for a single card, ask whether you could have played one more card from the tableau first to extend a chain. Conservation of stock flips is the second biggest jump in skill.

Don’t chase impossible clears

Some TriPeaks deals are unwinnable. The math gets ugly fast when the deal buries the ranks you need at the bottom of the stock with no chains that can reach them. After three or four flips with no productive play, accept the loss and start a new game.

Variations

• Open vs. traditional deal: All 28 tableau cards face up (common in apps), or only the bottom row face up with the rest revealed as they are uncovered.
• Wrap-around on or off: Whether King-to-Ace and Ace-to-King plays are allowed.
• Multi-deal scoring: Some versions score a series of deals, carrying your total from hand to hand.
• Golf Solitaire: TriPeaks’ close cousin, with the same one-up-or-down rule but a layout of seven columns instead of three peaks.

The many TriPeaks apps on iOS and Android usually use the standard layout with daily challenges, leaderboards, and progression unlocks layered on top.

Where to play

TriPeaks is one of the five games in Microsoft Solitaire Collection, which comes with Windows and is also available on mobile. Plenty of mobile apps carry the name too, including MobilityWare’s TriPeaks Solitaire.

You can play TriPeaks Solitaire free in your browser here. Our Golf Solitaire uses the same one-rank-up-or-down chain rule with an optional K–A wrap setting, so if you can chain in Golf, you can chain in TriPeaks.

For a different single-player card challenge, our games like Solitaire roundup covers FreeCell, Spider, Pyramid, and the rest of the family. When you need a non-card palate cleanser, the Chrome Dino game is one button away.

Play TriPeaks Solitaire online

You can now play TriPeaks Solitaire free in your browser, with no download or sign-up. It uses the traditional deal from this guide: three peaks in rows of 3, 6, 9 and 10, with only the bottom row face up and the other cards turning over as you uncover them. K–A wrap is on by default, and you can switch it off for the stricter rule. Each card in a streak scores more than the last, and clearing a peak earns a bonus. Undo and Hint are there when you need them. Every deal has a number you can replay or share, there is a daily deal that everyone plays, and a five-deal session mode keeps a running total.

Frequently asked questions

Is TriPeaks Solitaire winnable every time?

No. Some deals are unwinnable from the start no matter how you play. Most deals can be won by a player who can see every card and plans perfectly, but real players win less often, and the rate depends on the rule set (face-up vs. traditional deal, wrap-around on or off) and on skill.

What’s the highest possible TriPeaks score?

It depends entirely on the app, because there is no standard scoring system. In every common scheme, the highest scores come from full clears built from long chains with as many stock cards left unused as possible.

Can you undo moves in TriPeaks?

Most digital versions allow unlimited undos, though some count them against your score or end your “perfect run” eligibility. Casual play with undos enabled is much more forgiving than competitive play without them.

Who invented TriPeaks?

Robert Hogue invented TriPeaks in 1989, and a version was later included in Microsoft’s Entertainment Pack series for Windows — the same software line that brought Minesweeper to Windows users. Its one-up-or-down rule is shared with the older Golf Solitaire.

Why is it called “TriPeaks”?

The name describes the tableau’s three triangular peaks at the top of the layout. You’ll also see it called “Three Peaks,” “Triple Peaks,” or “Tri Towers.”

The bottom line

TriPeaks Solitaire is the chain-builder’s solitaire. The basic rules take two minutes to learn; the difference between a short run and a full clear is reading the tableau before you click. Start with one peak in mind, build the longest chain you can find, and don’t flip the stock until you have to. The next combo is always one card away.

Related: How to Play Yukon Solitaire (Rules and Strategy) · How to Play Scorpion Solitaire (Rules and Strategy) · How to Play Golf Solitaire (Rules and Strategy)