How To Play TriPeaks Solitaire

Solitaire is a great single-player card game that you can play to challenge yourself or to simply kill some time during a break. Most people are familiar with Classic Solitaire, also called Klondike Solitaire, which became a default game on Windows PCs. While Klondike Solitaire is the most well-known version of the game, it's but one of many possible ways to play. Other popular versions of Solitaire include Spider Solitaire, Pyramid Solitaire, and Freecell Solitaire. These can be a bit advanced for new players, however.

Those looking for a fun new way to play a Solitaire game should look into the Tripeaks Solitaire. Also known as Tri Towers and Triple Peaks, it's friendly to beginners but has ways to incorporate advanced tactics for experienced players as well. The game was created in 1989 by Robert Hogue and appeared for the first time in Windows Entertainment Pack 3. Since then, it's become a popular Solitaire game that has been modified and has appeared in casinos.

While you certainly have many options for free games online, including web apps, you may have to worry about different things like pop-ups or even unskippable full-screen ads. Our free online games offer quick play action with plenty of functionalities, and best of all, you don't have to worry about any kind of advertisement. Our web pages even offer guides on our various games, so you can become a Solitaire card game master in no time. You can even register today to appear on our online leaderboards. Here is our detailed guide on Tripeaks.

The Pack

To play Tripeaks Solitaire, you'll need a standard 52-card deck of cards. Be sure to remove all the wild cards (Jokers) before play. While you can certainly use a novelty or custom card deck, and our site even has functionalities that let you change card backs and faces, this guide will use terminology that sticks to standard card values and suits.

The Object of the Game

The aim of Tripeaks Solitaire is to demolish each mountain of cards by moving each card on the tableau (play area) to the foundation (discard pile). Many players try to beat their record time, meaning every second counts in speedy Tripeaks Solitaire. In this way, Tripeaks is similar to Golf Solitaire, though a bit more advanced in practice.

The Deal

Tripeaks rules dictate that the tableau must have a specific layout. For classic Tripeaks Solitaire, you'll need to start by placing three face-down cards into different piles. These are the points of your card pyramids from which Tripeaks gets its name. Following the first card for each peak, you'll deal the second row of two face-down cards and the last row of three face-down cards to complete the pyramids. Finally, you'll deal twelve face-up cards at the base of the pyramids to connect them together.

This completes the tableau with 30 cards in total. The rest of the cards should be placed to the side as the stock (draw pile).

The Play

To start the game, reveal one card from the stockpile to create your single foundation pile (waste pile). Your directive is to uncover and move all cards in the peaks to this waste pile. In order to do this, you'll need to compare open cards to the card at the top of the discard pile. If an open card is either one value higher or lower than the card at the top of the discard pile, you can move that open card to the waste pile. Keep in mind that Aces can be the highest or lowest value card depending on your needs.

When every open card that borders a face-down card is removed from the tableau, you can turn that card over. This is the only way you can start chipping away at the piles of cards. One of the most basic Tripeaks Solitaire tips is to try and remove the entire fourth row immediately so the bottom cards of each peak become open cards.

The scoring system is based on a few factors including how quickly you complete the game. You also score bonus points for each time you demolish one of the peaks. To score big points, you'll need to use long sequences to build up your streak meter. Your streak meter starts when you move two cards in a row to the waste pile, and you'll continue to score extra points for each card in the sequence. Long sequences can "turn the corner" without being lost whenever a King builds and an Ace or vice versa. Remove a high number of cards in a row for score boosters to play your best Tripeaks game.

When you reach an impasse, meaning there are no more open cards to build on the waste pile, you'll have to draw a new card from the stock. This will end any long sequence you may have and can severely limit your total score. The game ends when you've either cleared all the pyramids or when the last card of the stock is drawn and you have no more available moves. The latter results in a loss.