How to Play TriPeaks Solitaire: Rules, Wrapping and Streaks

TriPeaks is the fastest game on this site. One rule, three peaks, and a scoring system that pays you far more for one long chain than for the same cards taken in dribs and drabs.

The board, explained

Twenty-eight cards form three overlapping peaks, and the rest of the deck waits underneath.

The only rule you need

Play any uncovered board card that is one rank above or one rank below the top of the waste. That is the entire game. Suit never matters, colour never matters, and there is nothing to build.

Why the Ace wraps to the King

In TriPeaks the ranks form a loop. King goes on Ace, Ace goes on King, and a chain can run all the way round without ever hitting a dead end.

This is the single mechanical difference between TriPeaks and Golf, and it changes the game completely. In Golf a King is a wall, because only a Queen can follow it. In TriPeaks a King is just another link.

How the streak bonus works

Points come from consecutive cards, not from cards. Every card you take without touching the stock is worth ten more than the one before it.

Eight cards taken as one chain are worth 360. The same eight cards taken with a stock draw between each pair are worth 80. Drawing from the stock resets the streak to zero, so the decision to draw is the most expensive one in the game.

Planning a chain before you start it

1. Trace the whole chain first. Before you take a card, follow the sequence as far as you can see it. A chain that runs six cards and then dies is often worse than a shorter one that ends on a rank with several copies still available.
2. Open the peaks, not the bottom row. The ten bottom-row cards are already face up. Cards that uncover a face-down card higher in a peak are the ones that keep the game alive.
3. Finish on a flexible rank. Ending a chain on a rank where you can see several neighbouring cards means your next draw is more likely to restart a chain rather than start a new one from nothing.
4. Count what is left in the stock. Twenty-three draws is not many, and each unused one is fifteen points at the end.

Three mistakes that cost peaks

Taking the first legal card you see

There are often two or three legal cards. The right one is the one that leads somewhere, not the one nearest your cursor.

Drawing to break a small deadlock

A draw resets your streak and burns one of only 23 cards. Check every uncovered card on all three peaks before you reach for the stock.

Clearing one peak completely

Peaks are worth clearing evenly. Pouring every move into one peak leaves the other two fully stacked with a shrinking stock to solve them.

Frequently asked questions