TriPeaks Solitaire

How to Play TriPeaks

TriPeaks is one of the fastest solitaire games to learn: every move is a card one rank above or below the card on the waste pile. Suits don't matter.

The skill is in choosing between plays. When two cards both fit, the right one is usually whichever keeps your run going longest or turns over the most new cards.

Setup

Twenty-eight cards form three overlapping peaks. The bottom row of ten is face up and the rest are face down. One card starts the waste pile and the remaining 23 are the stock.

Rules

• Play any uncovered card that is one rank higher or lower than the top waste card, in any suit.
• Ranks wrap around: a King and an Ace count as next to each other.
• A face-down card turns over once both cards covering it are gone.
• When you have no play, or don't want the one you have, click the stock to turn a new card onto the waste.
• There is no second pass. Once the stock is gone, you can only play what fits.

How to win

Clear all three peaks. You can finish with cards left in the stock. If the stock is empty and nothing fits the waste, the game is over.

How often can TriPeaks be won?

We ran our own solver on 200 shuffled deals of this version. It found a win in 137 of 200 (69%), and ran out of its budget of 20,000 positions a deal on 63.

Those undecided deals may still be winnable, so treat the win count as a minimum. The solver can see every card, including face-down ones, so it measures what the cards allow, not how often a person will win.

TriPeaks Strategy

• Look for the longest run, not the first play. Trace the chain in your head, such as 7, 8, 9, 8, 7, before you touch a card.
• Prefer cards that uncover face-down cards. New information and new options are worth more than a card from a row that reveals nothing.
• Work on the peaks evenly. The top of each peak is hard to reach, so a peak you ignore can end the game while the others are nearly clear.
• Remember that a stock card can also break your run. Draw only when you have to, since every draw spends a chance you won't get back.
• Keep track of ranks that are running out. If three 9s are gone, a board that needs a 9 to continue may need a different route.

History

TriPeaks was invented in 1989 by Robert Hogue and shipped in Windows Entertainment Pack 3. It is also known as Three Peaks, Tri Towers and Triple Peaks.

More Solitaire Games

Love TriPeaks? Try these other solitaire variants on Solitaire Scramble:

TriPeaks FAQ