Tri Peaks – Rules
Play Tri Peaks against the computer
1. Quick overview
| Name | Tri Peaks (also: Three Peaks) |
| Game type | Patience for one person |
| Players | 1 |
| Recommended age | 6 and up |
| Duration | one game 2–5 minutes |
| Material | 52 cards |
| Goal | Move all 28 cards of the three peaks onto the waste. |
| Difficulty | easy, often solvable with some planning |
What is it about? Three peaks of cards stand side by side. You play free cards onto the waste when they are one rank higher or lower – this builds long chains that wear down the peaks bit by bit.
2. Cards and material
- Deck: 52 French cards.
- Ranking: A, 2 … 10, J, Q, K; King and Ace are connected (K–A–2).
3. Setup and start
- Shuffle, lay out 18 cards face down as three peaks.
- Below them a row of 10 face-up cards.
- One card face up as the waste, the rest as the stock.
4. Goal and winning
- Won: All peak cards are on the waste.
- Lost: The stock is empty and no free card fits.
5. Play in detail
- Free cards: A card is free when no card covers it any more.
- A free card may go onto the waste if it is one rank higher or lower – suit does not matter.
- Face-down cards that are no longer covered are turned up.
- If no card fits, turn the next stock card onto the waste.
Example. Waste: 9. You play a 10, then a Jack, then a 10 again and a 9. This frees and turns up two peak cards.
6. Scoring
- Won or not. Computer versions give points for long chains and cleared peaks.
7. Special rules and important situations
- King–Ace: An Ace or a Queen may go on a King, a King or a 2 on an Ace.
- Stock: gone through only once.
8. Variants
| Variant | What changes? | For whom? |
|---|---|---|
| Without K–A | King and Ace not connected. | Experts |
| All face up | All peak cards lie face up. | Planners |
On cardgames.zone you choose easy, medium or hard; solvable deals are dealt whenever the solver finds a way in time.
9. Tips for beginners
- Uncover face-down cards: Prefer cards that reveal something beneath.
- Extend chains: Think about which direction (up or down) more cards fit.
- Save the stock: Only draw when nothing else works.
10. Summary in 10 steps
- Shuffle 52 cards.
- Three face-down peaks (18 cards).
- Below them 10 face-up cards.
- One card as the waste, 23 as the stock.
- Free cards onto the waste.
- One higher or lower.
- King and Ace connected.
- Turn up freed cards.
- No move: turn a stock card.
- All peaks cleared: won.
11. Frequently asked questions
Who invented Tri Peaks?
Robert Hogue, in 1989.
May I take cards back from the waste?
No.
Origin & history
Robert Hogue invented Tri Peaks in 1989 as a variation of Golf. It became known through Windows game packs; the three peaks of cards gave the game its name.