Happy Life GamesTriPeaks Solitaire Strategy: How to Clear Every Peak
TriPeaks is one of the friendliest solitaire games to learn. There are no columns to build and no suits to sort. You simply play cards one rank higher or lower than the card on top of the waste pile, and try to clear the mountains of cards above it. A good run can chain ten or more cards in a row, and watching a whole peak disappear in one sweep is a great feeling.
It is also more strategic than it looks. When two cards fit, the choice between them can decide the whole game. This guide covers the rules of our version, the special cards that appear in later levels, and the habits that turn a lucky deal into a reliable win.
Rules and controls
Cards are laid out in overlapping pyramids called peaks. Early levels have a single peak, then two, then three. Below the peaks sit two piles: the stock (face down, with a counter showing how many cards are left) and the waste pile, which shows the current card.
- Tap any uncovered card that is exactly one rank above or below the waste card. It moves onto the waste pile and becomes the new card to match.
- Suits and colors do not matter. A 7 of hearts can go on a 6 or an 8 of anything.
- Ranks wrap around: a King can go on an Ace and an Ace on a King, so a run can loop from Q to K to A to 2.
- A card is free when no other card overlaps it. Clearing the two cards that sit on top of a card frees it.
- When nothing fits, or when you choose to, tap the stock to turn over a new waste card.
Clear every card from the peaks to win. If the stock is empty and no card can be played, the game is over. Every deal is built from a winning sequence, so a solution always exists.
The streak meter counts how many cards you have played since your last draw. Three or more in a row shows a combo. Drawing from the stock resets the streak to zero.
Beginner strategy
Look before you tap
Before each move, scan all the uncovered cards and imagine the run. If the waste card is a 5 and you can see a 6, a 7 and a 6 elsewhere, you might be able to play 6, 7, 6, 5 in a row. Planning the whole run first is how you get long combos instead of short ones.
Prefer cards that uncover something
When two cards fit equally well, play the one that frees a hidden or blocked card. A card at the bottom of a peak that covers nothing gains you nothing once it is gone, except the play itself. A card that sits on top of two others opens up new options.
Spread your effort across peaks
It is tempting to dig into one peak until it is gone. But on two- and three-peak layouts, keeping several peaks open gives you more uncovered cards to choose from at any moment, and more choices mean longer runs.
Advanced techniques
Two cards fit: pick the one that keeps the run
This is the core skill, and level 3 is where it first matters. Say the waste card is a 9 and both a 10 and an 8 are free. Look one step further: if playing the 10 leaves you with a J available, and playing the 8 leaves nothing, the 10 is the right call. Some deals deliberately include a fork where one choice leads straight into a dead end. Reading two or three cards ahead is how you avoid that trap.
Run up and down
A run does not have to go in one direction. If the waste card is a 4, you might play 5, 6, 5, 4, 3, as long as those cards are free. Players who only think "up" or only think "down" miss half of their options. The wrap-around between King and Ace helps too.
Hold back: draw even though a card fits
Level 6 introduces a counterintuitive idea. Sometimes the card that fits right now is one you need later, to bridge a gap in a longer run. Playing it early wastes it. In those cases the better move is to draw from the stock first, and the hint tells you to hold back and draw first when that is the case. Before drawing, check what you have available: if a card in the peaks is the only link between two groups of cards, it is worth saving.
Watch the stock count
The number on the stock is your budget. When it gets low, every draw matters more, and you should favor moves that open new cards over moves that simply add to the streak.
Special cards in later levels
- Face-down cards (level 7). From here on, covered cards are dealt face down and only flip over once they are uncovered. You cannot plan around cards you cannot see, so prefer moves that reveal new cards early. That gives you more information for the rest of the game.
- Lock and key (level 8). A padlocked card sits in the bottom row, where it looks free and tempting. It cannot be played until its key card is played first. The key card is marked with a key badge in the same color as the lock, and it is usually higher up in a peak. If you tap a locked card, the game reminds you to play the key first. Plan your run so it reaches the key card, then the lock opens.
- Triple peaks (level 9). Three peaks side by side mean more cards in play and more choices at every step.
Common mistakes
- Grabbing the first card that fits. Most lost games come from a fork taken without looking ahead.
- Drawing out of habit. Every card you draw is one fewer in the stock. Make sure there really is nothing worth playing first, unless you are deliberately holding back.
- Forgetting the wrap. King to Ace and Ace to King are legal. Missing that link breaks runs that were never really broken.
- Ignoring the locks. A locked card in the bottom row can be the last card standing if you never reach its key.
What changes in later levels
Levels 1 to 10 introduce one idea each, ending with a bigger level at 10 where every choice counts. After that, layouts alternate between two and three peaks, the stock gets tighter, and you will see more forks, more cards dealt face down, and up to three locks at once. Difficulty rises in a sawtooth pattern. Every tenth level is a boss deal with no spare cards in the stock, so any wasted draw can cost you the game, and the level right after a boss is a breather.
FAQ
Can every deal be won?
Yes. Each deal is generated from a winning sequence of plays, so there is always at least one path through it, even if it is narrow.
What does the undo button do?
It takes back your last action, whether that was playing a card or drawing from the stock. If you reach a dead end, undo a few steps and try the other branch of a fork.
What does the hint show?
It highlights the next move on a winning path. It also tells you when a card is a key, when one of two fitting cards keeps the run going, or when you should draw first.
Do suits matter at all?
No. Only the rank counts, so you can ignore suits completely while planning runs.