Tri Peaks Solitaire

Clear all 28 cards from the three peaks onto the waste pile. You win as soon as all 28 peak cards are cleared, even with cards still in the stock. When the stock is empty and no open card fits on the waste card, the game is over with the remaining cards left in the peaks.

Shuffle one 52-card deck. Deal 28 cards in four overlapping rows that form three peaks: 3 cards at the tips, then 6, then 9, and a bottom row of 10 that joins the peaks together. The bottom row is face up and the other 18 cards are face down. Turn the next card face up to start the waste pile; the remaining 23 cards form the face-down stock.

Look before you play: when two cards fit, choose the one that uncovers a face-down card or keeps a run going. Play first, turn later: play every card that fits before you turn the stock, because each turn ends your run and costs points. Plan for both directions: a 7 on the waste can take a 6 or an 8, so check which choice leaves you another play.

No King–Ace wrap: King and Ace are not next to each other, so runs stop at both ends. It is harder than the standard game.

Tri Peaks is a modern patience, usually credited to Robert Hogue, who devised it in 1989. It is related to Golf and Pyramid, in which you also clear a layout card by card instead of building piles.