Klondike vs Pyramid Solitaire

Klondike is the game most people simply call "Solitaire." It uses one standard 52-card deck dealt into seven tableau columns. The first column gets one card, the second gets two, the third gets three, and so on up to seven. Only the top card in each column starts face-up. The remaining 24 cards form a stock pile that you draw from during play.

You build on the tableau by placing cards in alternating colors (red on black, black on red) in descending order. Meanwhile, you build four foundation piles from Ace up to King, sorted by suit. The goal is to move all 52 cards onto the foundations. You can learn the full rules in our Klondike how-to-play guide.

Klondike has been bundled with Windows since version 3.0 in 1990, which is how it became the most recognized card game on the planet. Draw-one Klondike is more forgiving, with about 80% of deals being theoretically solvable. Draw-three Klondike is the standard competitive version and is significantly harder, with skilled players winning around 43% of their games. Visit our Klondike Solitaire page to play.

Pyramid Solitaire also uses a single 52-card deck, but the layout is completely different. Twenty-eight cards are dealt face-up in a pyramid shape with seven rows: one card in the top row, two in the second, three in the third, and so on. Each card partially overlaps the two cards below it. The remaining 24 cards go into a stock pile.

Instead of building sequences, you remove cards by pairing two exposed cards whose ranks add up to 13. Kings equal 13 on their own and are removed individually. Queens pair with Aces (12 + 1 = 13), Jacks with 2s (11 + 2 = 13), 10s with 3s, 9s with 4s, 8s with 5s, and 7s with 6s. A card is "exposed" when no other card overlaps it from below.

The goal is to clear the entire pyramid. There are no foundation piles in the traditional sense. Paired cards are simply discarded from the game. Pyramid was included in later versions of Microsoft Solitaire Collection. Despite its simple rules, the game has a notoriously low win rate: only about 2-5% of deals can be fully cleared. Check out our Pyramid Solitaire page to try it yourself.

Building vs Pairing

This is the fundamental divide. Klondike is a building game. You construct ordered sequences on the tableau and stack cards onto foundations in a specific order. Every move is about positioning cards so they can eventually reach their foundation pile. Pyramid is a pairing game. You scan the board for two exposed cards that add up to 13 and remove them. There is no sequencing, no foundations, and no card stacking. These are two entirely different styles of solitaire that happen to share a deck size.

Tableau Structure

Klondike uses seven columns arranged left to right, with cards cascading downward. You interact with the bottom (exposed) card of each column and can move entire sequences of properly ordered cards between columns. Pyramid uses a triangular layout where each card overlaps two cards below it. You can only interact with cards that have no cards overlapping them from the row below. As you remove pairs, deeper cards become exposed. The pyramid shape creates a natural progression from the base toward the peak.

Foundations and Win Conditions

Klondike has four foundation piles where you build each suit from Ace to King. You win by moving all 52 cards onto these foundations. Pyramid has no foundations at all. Paired cards are simply removed from the game. You win by clearing every card from the pyramid. Some Pyramid variants count a partial clear as a win, but the classic goal is a complete clear.

Stock Pile Usage

Both games deal 24 cards into a stock pile, but you use it differently. In Klondike, you draw cards from the stock (one or three at a time, depending on the variant) and can play them onto the tableau or foundations. In draw-three Klondike, cycling through the stock strategically is a major part of the Klondike strategy. In Pyramid, you draw one card at a time from the stock and try to pair it with an exposed pyramid card. If no pairing is possible, the card goes to a waste pile. Stock management in Pyramid is simpler but no less important.

Hidden Information

Klondike hides most of its tableau cards face-down. You only see the top card of each column at the start, meaning 21 of 28 tableau cards are hidden. These get revealed as you move cards away. Pyramid deals all 28 pyramid cards face-up from the start. You can see every card in the pyramid, but you can only interact with exposed ones. Klondike has more hidden information overall, while Pyramid gives you full visibility of the pyramid but limits what you can touch.

Klondike and Pyramid sit at opposite ends of the solitaire win rate spectrum. Klondike is one of the more winnable solitaire games, while Pyramid is one of the least.

Draw-one Klondike is roughly 80% solvable in theory, and skilled players can win about 85% of their games. Draw-three Klondike drops to around 30% theoretical solvability, though strong players push their practical win rate to about 43% by managing the stock pile carefully.

Pyramid's full-clear solvability hovers around 2-5%. Even the best players rarely clear more than a handful of games out of 100 attempts. Some variants offer a "partial clear" scoring mode where you try to remove as many cards as possible, pushing the effective win rate closer to 30%. But in classic Pyramid, the pyramid shape and card distribution simply make most deals impossible.

This means Klondike rewards improvement. As you get better, you win noticeably more often. Pyramid is more about accepting that most deals are lost causes and enjoying the ones that work out.

Klondike and Pyramid demand very different mental skills. If you're good at one, those skills won't necessarily help with the other.

Klondike strategy revolves around planning multi-step sequences. You need to think about which face-down cards to uncover first, when to move cards to foundations versus keeping them on the tableau for building, and how to cycle through the stock pile efficiently. Strong Klondike players think several moves ahead, much like chess. The game rewards patience, planning, and the ability to recognize when a specific card order on the tableau will unlock a cascade of moves later.

Pyramid strategy is about quick pattern recognition and arithmetic. You scan the exposed cards for pairs that sum to 13, decide which pairs to remove first (since removing different pairs exposes different cards below), and manage the stock pile for future pairing opportunities. The strategic depth comes from choosing between multiple available pairs. Removing a 5 from the left side of the pyramid might expose a card you need, while removing a 5 from the right might block a critical pairing. Check our Pyramid tips for more on this.

• Klondike rewards long-term planning and sequencing. Moving a King to an empty column or uncovering a hidden Ace can change the entire game.
• Pyramid rewards quick math and board reading. Spotting the right pair to remove first can mean the difference between clearing a row and getting stuck.
• Klondike gives you more control. Skill meaningfully increases your win rate over hundreds of games.
• Pyramid gives you less control. The initial card layout determines the outcome more than your decisions do.

Play Klondike Solitaire if: You want the classic solitaire experience with a satisfying win rate. Klondike is ideal for players who enjoy planning ahead, building ordered sequences, and watching a messy tableau gradually transform into neat foundation piles. It is the best choice if you want a game where getting better at strategy directly translates to winning more often. Start with draw-one for a relaxed session, or switch to draw-three for a real challenge. Try it on our Klondike Solitaire page.

Play Pyramid Solitaire if: You want quick games with simple rules and a different kind of mental workout. Pyramid is perfect for short breaks because games last only 3-5 minutes. The pairing mechanic (find two cards that add to 13) feels more like a number puzzle than a card game. Just know going in that most deals cannot be fully cleared. If you can enjoy the process without needing to win every time, Pyramid is a refreshing change from building-style solitaire. Play it on our Pyramid Solitaire page.

Many solitaire fans play both for different reasons. Klondike when you want a deeper session with real strategic decisions. Pyramid when you want a fast, low-pressure game that exercises a completely different part of your brain. They complement each other well precisely because they are so different.

• Klondike is a building game (stack cards in alternating-color sequences). Pyramid is a pairing game (remove cards that sum to 13). They share a deck size but almost nothing else.
• Klondike has a much higher win rate. Skilled players win about 43% of draw-three games and 85% of draw-one games. Pyramid full-clear rates sit around 2-5%.
• Pyramid games are faster (3-5 minutes vs 5-15 for Klondike), making Pyramid better suited for quick breaks.
• Klondike rewards strategic planning and sequencing. Pyramid rewards pattern recognition and quick arithmetic.
• Klondike has more hidden information (face-down tableau cards) but gives you more ways to work around bad luck. Pyramid shows you everything but offers less control over the outcome.
• Both were included in Microsoft Windows, making them two of the most widely played solitaire games in history.