Pyramid Solitaire is built around one simple rule: remove cards that add up to 13. Learn every valid pair, how Kings work, why suits do not matter, and how to make better pairing decisions once several matches are available.
Pyramid Solitaire Pairs: The Combinations You Need to Know
Everything in Pyramid Solitaire comes back to the number 13.
Most cards can only be removed as part of a pair whose values add up to 13. Once you know those combinations, spotting legal moves becomes much faster.
There are six pairs to remember:
Ace and Queen.
2 and Jack.
3 and 10.
4 and 9.
5 and 8.
6 and 7.
Kings are the exception. A King already has a value of 13, so it can be removed on its own.
That is the full pairing system.
If you are still learning how exposed cards, the stock, waste pile and pyramid layout work together, the How to Play Pyramid Solitaire guide covers the complete rules.
Once the pairs themselves are familiar, the more interesting question is not whether two cards add up to 13.
It is whether they are the right two cards to remove.
The Six Pairs (Plus Kings)
The values are fixed:
Ace (1) pairs with Queen (12).
2 pairs with Jack (11).
3 pairs with 10.
4 pairs with 9.
5 pairs with 8.
6 pairs with 7.
Ace and Queen sit at opposite ends of the range, so they are easy to spot once you start thinking in totals. 6 and 7 are the opposite case: the values are close, which makes the pair easy to remember and also easy to rush—if two 7s are available for one 6, which 7 you use still depends on what each card is blocking.
A 4 and 9 may both be legal to remove together, but if another 9 is trapped beneath that 4, spending the 4 now can change what becomes possible later. The same idea applies whenever several copies of a rank are on the board: recognising the pair is the easy part; choosing which copy to use is the real decision.
Kings Do Not Need a Partner
Kings are different from every other rank.
A King has a value of 13 by itself, so an exposed King can be removed immediately.
You do not need to find another card.
You do not need to wait for anything from the stock.
If the King is available, it can go.
That makes Kings useful cards to expose because they effectively remove themselves once they become accessible.
A buried King can therefore be worth working toward. Once the cards covering it are cleared, it will not create another matching problem.
Kings are the one part of Pyramid where there is no pairing decision.
The challenge is exposing them.
Suits Do Not Matter in Pyramid Solitaire
Pyramid Solitaire is very different from games where suits control legal moves.
In Klondike, for example, colour and suit affect how cards can be built. In Spider, same-suit sequences become especially important.
Pyramid ignores all of that.
A 6 of Spades can pair with a 7 of Hearts.
A 4 of Diamonds can pair with a 9 of Clubs.
An Ace of Clubs can remove a Queen of Spades.
As long as the values add up to 13 and both cards are legally available, the pair works.
That makes recognising pairs easier.
It also means you should not waste time searching for matching suits when looking across the board.
Think in numbers, not symbols.
Both Cards Must Be Available
Knowing the correct pair does not help if one of the cards is still covered.
This is one of the first important differences between recognising a match and actually being able to use it.
A 5 may be sitting directly beneath an 8, but if the 8 is still covered by cards below it, they cannot be removed together yet.
The same applies to cards elsewhere in the pyramid.
Only exposed cards can be used.
That is why Pyramid is not simply a matching exercise.
You often know exactly which card would solve the problem.
You just cannot reach it.
Pyramid Cards Can Pair With Each Other
When two exposed cards in the pyramid add up to 13, they can be removed together.
This is often one of the most useful types of match because removing two pyramid cards may expose cards above them.
For example, if an exposed 4 and 9 sit beneath two different cards, removing the pair could open both parts of the board at once.
That gives the move more value than simply reducing the number of cards.
You are creating new options.
This is also why you should look at what sits above a pair before removing it.
Two legal pyramid-to-pyramid matches may have very different effects on the deal.
Pyramid Cards Can Also Pair With the Waste
The exposed waste card can be paired with an exposed pyramid card if the two values add up to 13.
If the waste shows a 10 and you have an exposed 3 in the pyramid, they can be removed.
This is one of the main ways the stock helps you clear cards that cannot currently match anything else in the pyramid.
The waste therefore acts as a temporary matching partner.
But temporary is important.
Once you draw another card, the old waste card is covered.
That does not necessarily mean it is gone for good, especially when playing a mode with multiple stock traversals, but it is no longer immediately available.
When a useful pair appears between the waste and pyramid, it is worth stopping to consider whether you should use it before drawing again.
Do Not Assume a Pyramid-to-Pyramid Match Is Always Better
Removing two pyramid cards can be powerful because it directly changes the layout.
But it is not an automatic rule.
Imagine you have an exposed 6 and 7 in the pyramid, while the waste also shows another 7.
You could remove the two pyramid cards.
Or you could pair the waste 7 with the pyramid 6 and leave the pyramid 7 in place.
Which is better depends on what each move leaves behind.
If the pyramid 7 is blocking something useful and removing it opens another card, using the pyramid-to-pyramid pair may be stronger.
If that 7 is likely to be needed for another 6 that is about to become exposed, keeping it may be valuable.
The arithmetic does not make that decision for you.
The board does.
Watch for Cards With More Than One Possible Match
You will sometimes have several copies of the same rank available—two exposed 9s and only one 4, for example. Both 9s are legal partners. Only one can be removed with that 4.
Look at which 9 is blocking more, and whether the other is likely to find another partner soon. You are still making a pair that adds up to 13. You are also deciding which version of the board you want afterward.
Do Not Spend a Scarce Partner Without Thinking
Every rank except King has only one matching rank, so partners become valuable when they are scarce.
If you have already seen several 5s but very few 8s, the next 8 deserves attention—you may have more than one 5 that needs it. You do not need perfect card counting. Even a rough sense of which ranks are common and which are missing can stop you from spending an important partner on the wrong card.
A Legal Pair Can Still Leave You Worse Off
Finding 13 is only half the job.
Suppose one available pair removes a 5 and 8 from the bottom edge but exposes nothing, while another removes a 6 and 7 from the middle and opens a new card. Both moves clear two cards. Only one changes what you can do next.
Prefer the pair that opens the board when you can. For a fuller look at those choices, see Pyramid Solitaire Strategy: How to Win More Games.
Common Pairing Mistakes
One common mistake is looking only at the card values and ignoring the layout.
If two cards make 13, players often remove them immediately without checking whether another available pair would be more useful.
Another mistake is forgetting that suits do not matter. There is no need to wait for a 7 of the same suit as your 6.
A third is drawing from the stock too quickly.
If the waste card already matches something exposed in the pyramid, drawing again may cover a useful opportunity.
It is also easy to forget about Kings when several cards are available. Because they do not need partners, an exposed King can often be removed immediately and may open another part of the board.
The final mistake is treating identical ranks as identical choices.
Two exposed 8s have the same value.
They may have completely different strategic importance.
Learn the Pairs Until You Stop Thinking About Them
At first, Pyramid Solitaire can feel like constant arithmetic.
After a few games, the six combinations should become automatic—so automatic that you stop recalculating them and start asking which legal pair actually helps the board.
That is where knowing the pairs becomes strategy.
Knowing 13 Is Only the Beginning
Pyramid Solitaire has one of the simplest matching systems in solitaire.
Six pairs and Kings.
But that simple rule sits inside a layout where the order of your choices matters.
Learn the combinations until you can recognise them instantly, then start looking beyond the numbers. Pay attention to which cards are exposed, what each pair unlocks, whether another copy of the same rank is available, and what you may need later.
The best Pyramid players are not better at adding to 13.
They are better at choosing which 13 matters.
You can play Pyramid Solitaire and practise spotting the pairs as soon as they become available. For the complete rules, layout and stock mechanics, see the How to Play Pyramid Solitaire guide, or move on to the Pyramid Solitaire strategy guide for a deeper look at choosing between those matches.
