Tri Peaks
Three peaks, one waste pile, and runs that pay more with every card.
The patience of the three mountains: 28 cards in three peaks that share their bottom row, only that row face up at the start. Play any open card that is one rank above or below the waste card, whatever the suit, and every card you take uncovers more of the slopes. The cards of an unbroken run are worth more and more, the top of each peak adds a bonus, and the stock goes through once. Three levels and, every day, a new deal that is the same for everyone.
- Category
- Cards & Board
- Modes
- Easy · Medium · Hard · Daily
- Controls
- Mouse · Touch
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How to play
The glowing cards fit the waste card: tap one and it goes onto the waste. A card fits when its rank is one above or one below the waste card, in any suit. On Easy and Medium the ranks wrap round, so an ace goes on a king and a king on an ace; on Hard they do not. A card turns face up once both cards covering it have gone. When nothing fits, tap the stock to turn its next card onto the waste; the stock goes through once. Every card of a run scores more than the one before: 10, 20, 30 and so on, until you turn the stock. The top of each peak adds 100; clearing the table adds 150 and 20 for every card left in the stock. Undo is only on Easy and costs 25 points.
What is Tri Peaks?
Tri Peaks is the patience of the three mountains. Twenty-eight cards are dealt in three peaks that share their bottom row: rows of 3, 6, 9 and 10 cards, each row half covering the one above. Only the ten cards of the bottom row lie face up at the start; every other card turns face up once both cards covering it have gone. One card starts the waste pile and the other 23 wait in the stock.
A card goes on the waste when its rank is one above or one below the waste card, whatever its suit, so a 7 can follow a 6 or an 8 and a run can climb and fall as long as you keep it going. Every card of an unbroken run is worth more than the one before, the top of each peak adds a bonus, and the stock goes through only once. A game takes a few minutes, and a new deal, the same for everyone, arrives every day.
How to play
The cards that fit the waste glow; tap one and it goes onto the waste.
- One up or one down. An open card fits when its rank is next to the waste card's rank, up or down, in any suit.
- King and ace. On Easy and Medium the ranks wrap round: an ace goes on a king and a king on an ace. On Hard they do not.
- Opening the slopes. A face-down card turns up once both cards covering it have left the table.
- The stock. When nothing fits, tap the stock to turn its next card onto the waste. It goes through once, and a turn ends your run.
- The end. The game ends when the three peaks are gone or the stock is out and nothing fits.
- Score. The cards of a run score 10, 20, 30 and so on, each 10 more than the one before. The top of each peak adds 100; clearing the table adds 150 and 20 for every card left in the stock.
- Levels. Easy wraps the ranks, lets you undo for 25 points and deals only tables a solver has cleared. Medium wraps the ranks with no undo, and the daily deal plays by these rules. Hard neither wraps nor undoes.
Strategy tips
- Count the chain before you play. When two cards fit, see how far each one lets you run through the other open cards; the longer chain is usually right.
- Open face-down cards. Between two cards that lead nowhere, take the one that uncovers a card: a new card is a new chance to carry on.
- Keep the run alive. Turning the stock costs nothing by itself, but it ends the run, and the next cards of a long run are the ones worth the most.
- Change direction on purpose. 5, 6, 7 and back to 6 keeps a run going when the 8s are buried.
- Watch the stock. Every card still in the stock when the table is clear is worth 20 points, so do not turn it while a card on the table still fits.
FAQ
Is Tri Peaks free to play?
Yes. Like every game on Play, it runs free in your browser, with no download and no account needed.
Can every deal be cleared?
Not every deal. On Easy every deal is checked first by a solver that sees all the cards, so a way to clear it always exists. On Medium and Hard the cards fall as they are shuffled, and some deals cannot be cleared whatever you do, which is why every card you play scores on its own.
Does an ace go on a king?
On Easy and Medium, yes: the ranks wrap round, so an ace goes on a king and a king on an ace, as in most computer versions. On Hard they do not, which makes the game much harder.
What is the daily deal?
Every day everyone gets the same deal, played by the Medium rules, so scores compare directly on the leaderboard.
How is my score counted?
Each card of an unbroken run is worth 10 points more than the one before it: 10, 20, 30 and so on, starting again after every turn of the stock. The top of each peak adds 100, and clearing the table adds 150 and 20 for every card left in the stock. On Easy every undo costs 25 points. Higher is better.
