Play Pharaoh Solitaire Online for Free (Pyramid Reserve Solitaire)
Pharaoh Solitaire adds a seven-card reserve row to the classic Pyramid layout, dealing those cards face-up below the pyramid where they remain permanently available as pairing candidates throughout the game. You never need to draw a reserve card from the stock or earn access to it through careful play; the reserve is always visible and always ready. Pair cards summing to 13, clear the pyramid, and use your reserve and stock wisely. Play free, no download required.
What is Pharaoh Solitaire?
Pharaoh Solitaire is a Pyramid Solitaire variant played with one standard 52-card deck. The pyramid itself is the standard seven-row triangle (28 cards, apex at top, base of seven at bottom). Below the pyramid, seven cards are dealt face-up in a horizontal reserve row, each card individually accessible and always available for pairing. The remaining 17 cards form a face-down stock pile, drawn one card at a time to a single waste pile with no redeals.
The reserve row never changes membership: cards leave it only when paired and discarded; no new cards ever join it. The stock's 17 cards are the only hidden element. This distribution means Pharaoh is a partial-information game (unlike Giza, which is fully open) but with significantly fewer hidden cards than standard Pyramid's 24-card stock. The win condition is clearing all 28 pyramid cards; reserve and stock cards remaining at the end do not affect the outcome.
Pharaoh Solitaire history
The Pharaoh variant evolved from the broader tradition of augmenting standard Pyramid with a reserve zone, a concept known in patience literature as a "tableau extension." By providing a small set of always-available cards below the pyramid, designers gave players a constant source of potential complements that reduces the reliance on lucky stock draws. The Egyptian theming, specifically the title "Pharaoh," connects the game to the wider family of Pyramid-adjacent games named for Egyptian rulers and monuments. Digital solitaire platforms popularized the exact seven-card reserve format during the early 2000s, standardizing it as a distinct variant rather than merely a house rule applied to standard Pyramid. The 7+17 split (reserve plus stock) is now the established Pharaoh configuration, differentiating it clearly from Giza (no stock, full grid) and standard Pyramid (no reserve, 24-card stock).
How to Play Pharaoh Solitaire
Pharaoh Solitaire adds the reserve as a permanent pairing resource alongside the pyramid and waste. Here is the complete sequence of play:
- Deal 28 cards into the seven-row pyramid. Row 1 (apex) holds one card; row 7 (base) holds seven cards, all exposed from the start. Each card in rows 1 through 6 overlaps two cards in the row below it.
- Deal seven cards face-up in a horizontal reserve row below the pyramid. All seven reserve cards are exposed and available at all times.
- Place the remaining 17 cards face-down as the stock pile.
- A pyramid card is exposed only when both cards directly overlapping it from the row below have been removed.
- Tap two exposed cards summing to 13 to remove both. Valid pairs: A+Q, 2+J, 3+10, 4+9, 5+8, 6+7. You may pair pyramid-to-pyramid, pyramid-to-reserve, pyramid-to-waste, reserve-to-reserve, or reserve-to-waste.
- Tap an exposed King (pyramid, reserve, or waste) to remove it alone.
- Tap the stock to draw one card to the waste pile. The waste top is always available for pairing.
- No redeals are permitted. When the stock is exhausted, only the three remaining sources (exposed pyramid cards, reserve cards, and the waste top) remain available.
- Win by removing all 28 pyramid cards. Reserve and stock cards may still be present.
Strategies to win Pharaoh Solitaire
The reserve row transforms the strategic calculus of Pharaoh compared to standard Pyramid. These tactics are specific to reserve-based play.
- Use the reserve to unlock pyramid exposure, not to burn reserve cards. Every reserve card is a permanent resource until used. Pair a reserve card with a pyramid card only when doing so opens access to a higher pyramid row. Pairing two reserve cards together wastes both without advancing pyramid exposure at all.
- Identify which reserve cards are complements for pyramid cards above row 3. Rows 4, 5, and 6 of the pyramid become accessible late in the game, when the stock may already be exhausted. Reserve cards that pair with those high-row pyramid cards should be saved and not used for lower-priority pairs earlier.
- Draw from the stock to complement reserve gaps. If the reserve has an Ace but no Queen is available in the pyramid, the stock may supply the Queen. Draw strategically rather than mechanically: ask what rank you need before drawing.
- Handle Kings in the reserve last. A King in the reserve can be removed at any time without a partner, but doing so permanently removes a card that occupies a reserve slot. Unless the King is blocking nothing (it is in the reserve, so it blocks nothing), consider whether the reserve slot it occupies is more valuable open or filled.
- Watch the 17-card stock carefully. With only 17 hidden cards, the probability that a specific rank appears early or late in the stock can be estimated from what you see in the pyramid and reserve. If both Jacks are visible in the pyramid, the stock contributes nothing for 2+J pairs; redirect your planning accordingly.
Pharaoh Solitaire rules and objective
The objective is to clear all 28 pyramid cards. Cards are removed as pairs summing to 13 or as solo Kings. Pyramid cards follow the strict two-blocker exposure rule. Reserve cards are always exposed; all seven are playable from the first move and remain so until paired. The waste top is always exposed. Pairing can occur across any two exposed cards from any source. The stock is drawn one card at a time; when exhausted, no redeals are available.
Game setup
Shuffle a 52-card deck. Deal the seven-row pyramid first (28 cards), then deal seven cards face-up in a row directly below the pyramid (the reserve). Place the remaining 17 cards face-down as the stock. The reserve cards should be spread so each is individually visible and selectable. Ensure the reserve row sits visually separate from the pyramid base row so it is clear which cards belong to the triangle and which are permanently accessible reserve cards.
Pharaoh Solitaire variants and similar games
Pharaoh sits in a moderate difficulty range, harder than Tut's Tomb but easier than Giza. The reserve row is its signature feature; no other common Pyramid variant uses exactly this mechanic.
| Variant | Reserve | Stock size | Win condition | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Pyramid | None | 24 cards | Clear pyramid | ~5 to 8% |
| Pharaoh (this game) | 7 cards, always open | 17 cards | Clear pyramid | ~25% |
| Giza | 8-column grid (24 cards) | None | Clear all 52 | ~20% |
| Relaxed Pyramid | None | 24 cards; 1 redeal | Clear pyramid | ~28% |
| Tut's Tomb | None | 24 cards; unlimited redeals | Clear pyramid | ~55% |
How difficult is Pharaoh Solitaire?
Pharaoh Solitaire is moderately challenging. The seven-card reserve provides a consistent set of pairing options that standard Pyramid lacks, significantly reducing the frequency of completely dry turns where neither the pyramid nor the waste top offers anything useful. At the same time, the smaller stock (17 cards versus the 24 in standard Pyramid) means fewer hidden cards to draw on, and the absence of redeals means every draw must count. The key difficulty is managing the reserve wisely over the full game: burning reserve cards on low-priority pairs early can leave the late game without the complements needed to clear the upper pyramid rows.
What is Pharaoh Solitaire's win percentage?
Pharaoh Solitaire has a win rate of approximately 25% under optimal play. This is roughly three to four times higher than standard Pyramid's 5 to 8%, reflecting the constant availability of seven reserve cards. The win rate falls short of Relaxed Pyramid's 28% and well short of Tut's Tomb's 55%, because Pharaoh uses the strict two-blocker exposure rule and offers no redeals. Approximately 75% of deals contain an unresolvable dependency between pyramid exposure requirements and the available complements across the reserve and stock.
What is the difference between Pharaoh Solitaire and standard Pyramid Solitaire?
Standard Pyramid Solitaire uses all 52 cards across one layout: 28 in the pyramid and 24 in a face-down stock. You access those 24 non-pyramid cards one at a time through stock draws, seeing only the top waste card at any moment. Pharaoh Solitaire reshuffles that distribution: 28 go to the pyramid, seven go face-up into the reserve (always visible and playable), and only 17 go face-down to the stock.
The reserve row fundamentally changes the information landscape. In standard Pyramid you are always guessing what is in the stock. In Pharaoh you know exactly where seven non-pyramid cards are and can plan around them from move one. That additional information and constant availability raises the win rate from around 5 to 8% in standard Pyramid to approximately 25% in Pharaoh. The tradeoff is that the stock is shorter, providing fewer draws to rescue positions the reserve cards alone cannot solve.
Pharaoh Solitaire FAQ
How does the reserve row work in Pharaoh Solitaire?
The reserve row in Pharaoh Solitaire consists of seven cards dealt face-up below the pyramid before the game begins. Every reserve card is independently available for pairing at all times. You do not need to unlock reserve cards through stock draws or pyramid removals; they are fully exposed from the first move. A reserve card is removed from the game when it forms a valid pair with another exposed card (pyramid, waste top, or another reserve card) summing to 13, or when it is a King removed alone. Once a reserve card is removed, its slot stays empty; no replacement card fills the gap.
Can reserve cards pair with each other in Pharaoh Solitaire?
Yes. Any two reserve cards that sum to 13 can be paired and removed together. This is legal but strategically risky in most situations, because pairing two reserve cards consumes both without advancing pyramid exposure at all. Since the reserve never gets replenished, each reserve-to-reserve pair permanently reduces your pool of always-available complements. Reserve-to-reserve pairings are most justified when both cards have no specific role as complements for pyramid cards and when the pair sum is correct.
How many cards are in the stock pile in Pharaoh Solitaire?
The stock in Pharaoh Solitaire contains 17 cards. The full 52-card deck is distributed as 28 cards to the pyramid, 7 cards to the reserve, and 17 cards to the stock. This is notably smaller than standard Pyramid's 24-card stock. The reduced stock size is the direct consequence of committing seven cards to the always-visible reserve instead. Fewer hidden cards mean fewer draws are available, which is why judicious use of the reserve and careful stock timing are both important in Pharaoh.
Does the reserve ever get replenished in Pharaoh Solitaire?
No. The reserve in Pharaoh Solitaire is fixed at the start of the game and never receives new cards. When a reserve card is paired and removed, its slot becomes and stays empty for the rest of the game. There is no mechanism to refill the reserve from the stock, the waste pile, or any other source. This means the reserve shrinks as the game progresses, making it progressively less useful as a pairing resource in the later stages when you need complements for the upper pyramid rows most urgently. Planning which reserve cards to spend and which to preserve is therefore a central long-term strategic concern.
What makes Pharaoh Solitaire different from standard Pyramid Solitaire?
The defining difference is the seven-card reserve row. Standard Pyramid uses all 24 non-pyramid cards as a hidden stock and exposes them only through sequential draws. Pharaoh deals seven of those non-pyramid cards face-up into a permanently accessible reserve, leaving only 17 for the hidden stock. This gives Pharaoh players complete information about seven cards throughout the entire game, which allows for more precise planning of pyramid exposure sequences. It also means the reserve can serve as a safety net when stock draws do not cooperate, though that safety net disappears as reserve cards are consumed. Beyond the reserve mechanic, the pyramid rules in Pharaoh are otherwise identical to standard Pyramid: strict two-blocker exposure, pair-to-13 removal, and no redeals.