RetroHub

RetroHub games

Pyramid

Two cards that make thirteen, and the pyramid comes down.

  • Two cards that make 13 leave together.
  • The king is worth 13 on its own: it leaves alone.
  • The stock comes to the rescue, one card at a time.
A Pyramid deal: twenty-eight cards in seven rows on the green felt, the stock top left and the score top right.

What is on the table

The pyramid

Twenty-eight cards in seven rows: one at the top, seven at the base. Each card is half covered by the two in the row below.

The values

Each card is worth its number. The ace is 1, the jack 11, the queen 12, the king 13. The cards carry their French letters: V for the jack, D for the queen, R for the king.

The stock

The twenty-four cards left over, face down, top left.

The waste

Just below. Every card drawn from the stock lands there, and the top one plays like a card of the pyramid.

The chosen card

Greyed out: it is the first half of your thirteen. Now pick the other.

The stock's place

When the stock is empty and you have a redeal left, its place shows as a hollow: touching it rebuilds the stock.

At the start: how many redeals?

Before the deal, the game asks how many times you may redeal, that is, turn the waste over to make a new stock:

  • No redeal: a single pass through the stock. The straightest game.
  • One redeal: a second pass through the stock.
  • Unlimited redeals: the stock is rebuilt as often as you like.

Choose with ▲ ▼ and ✓, or touch the line. If you took redeals, what is left shows next to the stock.

The choice screen: “Redeal the stock?”, and three lines, no redeal, one redeal, unlimited redeals; the second is highlighted.

Removing cards

Only an uncovered card can be played: both cards overlapping it must be gone. One is not enough. The bottom row is always uncovered.

Pick a card: it greys out. Pick a second one; if the two make 13, they leave together. Otherwise, the second becomes the chosen card. Picking the greyed card again cancels it.

A king leaves as soon as you pick it. The top card of the waste also pairs with a card of the pyramid.

A game in progress: the five of clubs is chosen and greyed; the eight of diamonds, uncovered in the bottom row, would complete it.

The stock and the redeal

Aim at the stock and press ✓: its top card turns over onto the waste. Only the top card of the waste can be played.

When the stock is empty, a redeal rebuilds it: the waste turns over in one block, and the cards come back in the order you drew them. It is not reshuffled.

With no redeal, the stock goes round only once.

The stock used up: its place is hollow and the cursor is on it; beside it, “1 redeal left”; the waste shows the three of hearts.

Points

A card is worth five points per row between it and the bottom, counting its own: the higher it sits, the more it cost to free. A card from the waste counts as a card of the base.

5a card of the base
35the top card
420the whole pyramid

The end of the game

The empty felt and the panel “Pyramid cleared, 420 points”.
Pyramid cleared: all its cards are gone.
The panel “No move left”, over the cards still at the top.
No move left: nothing makes 13 any more, and the stock cannot help.

With a redeal in hand, the game sees on its own when no card in the stock or the waste could still help: it ends the game rather than let you turn the stock over for nothing.

Controls

The cursor only lands on what can be played: the stock, the waste and the uncovered cards.

Phone and tablet

The touch pad: four arrows, the check mark, F1 and the star.
touch a cardpick it
touch the stockdraw a card, or redeal
◀ ▶the previous or next target
▲ ▼the row above or below
✓pick what is aimed at
✱leave the game

Computer

← →the previous or next target
↑ ↓the row above or below
Space Enterpick what is aimed at
Esc *leave the game

Cards can also be clicked with the mouse.

Television

the arrowsaim
OKpick what is aimed at
Backleave the game

Once the game is over, ✓ or ✱ takes you back to the menu.