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SHOLLY'S TIP SHEETS, CHAPTER XVII: Pyramid 7/9/09 1:29 PM
One up, one down. Keep it in mind, 'cause that's how you play Pyramid. Clear away as many card pyramids as you can, and you could be well on your way to great treasure!
I don't know where Pyramid originally came from, but I've seen it and games like it before. I've seen it on touch-screen games in arcades and bars, as well as on other gaming sites. However, I still prefer King.com's version, because you can see all the cards--other sites have the blocked cards face down, so that choosing which path to take is more luck than skill. There are also other card games similar to Pyramid--two that come to mind are Golf Solitaire, which is played the same way but with a different (boring) layout, and a two-player game my wife knows called Spit.
The rules are simple: A standard deck of 52 cards is used, along with one wild card. A board of cards is dealt that resembles three four-tiered pyramids connected by the bottom corners. The top card of the rest of the deck is turned over to start the pile that you use to clear the board. A card can only be removed if its rank is one higher or one lower than the top card of the pile (Note: Aces rank both high and low, and can be played on either a King or a 2). You may also use the wild card to help you out at any time. Keep going until you run out of time or fail to complete a board.
The controls for this game are simple: To remove a card from the board, simply click on it. It must have no cards covering it, and be ranked one higher or one lower than the top card of the pile, or else it won't move and you'll be penalized. More on that in a bit.
To deal the next card from the pile, click on the pile.
To use the wild card, click on it. You may play it at any time, and you may play any card on top of it. You don't have to use it - and in fact, you'll get bonus points if you don't - but it's seldom worth it to hold out for this bonus, as you'll see.
The game lasts for five minutes, or until you run out of cards in the pile and have no more moves. You'll receive an achievement point if you make it as far as Level 5.
Let's talk about pyramid points:
The first card you remove from the board after dealing a card from the pile is worth 100 points. Each subsequent card you remove without dealing another pile card is worth 50 more than the previous card. So, if you deal a 9 and then remove 10, Jack, Queen, Jack before dealing another card, that's worth 100+150+200+250=700 points total. Note that the wild card itself is worth nothing, but it will extend a sequence, so in our example, if you played the wild card on the Jack, the next card you play would be worth 300 instead of 100, and so on.
The three "peak" cards on each level are known as the Scarab Cards, as when you remove one, a scarab will scurry away. Scarab Cards carry bonus points--1000 for the first one you remove, 1500 for the second, and 2000 for the third and final card of the level.
If you click on a card that can't be legally played, it will cost you 25 points. Each level's score is kept separately, then added to your total afterward, so if you misclick before playing any cards on the current level, there is no penalty.
At the end of each level, you'll receive bonus points:
Top Run Bonus: 200xlength of longest sequence of cards removed on that level
If you complete the level, you will also receive these bonuses if they apply:
Wild Card Bonus: 2000 points if you don't use the wild card
Unused Card Bonus: 500 for each card remaining in the pile when you finish
ALL scores are multiplied by the Level Multiplier, which is 0.9+0.1xlevel number. In other words, the multiplier for Level 1 is 1, Level 2 is 1.1, Level 3 is 1.2, etc. These multipliers are applied immediately whenever points are scored.
Now, let's talk about pulling big points out of the pyramids:
The easiest way to score big in this game is to have a super-powerful brain that can keep track of the entire deck. It's a standard 52 card deck, and if you can keep track of it all, you're far better than I'll ever be. As for the rest of us...
My favorite saying as relates to strategy in this game is "It's all about the leave." By this, I mean that you should plan each move in terms of what will be left over. It's usually best to unblock as many cards right away as possible, but if unblocking a single card leaves a better sequence than unblocking two other cards, then it's probably better to do that.
When you're playing off a sequence, it's usually best to take as many cards as possible, but pay attention to the rest of the board. If you have several cards that will be difficult to remove by themselves, then it may be better to leave a card behind that links them. For instance, if you have several 3s on the board, you might not want to grab an available 4 right away if no other 2 or 4 is readily available.
when you have a choice of plays, it helps to keep in mind the cards that have already been used. For instance, if you have a 9 showing and are trying to decide between removing an 8 or a 10, and you remember that you've seen quite a few face cards already, you should probably take the 10, as it will be harder to get rid of later.
There are two main ways to use the wild card to help you score big: Either save it for the end to remove the last card or sequence, or use it to connect two long sequences for a massive round score and Top Run bonus. If you're going to do the latter, don't automatically slap it on the first big sequence you make; make sure there's another decent sequence to add on to it. Also, it's safer to do this early in the round; if you've already used up half the deck, you may not be able to clear the remaining cards without the benefit of the wild card. If you're starting a level with fewer than 30 seconds remaining, just slap the wild card onto the first decent sequence you make, in order to get a nice Top Run bonus on your last level.
Another (minor) use for the wild card is to remove a card that's blocking a potentially long sequence, but I seldom do this except in progressive games, when I can tell that I'll be able to cash in on that sequence safely. In any case, don't bother holding on to the wild card for the bonus, unless you know you can clear the last card within four deals of the one before it. It doesn't pay to give up several thousand points in Unused Card bonus just to get 2000 in Wild Card bonus.
Speaking of the leave: When you're down to the last few cards, it's best to have individual Scarab Cards to pick off one at a time, rather than one group of cards covering each other (unless they're in sequence, of course). That makes the level easier to clear. If you find that you can't clear the level, reverse this and try to remove one or two Scarab Cards if you can, just because of the bigger points for them.
That's it for now. Updates are sure to follow once I've proofread all this, and an accompanying Tip Sheet for Pyramid Quest should be up in the next few days. Kindly leave questions or feedback if you have any. Take care and good luck!
I don't know where Pyramid originally came from, but I've seen it and games like it before. I've seen it on touch-screen games in arcades and bars, as well as on other gaming sites. However, I still prefer King.com's version, because you can see all the cards--other sites have the blocked cards face down, so that choosing which path to take is more luck than skill. There are also other card games similar to Pyramid--two that come to mind are Golf Solitaire, which is played the same way but with a different (boring) layout, and a two-player game my wife knows called Spit.
The rules are simple: A standard deck of 52 cards is used, along with one wild card. A board of cards is dealt that resembles three four-tiered pyramids connected by the bottom corners. The top card of the rest of the deck is turned over to start the pile that you use to clear the board. A card can only be removed if its rank is one higher or one lower than the top card of the pile (Note: Aces rank both high and low, and can be played on either a King or a 2). You may also use the wild card to help you out at any time. Keep going until you run out of time or fail to complete a board.
The controls for this game are simple: To remove a card from the board, simply click on it. It must have no cards covering it, and be ranked one higher or one lower than the top card of the pile, or else it won't move and you'll be penalized. More on that in a bit.
To deal the next card from the pile, click on the pile.
To use the wild card, click on it. You may play it at any time, and you may play any card on top of it. You don't have to use it - and in fact, you'll get bonus points if you don't - but it's seldom worth it to hold out for this bonus, as you'll see.
The game lasts for five minutes, or until you run out of cards in the pile and have no more moves. You'll receive an achievement point if you make it as far as Level 5.
Let's talk about pyramid points:
The first card you remove from the board after dealing a card from the pile is worth 100 points. Each subsequent card you remove without dealing another pile card is worth 50 more than the previous card. So, if you deal a 9 and then remove 10, Jack, Queen, Jack before dealing another card, that's worth 100+150+200+250=700 points total. Note that the wild card itself is worth nothing, but it will extend a sequence, so in our example, if you played the wild card on the Jack, the next card you play would be worth 300 instead of 100, and so on.
The three "peak" cards on each level are known as the Scarab Cards, as when you remove one, a scarab will scurry away. Scarab Cards carry bonus points--1000 for the first one you remove, 1500 for the second, and 2000 for the third and final card of the level.
If you click on a card that can't be legally played, it will cost you 25 points. Each level's score is kept separately, then added to your total afterward, so if you misclick before playing any cards on the current level, there is no penalty.
At the end of each level, you'll receive bonus points:
Top Run Bonus: 200xlength of longest sequence of cards removed on that level
If you complete the level, you will also receive these bonuses if they apply:
Wild Card Bonus: 2000 points if you don't use the wild card
Unused Card Bonus: 500 for each card remaining in the pile when you finish
ALL scores are multiplied by the Level Multiplier, which is 0.9+0.1xlevel number. In other words, the multiplier for Level 1 is 1, Level 2 is 1.1, Level 3 is 1.2, etc. These multipliers are applied immediately whenever points are scored.
Now, let's talk about pulling big points out of the pyramids:
The easiest way to score big in this game is to have a super-powerful brain that can keep track of the entire deck. It's a standard 52 card deck, and if you can keep track of it all, you're far better than I'll ever be. As for the rest of us...
My favorite saying as relates to strategy in this game is "It's all about the leave." By this, I mean that you should plan each move in terms of what will be left over. It's usually best to unblock as many cards right away as possible, but if unblocking a single card leaves a better sequence than unblocking two other cards, then it's probably better to do that.
When you're playing off a sequence, it's usually best to take as many cards as possible, but pay attention to the rest of the board. If you have several cards that will be difficult to remove by themselves, then it may be better to leave a card behind that links them. For instance, if you have several 3s on the board, you might not want to grab an available 4 right away if no other 2 or 4 is readily available.
when you have a choice of plays, it helps to keep in mind the cards that have already been used. For instance, if you have a 9 showing and are trying to decide between removing an 8 or a 10, and you remember that you've seen quite a few face cards already, you should probably take the 10, as it will be harder to get rid of later.
There are two main ways to use the wild card to help you score big: Either save it for the end to remove the last card or sequence, or use it to connect two long sequences for a massive round score and Top Run bonus. If you're going to do the latter, don't automatically slap it on the first big sequence you make; make sure there's another decent sequence to add on to it. Also, it's safer to do this early in the round; if you've already used up half the deck, you may not be able to clear the remaining cards without the benefit of the wild card. If you're starting a level with fewer than 30 seconds remaining, just slap the wild card onto the first decent sequence you make, in order to get a nice Top Run bonus on your last level.
Another (minor) use for the wild card is to remove a card that's blocking a potentially long sequence, but I seldom do this except in progressive games, when I can tell that I'll be able to cash in on that sequence safely. In any case, don't bother holding on to the wild card for the bonus, unless you know you can clear the last card within four deals of the one before it. It doesn't pay to give up several thousand points in Unused Card bonus just to get 2000 in Wild Card bonus.
Speaking of the leave: When you're down to the last few cards, it's best to have individual Scarab Cards to pick off one at a time, rather than one group of cards covering each other (unless they're in sequence, of course). That makes the level easier to clear. If you find that you can't clear the level, reverse this and try to remove one or two Scarab Cards if you can, just because of the bigger points for them.
That's it for now. Updates are sure to follow once I've proofread all this, and an accompanying Tip Sheet for Pyramid Quest should be up in the next few days. Kindly leave questions or feedback if you have any. Take care and good luck!
do u have any tips on pyramid speed coz i cant get over 80,000????
thanks. i am assuming that pryimid and scarbs r played the same way, card points, etc why is clicking so slow in scarabs??(thats why i never play) thanks again and my best to the queen
hahahaha sounds so complicated, but it's my favorit game!!!! have fun and good luck in all you're games, gr from belgium ginax