Editing Pyramid (TOS)

{{disline|For the article on the athletic sport known as "Pyramid" in the [[Re-imagined Series]], see [[Pyramid (RDM)]].}}[[File:Pyramid.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A high-stakes game of Pyramid {{OS|The Lost Warrior}}.]]

'''Pyramid''' is a high-risk [[chancery]] game played with hexagonal cards. It is depicted as either being a Colonial version of [[W:Poker game|poker]] often played by [[Starbuck (TOS)|Starbuck]] {{OS|Saga of a Star World|The Lost Warrior|The Magnificent Warriors}} or a variation of [[W:Blackjack|blackjack]] {{OS|The Man with Nine Lives}}.

== Comparing Card Style ==

=== Original Series ===
The predominant pyramid playing style is a comparing card game, with the highest winning hand is a "full pyramid," which is reputedly rare. While playing with at least one [[Gemonese]] [[Warrior]], {{TOS|Starbuck}} is about to win a large pot when an alert interrupts the game {{OS|Saga of a Star World}}. 

Starbuck, {{TOS|Boomer}}, [[Giles]] and [[Jolly (TOS)|Jolly]] play pyramid with {{TOS|Boxey}} in [[Bachelor officer's quarters|the barracks]], with jellybeans as the stakes instead of [[cubit]]s, to help keep him occupied when {{TOS|Apollo}} fails to report back from a patrol. Boxey wins a large pot by having a "full pyramid" before [[Cassiopeia]] takes him away {{OS|The Lost Warrior}}.

Starbuck later plays a few hands of pyramid with [[Dipper]] and [[Duggy]], who are flush with [[Quantum|quantums]] after the theft of [[Siress]] [[Belloby]]'s [[energizer]], in the [[Agro colony|agro settlement]] [[Serenity]] on [[Sectar (planet)|Sectar]] in order to buy seed from [[Sire]] [[Bogan]]. Bogan later challenges Starbuck to a hand, not realizing Bogan's plan to entrap him as Serenity's new constable, and so Starbuck is maneuvered into "winning" the badge of the constabulary during the game {{OS|The Magnificent Warriors}}.
[[File:G80 - The Return of Starbuck - Cy Leaves Starbuck.jpg|thumb|[[Cyrus (Cylon)|Cyrus]] leaves after uncovering the fact that {{1980|Starbuck}} has been cheating at {{TOS|pyramid}} {{G80|The Return of Starbuck}}.]]

=== ''Galactica 1980'' ===
[[Starbuck (1980)|Starbuck]] has a card deck with him after crash-landing on the [[Planet Starbuck|planet that he christens with his name]], and whiles away the time playing Pyramid with [[Cyrus (Cylon)|Cyrus]] after instructing the [[Centurion (TOS)|Centurion]] on how to play {{G80|The Return of Starbuck}}.

== Card Banking Style ==
[[File:TOS - The Man with Nine Lives - Pyramid Aboard Rising Star.jpg|thumb|[[Chameleon]], {{TOS|Starbuck}}, and {{TOS|Apollo}} playing a game of pyramid aboard ''{{TOS|Rising Star}}'' {{OS|The Man with Nine Lives}}.]]
An alternative version of pyramid plays in the form of a banking game similar to [[W:Blackjack|blackjack]], utilizing at least three different card decks. Players are able to direct the dealer to either "build me" (hit) to receive another card or refrain by stating their desire to "hover" (stand). 

After re-devising a gaming system, Starbuck plays at a table on ''[[Rising Star (TOS)|Rising Star]]'' where he meets [[Chameleon]]. After losing to the house who has a "capstone" card, Chameleon informs Starbuck that he devised a system similar [[Yahren|yahrens]] prior with much the same result.

''Rising Star''<nowiki/>'s chancery allows players to use calculators during the game session {{OS|The Man with Nine Lives}}.

=== Notes ===

* Starbuck has two brown full pyramid cards, while the unnamed dealer has a third brown card, suggesting that at least three decks of pyramid cards are in play.
* As the name suggests, multiple deck blackjack is a variant that uses multiple card decks to increase difficulty to reduce card counting. This appears to be practiced at ''Rising Star'' chancery tables playing this variation of pyramid.

== Hands ==
[[File:TOS - The Man with Nine Lives - Pyramid Hand with Capstone.jpg|thumb|The ''{{TOS|Rising Star}}'' dealer's hand with "capstone" card at center {{OS|The Man with Nine Lives}}.]]
In order of superiority for card comparing style pyramid:

* Full pyramid {{OS|Saga of a Star World|The Lost Warrior}}
* Four pyramids {{G80|The Return of Starbuck}}
* Three pyramids {{G80|The Return of Starbuck}}
* Three-level pyramid {{OS|The Magnificent Warriors}}
It is unknown if these hands are included in the card banking style pyramid, as the winning hand in that style is noted as having a "capstone" {{OS|The Man with Nine Lives}}. 

== Card Decks ==
[[File:TOS - The Magnificent Warriors - Bogan Trick Starbuck Into Serenity's Constabulary.jpg|thumb|[[Sire]] [[Bogan]] maneuvers {{TOS|Starbuck}} into accepting [[Serenity]]'s constable badge by throwing a game of {{TOS|pyramid}} with a deliberately substandard hand {{OS|The Magnificent Warriors}}.]]
Card decks have four color coded suites: red, black, green, and brown. Card values are aligned beginning at the vertex of the card's edge, and repeat at all vertices inside the hexagon-shaped playing card. The only exception is the "capstone" card, which features the triangle in the center in addition to a triangle at each vertex.

=== Values ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Card Value
!Equivalent
!Description of Icon
|-
|Capstone
|Ace / 1
|Triangle in center, with smaller triangles at edge. 
|-
|13
|King
|Two stacked bars with three circles above, left aligned.
|-
|12
|Queen
|Two stacked bars with two circles above, left aligned.
|-
|11
|Jack
|Two stacked bars with one circle above, left aligned.
|-
|10
|10
|Two stacked bars.
|-
|9
|9
|One bar with four circles above, left aligned.
|-
|8
|8
|One bar with three circles above, left aligned.
|-
|7
|7
|One bar with two circles above, left aligned.
|-
|6
|6
|One bar with one circle above, left aligned.
|-
|5
|5
|One bar.
|-
|4
|4
|Four circles, left aligned.
|-
|3
|3
|Three circles, left aligned.
|-
|2
|2
|Two circles, left aligned.
|}

=== Backings ===
[[File:TOS - The Magnificent Warriors - Bogan, Duggy, and Starbuck Playing Pyramid in Serenity.jpg|thumb|[[Duggy]], [[Dipper]] and {{TOS|Starbuck}} playing {{TOS|pyramid}} in [[Serenity]] with a card deck featuring a two-tone whirligig star {{OS|The Magnificent Warriors}}.]]
Two backings of card decks have been seen in the series: the ones in [[The Fleet (TOS)|the rag-tag, fugitive fleet]] feature a multi-triangular pattern, while a card deck seen in use in [[Serenity]] on [[Sectar (planet)|Sectar]] features a two-tone whirligig star {{OS|The Magnificent Warriors}}.

== Notes ==

=== Re-Imagined Series ===
* In the [[Battlestar Galactica (RDM)|Re-imagined Series]], the use of this name is reserved for a [[Pyramid (RDM)|basketball/rugby style game]], whereas the card game is known as [[Triad (RDM)|Triad]]. This is due to [[Ronald D. Moore]]'s misremembered juxtaposition of the two names.
* Of further note, the card shape and face values (sans "capstone") are repurposed in the art and style for the [[Triad (RDM)|Triad playing cards]].

=== General ===
* While fandom has made rules and cards related to the Pyramid card game, these are non-[[canon]]ical to the [[Original Series]].
* It should be noted that the preponderance of capstone cards outnumbers those found in a standard deck, suggesting their screen-use to be a preference by the directors. This is common with all scenes depicting the game.

== See Also ==

* [[Triad (TOS)]], a ball game in the Original Series
* [[Pyramid (RDM)]], a ball game with the same name in the Re-imagined Series
* [[Triad (RDM)]], the corresponding card game in the Re-imagined Series

== External Links ==
{{ext-wikipedia-name|article=Pyramid (game)|name=Fan-created Pyramid rules}}

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[[de:Pyramide (TOS)]]