Palace

Objective

Empty your hand, then your three face-up cards, then your three face-down cards. The last player still holding anything loses — and deals the next round.

Setup

Each player gets nine cards, dealt in three layers:

1. Three face down in a row in front of them. Nobody looks at these, including you.
2. Three face up, one on top of each face-down card.
3. Three in hand, held privately.

The rest of the deck goes face down in the middle as the draw pile.

The player with the lowest 3 showing in their face-up row goes first. If nobody has one, the first person to call out a 3 in their hand starts.

Card ranking

From highest to lowest: 2, A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3. Suits are irrelevant — Palace never cares about suits.

Your turn

1. Play one or more cards of the same rank, equal to or higher than the top card of the pile.
2. Draw back up to three cards from the draw pile, if any remain. You only refill while the draw pile lasts.
3. Play passes to the left.

Playing multiple cards of the same rank at once is always allowed and always a good idea — 8♠ 8♥ in one turn is two cards gone for the price of one.

Magic cards

Four ranks break the rules. These are near-universal; the 7 and 8 are more contested — see House rules.

A burn is the most powerful thing that can happen to you. The pile vanishes, and the player who burned it starts a brand-new pile with a free choice — so save a 10 for when you are cornered.

Playing your table cards

Once the draw pile is empty and your hand is empty, you move down through your table cards. You must clear each layer completely before starting the next.

• Face-up row — play these exactly like hand cards. You can see them, so you can plan. Multiple cards of the same rank still go together.
• Face-down row — flip one card blind on your turn. If it happens to beat the pile, it is played and you continue. If it does not, you pick up the pile plus that card and you are back to having a hand.

Winning & losing

The moment you play your last face-down card you are out and safe. Play continues without you.

There is no points-based winner. The last player still holding cards loses, earns the title, and deals the next round. Most groups play a run of rounds and simply remember who has lost the most.

Card library

Ranking runs 2, A, K, Q, J, 10 … 4, 3. Suits never matter. Four ranks break the rules entirely.

Short drills on the rules people get wrong. Nothing is saved anywhere but this browser.

House rules & variations

Every table plays a little differently. These are the common variants — agree on them before you deal.

Strategy hints

1. Put 2s and 10s face up, not in your hand. Your face-up row is what saves you at the end of the round, and an escape card is worth far more then than now.

2. Never sit on a hand full of low cards while the draw pile is still going. You refill to three every turn, so cards spent early are free — cards held late are a liability.

3. Hold a single 2 as insurance. One guaranteed playable card means you can never be forced to pick up the pile on the turn that matters.

4. Watch what has been played of each rank. If three Queens are already down, the fourth Queen is a burn waiting to happen — for you or against you.

5. Dump high cards while the pile is high. A King is only useful on a pile you can already beat; carrying it into your face-up row usually means a pick-up later.

6. When the draw pile empties, count what everyone else has left. If someone is on their face-down cards, forcing a pick-up on them is often worth wasting a good card.

Frequently asked