Nertz

Everyone builds on shared foundations at once. Call Nertz! 2–6 players.

Also known as Nerts, Pounce, Racing Demon, and Peanuts.

Who To Play With

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How to play Nertz

  1. 1Everyone plays at the same time, each with a deck of their own. There are no turns, so move as fast as you like.
  2. 2You lay out a Nertz pile of 13 cards with only its top card showing, four work piles of one face-up card each, and keep the rest face down as your stock.
  3. 3The foundations in the middle belong to everyone. Anyone can start one by dropping an Ace on the empty New spot, and anyone can add the next card of that suit, all the way up to the King. If two of you reach for the same spot, the first card there wins.
  4. 4Cards go to the foundations from the top of your Nertz pile, the top of a work pile, or the top of your waste. Tap a card that fits a foundation and it goes straight there; to build on a work pile, tap a card and then the pile.
  5. 5Work piles build down in alternating colors, like a red 6 on a black 7. You can move any card in a work pile along with everything on top of it. An empty work pile takes any card; the top of your Nertz pile is usually the best choice.
  6. 6Tap your stock to turn three cards onto your waste. Only the top waste card can be played. When the stock is used up, tap it again to turn the waste back over.
  7. 7The hand ends the moment someone empties their Nertz pile. You score 1 point for every card you put on a foundation and lose 2 for every card still in your Nertz pile.
  8. 8If everyone goes through their stock without a play (or nobody plays for a while), every stock is shuffled. After 3 shuffles in one hand, the hand is scored as it stands.
  9. 9The first player to reach 50 points after a hand wins. If the lead is tied, play another hand. After 12 hands the leader wins, and a tie shares the win.

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