Objective
Score points by playing your cards onto the shared foundation piles in the center, and empty your Nerts pile before anyone else to end the round on your terms. Every card you get into the middle is a point. Every card stuck in your Nerts pile when the round ends costs you two.
Setup
Each player needs a deck with a different back design, so the cards can be sorted out after each round. Sit around a table with plenty of open space in the middle for the foundations.
Shuffle your own deck. Count off 13 cards face down to make your Nerts pile, then turn its top card face up. Beside it, deal four cards face up in a row: these are your work piles. Hold the remaining 35 cards face down as your stock.
How to play
When someone says go, everyone plays at once. There are no turns. Use one hand only, and move one card at a time to the center.
Any ace can be played to the middle to start a foundation pile. Anyone can then build on any foundation, upward in the same suit: two on the ace, three on the two, and so on to the king.
Your work piles build downward in alternating colors, like Klondike. You can move a single card or a run of cards from one work pile to another, and you can fill an empty work pile with any card. The top card of your Nerts pile can go to a work pile or straight to the center.
Turn your stock three cards at a time onto a face-up waste pile, and play the top waste card when it fits. When the stock runs out, turn the waste pile over and go through it again. If every player is stuck, everyone turns their waste pile over, moves the top card of the stock to the bottom, and carries on. The round ends the moment a player empties their Nerts pile and calls “Nerts!”
- 1Play aces to the center as soon as you see them
- 2Build center piles up by suit, work piles down by alternating color
- 3Turn your stock three at a time and play the top card
- 4Empty your Nerts pile and shout “Nerts!”
Scoring
When someone calls Nerts, everyone stops at once. Sort the center piles by the backs of the cards and count how many each player played there. Then count what is left in each Nerts pile.
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Each card you played to the center | +1 |
| Each card left in your Nerts pile | −2 |
Keep a running score across rounds. The first player to reach 100 wins. If two players pass 100 in the same round, the higher total wins.
Variations
Easier stock: turn the stock one card at a time instead of three. The game moves faster and suits younger players.
Shorter Nerts pile: use 11 or 12 cards to make it easier to go out.
Big groups: with six or more players, play in partnerships, each pair working one layout together.
Tips from the table
Your Nerts pile is the priority. Center points are nice, but every card left in the Nerts pile costs double, and emptying it ends the round before your rivals catch up.
Keep an eye on the center. Twos and threes go down fast, and a card you hesitate on is often played by someone else a second later.
Keep a work pile empty if you can afford to. It gives you a place to park the top Nerts card and dig into the next one.
Video Guides Are on the Way
We’re filming Game Guides that walk through full hands at the table, from the deal to the score.
Frequently asked
Do we take turns?
No. Everyone plays at the same time, as fast as they can. Use only one hand.
Can I play on other players’ work piles?
No. Your work piles are yours alone. Only the foundation piles in the center are shared.
What if everyone is stuck?
Everyone turns over their waste pile, moves the top card of their stock to the bottom, and play resumes.
Why does every player need a different deck?
At the end of each round you sort the center piles by card back to count everyone’s points.
New rules every month
Get the next game before it hits the site.
