Objective
Get rid of all your cards. Each player has nine: three in hand, three face up on the table and three face down beneath them. You play your hand first, then your face-up cards, and last your face-down cards, which you turn over without knowing what they are. The blind cards at the end are what make Palace tense right up to the last turn.
Setup
Deal three cards face down in a row in front of each player. Nobody looks at these. Then deal six cards to each player as a hand. Look at your six and choose three to lay face up, one on top of each face-down card. Keep the other three as your hand. Place the rest of the deck face down as the draw pile.
Aces are high and twos are low, but twos and tens have special powers.
| Card | What it does |
|---|---|
| 2 | Can be played on anything; the pile restarts, so the next player may play any card |
| 10 | Can be played on anything; the whole pile is burned (set aside for the round) and you play again |
| Four of a kind | Four cards of one rank on top of the pile, from one player or several, burn the pile as well |
| Ace | The highest ordinary card |
How to play
The player on the dealer’s left begins. Most tables turn the top card of the draw pile face up to start the pile, and the first player must beat it. On your turn, play one card, or several cards of the same rank, that is equal to or higher than the top card of the pile. Then draw from the draw pile until you hold three cards again, as long as cards remain there.
If you cannot play, pick up the whole pile and add it to your hand. Your turn is over, and the next player may play anything.
Once the draw pile is gone, keep playing from your hand until it is empty. Then play from your face-up cards, using the same rules. When those are gone, turn over one face-down card on your turn. If it can be played, it stays on the pile. If it cannot, you pick up the pile along with that card, and you must play your hand out again before you return to the table cards.
- 1Play equal or higher, singly or in sets of one rank
- 2Draw back up to three while the draw pile lasts
- 3Can’t play? Pick up the whole pile
- 4Use twos to reset and tens to burn the pile
- 5Play hand, then face-up cards, then face-down cards blind
Winning
There are no points. The first player to play their last face-down card wins the game.
Many groups keep going after the winner is out, to find out who is left holding cards at the end. That last player loses, and in some houses they deal the next game.
Variations
Lowest card starts: instead of turning a start card, some tables let the player holding the lowest card, usually a three, open the game.
Seven means lower: a common house rule says the card played after a seven must be a seven or lower. Others make eights “invisible,” so the next player plays to the card beneath.
Shed and Karma: Palace is close kin to the British game Shed and the commercial game Karma. Groups that play those usually play to find a loser rather than a winner, and add their own special cards.
Tips from the table
Use the swap. When you choose your face-up cards, put down your aces, twos and tens. They are the cards you most want waiting for you when you can no longer draw.
Save twos and tens for emergencies. A ten on a pile of twenty cards takes all of them out of play; a two keeps you from having to pick up.
Picking up the pile early is not the end of the world. While the draw pile lasts, a big hand gives you choices. It hurts most at the end.
Play low cards early while the pile is low. Holding them until later makes them hard to get rid of.
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
Can I play more than one card at a time?
Yes, if they are all the same rank. Three sixes go down together on a pile topped by a five or a six.
What happens when someone plays a ten?
The pile is burned: set aside and out of play for the rest of the game. The player who played the ten then plays again onto the empty space.
Can I choose to pick up the pile even if I could play?
Tables differ. Many say that if you can play, you must; others let you pick up by choice to build a stronger hand. Settle it before the first deal.
What happens if my blind card can’t be played?
You pick up the pile, including that card. You then play from your hand again until it is empty before going back to your remaining face-down cards.
New rules every month
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