These palace card game rules cover the version most commonly played among friends, in dorms and on family holidays. Palace is a shedding game: everyone tries to get rid of all their cards, and nobody wants to be the last player still holding some. It mixes quick, simple turns with a dose of luck from your blind cards, which makes it a perfect warm-up for a card game night.
Quick rules
- Each player gets 3 face down cards, 3 face up cards on top of them, and a hand of 3.
- Before play, you may swap cards between your hand and your face up cards.
- On your turn, play a card equal to or higher than the top card of the pile, then draw back up to 3.
- Twos reset the pile, and tens burn it (clear it away). Four of the same rank in a row also burns the pile.
- If you cannot or will not play, pick up the whole pile.
- When your hand and the draw pile are empty, play your face up cards, then your face down cards blind.
- The last player with cards loses.
What you need
- A standard 52-card deck for 2 to 5 players. Shuffle two decks together for larger groups.
- A table with room for each player's six table cards.
Setup
- Deal three cards face down in a row in front of each player. Nobody may look at these.
- Deal three cards face up, one on top of each face down card.
- Deal three more cards to each player as their hand.
- Place the rest of the deck face down as the draw pile.
- Each player may now swap any cards between their hand and their face up cards. Most players put their strongest cards (aces, 2s, 10s) face up to save them for later.
Card rank: 3 is the lowest card and ace the highest: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A. Twos and tens have special powers.
How to play
Starting the game
The first player is the one holding the lowest card in hand (usually a 3). They play it to start the pile. Some groups simply start with the player to the dealer's left. Play then goes clockwise.
Your turn from the hand
- Play one card, or several cards of the same rank together, that is equal to or higher than the top card of the pile.
- Draw cards from the draw pile until you have three in hand again. If you have more than three, you do not draw.
- If you cannot play a legal card, pick up the entire pile and add it to your hand. Your turn ends and the next player starts a new pile with any card.
Special cards
- Two (reset): can be played on any card. The next player may then play any card.
- Ten (burn): can be played on any card. The whole pile is removed from the game and you play again, starting a fresh pile.
- Four of a kind: if four cards of the same rank end up on top of the pile, from one player or several, the pile is burned and the player who completed it goes again.
Playing your table cards
- Once the draw pile is gone and your hand is empty, play from your face up cards using the same rules.
- When your face up cards are gone, play your face down cards one at a time without looking first. Turn the card over onto the pile.
- If a face down card cannot legally be played, you pick up the pile (including that card) and must play those cards from your hand before returning to your face down cards.
Scoring
Palace usually has no points. Players drop out as they get rid of their last card, and the final player still holding cards loses that round. For a longer game, give the loser one point each round and the first player to reach five points loses the session, or let the last place player deal the next round.
How to win
You are safe as soon as your hand, face up cards and face down cards are all gone. The goal is simply not to be the last player left.
Variations
- Sevens low: after a 7, the next player must play a 7 or lower.
- Invisible threes: a 3 takes on the value of the card underneath it.
- Eights skip: an 8 skips the next player.
- Tens restricted: some groups allow a 10 only on cards lower than 10.
- Blind order: some players choose which face down card to flip, others go left to right.
Special card powers vary more than anything else in this game, so agree them before dealing.
Tips and strategy
- Put aces, 2s and 10s face up during the swap. They will rescue you later when you have no hand.
- Play your lowest legal card early and save high cards and specials.
- Playing several cards of one rank at once sheds cards quickly.
- Picking up a small pile is not a disaster early on. Avoid picking up a large one late in the game.
- Watch how many cards the next player holds and play a high card when they are close to finishing.
House rules to agree first
- Which special cards are in play (2, 10, 7, 3, 8).
- Who starts: lowest card or player to the dealer's left.
- Whether you may play a 10 on any card.
If your group likes Palace, try president, crazy eights or speed next.
Questions people ask
How do you play the Palace card game?
Each player has three face down cards, three face up cards and three in hand. Take turns playing cards equal to or higher than the top of the pile, drawing back to three while the deck lasts. Pick up the pile if you cannot play. The last player holding cards loses.
What do 2s and 10s do in Palace?
A 2 can go on any card and resets the pile so the next player can play anything. A 10 can also go on any card and burns the pile, removing it from play, and the same player goes again.
Can you play more than one card in Palace?
Yes. You may play two, three or four cards of the same rank together in one turn. Four of the same rank on top of the pile burns it.
What happens if you cannot play a face down card in Palace?
Turn the card over. If it cannot legally be played, you pick up the whole pile along with that card. You must then play those cards out of your hand before going back to your remaining face down cards.
Who goes first in the Palace card game?
Most groups let the player holding the lowest card, usually a 3, start the first pile. Some tables simply begin with the player to the dealer's left.