How to Play Palace

What you need

• 2–6 players. Everyone for themselves. No partners. Three is a real table. Four is typical.
• One standard 52-card deck. No jokers. Three face-down, three face-up on those, three in hand, rest as a stock.
• No score pad. Last with cards loses. First out is Palace.

Sit, pick a dealer, agree on the house

Sit where you can see the pile and your own three stacks. Cut for the first deal, or point at someone. After each hand, the deal moves clockwise.

Say these out loud before the first card:

1. 3 down, 3 up, 3 in hand, then a stock. Draw back to 3 in hand while the stock lasts. Some tables deal more to hand — tonight is 3+3+3.
2. Equal or higher. You must play if you can. If you cannot beat the pile, pick it up. Your turn ends. Next player leads.
3. 2 resets the pile to low. 10 burns it — clear the pile, same player leads. Ace is high except for 2 and 10. 8 skips the next player. If your table treats 8 as invisible, say so.
4. First out is Palace. Last with cards loses. Not President: no next-hand seats, no swapping worst for best.

Deal 3 + 3 + 3 and a stock

Shuffle the 52. For each player, deal three cards face-down in a row — do not look. Deal three face-up, one on top of each down card. Deal three to the hand. Put the rest of the pack face-down in the middle. That is the stock.

Four people: 36 cards dealt, 16 in the stock. Three people: 27 dealt, 25 in the stock. Two people: 18 dealt, plenty of stock. At six, the 52 is tight — deal 3 down, 3 up, and 2 in hand, and there is no stock. If someone has the wrong count, throw it in and deal again.

Before the first lead, you may swap cards from your hand with your three face-up cards. Dump junk onto the table, pull better cards into your hand. You do not touch the face-down cards. If your table skips the swap, say so. Tonight allows it.

Left of the dealer leads any card from hand.

Play equal or higher

Play goes clockwise. Suits do not matter. Rank, low to high: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, jack, queen, king, ace. 2 and 10 are special — they are not in that line.

1. Play one card, equal or higher than the top of the pile. A 9 beats a 7. A 7 on a 7 is fine.
2. You may play two or more of the same rank together. The next person must play that many cards, equal or higher. The walkthrough below is singles.
3. After you play from hand, draw from the stock back to 3 while the stock lasts. Then the next player goes.
4. If you have a legal card, you must play it. You do not pass to save a 10. If you cannot beat the pile, pick the whole pile up into your hand. Your turn ends. The next player leads any card.

Specials: 2, 10, and 8

A 2 or a 10 can go on anything. After a 2, the next person plays any rank — the pile is low, the 2 stays there until someone plays on it or a 10 burns it. After a 10, there is no pile. That same person leads.

Hand, then ups, then blinds

You play in three layers. You do not skip ahead.

1. Hand. Play from the three you hold. Draw back to 3 while the stock lasts. When the stock is gone, keep playing the cards in your hand until it is empty.
2. Up-cards. When your hand is empty, play from the three face-up cards. Choose a legal one. If none of them beats the pile, pick the pile up — those cards become your hand again, and you have to empty the hand before you return to the ups.
3. Blind downs. When the ups are gone, flip one face-down card. If it is equal or higher, or a 2 or a 10, it plays. If it does not beat the pile, pick the pile up and that card. That is your hand again.

Empty every layer and you are out. First out is Palace. Keep going until one person still has cards. That person loses. You do not need a pad. You do not swap seats for the next deal — that is President.

Walk through one first-night hand

Four people. You are West. South dealt. You swapped a junk 4 onto the table and pulled a king into your hand. You hold 7, king, and 2. Your up-cards are 9, jack, and ace. Downs stay unknown.

You speak first. You lead the 7. Draw a 5 from the stock — still three in hand. North plays 9. East plays jack. South plays king. You play your 2: reset. The pile is low. You lead the king. Draw. North cannot beat a king and has no 2 or 10, so North picks up the pile. North's turn ends. East leads a 4.

South plays a 10 and burns the 4. South leads again, an 8. You are skipped. North plays a 9 on the 8. East plays another 9. South cannot beat 9, picks up. You lead your last hand card and your hand is empty — stock is gone for you. Next turn you play from the ups: the ace. Later you burn a 10 off your ups and empty them.

Three blinds left. You flip one: a 6 onto a queen. It does not beat it. You pick up the pile and the 6. That is a hand again. Empty it, then the remaining downs. East empties everything first: Palace. You go out second. North goes out third. South still holds cards and loses.

Night-one habits

• Swap junk onto the ups before the first lead. Hide a 2 or a 10 in the hand if you can.
• 2s reset. 10s burn. Save them for a pile you cannot otherwise beat.
• You must play if you can. Picking up is only when you cannot beat it.
• Blinds are luck. Flip one. If it misses, pick up and keep going.
• Three people is a real Palace table. Two is a real table. Deal.

You know enough to deal. Keep this page beside the table. Four people is a tonight pick. Three people is a tonight pick. There is no Palace trainer on CardPractice — this how-to is the product. If you wanted to deal the whole pack and sit President next hand, that is President.