How to Play the Palace Card Game

Setting up the Game

Draw cards to see who will deal and go first. Have everyone pick a card at random from a deck of cards. The person with the highest card becomes the dealer. The person with the next highest card can choose any seat, and so on. The person to the left of the dealer goes first. In some variations, the first player is chosen once the cards are dealt, and it's based on the lowest card that is face-up.

Shuffle 1 deck of cards for 2 players or 2 decks for more players. Shuffle the cards together 5-7 times to make sure they are thoroughly mixed. Make sure not to look at the cards as you're shuffling them! Note: You will need 2 decks for 3-5 players, as you will run out of cards too quickly otherwise.

Deal 3 cards to each player face-down. Go around the table, putting 3 cards in front of each player in a row. Keep going around until each player has 3 cards in front of them. No one should look at these cards yet, even the player you dealt them to! Typically, you start dealing with the person on your left.

Deal each person 6 cards face-down. Next, count out 6 cards for the person on your left, separate from the 3 you just dealt each person. Keep going around the table until everyone has 6 cards, including yourself. Players can look at these cards, but everyone should keep these to themselves for the moment.

Look at your 6 cards and place 3 face-up on your face-down cards. Each player picks up their set of 6 cards. Decide which 3 you want to go on top of your 3 face-down cards. Typically, higher cards are better to place face-up. One variant has the dealer place 3 of the cards face-up on top of the original 3 face-down cards. This makes the game a bit harder, as you can't place easy-to-play cards face-up.

Place the remainder of the cards in the middle for the draw pile. If you're the dealer, put the remaining deck where all the players can reach it, as that will be the draw pile. These cards should be face-down.

Beginning the Game

Turn over 1 card from the draw pile to make the discard pile. If you're the dealer, place the card face-up to the side of the draw pile. That will be the starting card for the discard pile, and the player to the left of the dealer will play on it to start the game. One variation says the first player with a face-up 3 starts the game by playing a card from their hand. If no one has a 3, it moves to 4s. Another variation says the person to the left the dealer plays the lowest card in their hand. As an example, say the starting card is a 6.

Play cards in ascending order on the start card. If you're the starting player, you play a card that is equal to or higher than the starting card. You can actually play multiple cards, as long as they're all equal to or higher and of the same rank. You can use any higher card, but it's smarter to play your lower cards first. For instance, if the starting card is the 6 of hearts, you can play a 6 of spades, a 7 of diamonds, or a king of clubs. You could also play 2 6s or 3 8s. The cards are ranked with the ace as the highest and the 3 as the lowest. The 2 is a special card that resets the deck.

Draw up to 3 cards in your hand. Once you've played, you still need 3 cards to make your hand. Pick up enough cards from the draw pile to equal 3. Don't draw a card if you have 3 cards or more, which can happen later in the game. So if you played 1 card, you pick up 2. In some variations, if you draw a card that's the same number as the last card you played on the pile, you can play it. This rule only applies if the next player hasn't added a card yet.

Pick up the whole discard pile if you can't play. You must play a card if you can. If you can't play, you have to pick up the discard pile. Then, the next person has their turn; they can play any card from their hand.

Move on to the next person to the left. After the first person plays, go around the table. Each person plays what they can in the middle, then draws up to 3. If they can't play, they pick up what's in the middle. Play continues this way until the draw pile is depleted.

Use 2s and 10s as wilds. In most variations of this game, you can play the 2 on top of any card, and it resets the discard pile to this number. You can also play the 10 on any card, but it takes the discard pile out of the game instead of resetting it. The player who put the 10 down then draws up to 3 and plays any card. You can play any card after you play a 2 or 10.

Clear the discard pile if 4 of a kind is played. If 4 of the same numbers are played in a row, either by one player or multiple players, it clears the discard pile. Place it to the side, as these cards are out of the game. The player who played the last card can play any card, starting the discard pile again. In some variations, anyone can jump in to finish 4 of a kind. For instance, if the dealer plays 3 7s, someone across the table can play 1 7 to complete 4 of a kind, even if it's not their turn. It then becomes their turn, skipping the other players.

Ending the Game

Deplete the draw pile completely. To start the last phase of the game, the draw pile must be emptied. When it is, don't shuffle. You simply stop drawing from the middle.

Play until your hand runs out. When you can no longer draw, you rely solely on your hand. Keep playing out of it until there are no cards left in your hand. If you can't play, you still have to pick up the discard pile and put it in your hand. Remember, you have to play a card if you can.

Move to your face-up cards when you run out of cards in your hand. When it's your turn and you don't have a hand, play one card from your face-up cards. If you have multiple cards of the same rank, such as 2 jacks, you can play them both at the same time. If you can't play a card, you follow the same rule as before and pick up the discard pile. Once you pick up a pile, you must play all of those before playing from your cards on the table.

Play your face-down cards to finish the game. When it's your turn and you've played all your face-up cards, pick a card that's face-down on the table. Don't look at it to choose. Simply flip it over. If it plays on the current card by being equal or higher, you can play it. If not, you must pick up the discard pile. If you pick up the discard pile, you must play those before continuing to play your face-down cards.

Play all of your cards first to win. You must play all your face-up and face-down cards to win the game. The first person to do so ends the game. The game can continue after the first person is out, but it's more fun to start another game instead.