How to Play Palace: A Great Card Game for All Ages

Palace is a card game for all ages, and is a great pastime for friends and family. It involves both skill and chance, and allows you to either develop strategy or just play along and still have a great time. I learned this game when I was a kid, watching my older brother play with his friends, and my whole family still plays it whenever we get together. You can play with one deck and two people, or with multiple decks with multiple people. The more cards you have to play with, the longer the game will last.

The Setup: Before the game begins, the dealer must deal three cards face down in front of each player. The players are not allowed to look at the cards in front of them or use these cards until the cards in the decks(s) and in their hands are gone, towards the end of the game.

Next, the dealer passes out six cards to each player then places the deck in the middle of the table. You are allowed to look at these cards. Each player must choose three cards from their hands to lay face-up on top of the three unknown cards in front of them, so that everyone is able to see them. Typically, you will choose the three best cards in your hand, but as you play more and more you may want to put different cards. Good cards are determines from highest to lowest, Kings being the highest and 3's the lowest. Aces and 2's are wild, making them good cards, and 10's are "clear deck" cards. You will not be able to use the six cards in front of you (three facing down, three facing up) until the end of the game. Once everyone has three cards in their hands, you're ready to play.

The Game: The dealer will flip over the first card in the deck, and place it next to the deck in the middle of the table. If an Ace, 2, or 10 is the first card picked, return it to the deck and replace it with another. The first player must beat the card showing with a higher card. The player is not allowed to match the card. For example, if the card showing is a 5, then I must place a six or higher from the three cards in my hand. If I don't have a card higher than a 5, I may use a wild card (Ace, 2) or a 10. If the player chooses to use a wild card, she must place it over the showing card, and then put any card from their hand on top, even if it is lower than the card shown. So, if I put an Ace on top of the 5, I may put a 3 on top of the Ace. If a player chooses to use a 10, then the pile of cards is cleared, and placed to the side, and the same player will put any card he wants to start a new pile.

If a player cannot beat the card shown with the cards in her hand, and she has no wild cards or 10's, then she must pick up the card, and the pile of cards that may be under it, and add it to her hand. After a pile is picked up, the next player may put down any card from his hand, to start a new pile.

Once a player's places a card down, and she has less than three cards in her hand, she must pick up cards from the deck until she has three cards. If the player has more than three cards in his hand, he is not allowed to pick from the deck.

*Note: Once a player uses a wild card or a ten, and she has only two cards in her hand, she may pick up another card in the middle of her turn. For example, if I have three cards in my hand, and I put down an ace, I may pick up another card from the deck before I put down my second card.

Rule of Multiples: If it is a player's turn and he has two or three of the same card - for example, two Kings - he may put both down together as long as it beats the card showing. If a player has four of a kind in her hand, and she choose to put all four down, it will act as a "clear card" and clear the pile, and she must put another card down to start a new pile. If a player has four of a kind, the value of the card does not matter (so, four 3's may be put down over a 5).

The End of the Game: Once all the cards in the deck(s) are gone, leaving no more cards to get picked up, players must get rid of all the cards in their hands. When a player has played all the cards in their hand, they can use the three face-up cards in front of them. This is why it is helpful to pick out your three best cards beforehand. Once the three face-up cards are gone, a player must use the face-down cards, and cannot look at them before playing them. You must play these cards blindly. If a player picks up a face-down card that doesn't beat the card shown, he must pick up the pile, and get rid of the cards now in his hand before playing the rest of the face-down cards.

The first person to get rid of all their cards wins.

The rules may sound complicated, but once you get the hang of it, it is actually a very simple and fun game. It can be especially interesting when you develop a strategy.

Tips for Developing Strategy:
Tip #1: When it's your turn, you are allowed to pick up the card pile even if you can beat the card shown. You may want to do this early in the game, when the pile is still small, if the pile contains high cards and/or wild cards you may need later on.

Tip #2: Having multiple cards doesn't mean you have to play them all. For example, if you have three Kings, you may want to use each on a separate occasion instead of all in one turn, since it is the highest card.

Tip #3: Make the pile grow. If you have several wild cards (Aces, 2's) and a 10, you may want to save that 10 for last. Making the pile grow large while you have a "clear card" in your back pocket may mean that someone will have to pick up all those cards, and it won't be you.

That's the game of Palace. This is truly a great game that is much more exciting than Go Fish or Crazy Eights, and will definitely be the cause of laughter and frustration among you and your family and friends. Enjoy!