Nertz Card Game Online

Nertz (also called Pounce or Racing Demon) is solitaire played as a race. Nobody takes turns: you and up to three computer players play at the same time, everyone builds on the same foundations in the middle, and the first to get rid of their 13-card nertz pile shouts "Nertz!" and stops the round.

How to play Nertz Card Game Online

• Every player has their own deck (here each deck has its own back colour, matching the dot next to the player's name). Deal yourself a nertz pile of 13 cards with only the top card face up, then four face-up work piles of one card each. The other 35 cards are your stock.
• There are no turns. Everyone plays as fast as they can, all at the same time.
• Turn your stock three cards at a time onto your waste pile. Only the top waste card can be played. When the stock runs out, turn the waste over and go through it again, as often as you like.
• Work piles build down in alternating colours (a red 6 on a black 7). You may move a whole pile or the bottom part of a run from one work pile to another. An empty work pile can be filled with any card: the top of your nertz pile, your waste card or a run from another work pile.
• The foundations in the middle are shared. Anyone may start one with an ace, and anyone may add the next card of the same suit, up to the king. If two players go for the same spot, the card that lands first counts and the other player has to take theirs back.
• Cards from your nertz pile can go onto your work piles or the foundations. The round ends the moment a player plays the last card from their nertz pile.
• Scoring: +1 point for every card of yours on the foundations, −2 points for every card still in your nertz pile. Totals carry over, and the game ends when someone reaches the target (100 points, or 50 for a short game). If two players tie for the lead, another round is played.
• When everyone is stuck (each player has been through their stock with nothing to play), every player moves the top card of their stock to the bottom and play continues with a new grouping of three. If that keeps failing and nobody can go out, the round ends and is scored as it stands.

Controls

• Tap (or click) a card to send it to the best place: a foundation first, otherwise a work pile. Tap a card inside a work pile to move it together with the cards on top of it.
• Drag a card or run onto any foundation or work pile. Aces dropped anywhere in the middle go to a free foundation.
• Tap your stock (or press D or Space) to turn three cards; tap the empty stock slot to turn the waste back over.
• Keyboard: arrow keys move between cards, Enter plays the focused card. P pauses, H shows a hint.
• Choose 1 to 3 computer opponents and their speed (Easy, Normal or Hard) in the toolbar. The game pauses on its own when you switch tabs.

Tips

• Your nertz pile is what wins rounds. Before turning the stock, check whether the nertz card fits on a work pile or a foundation.
• Keep a work pile empty when you can: it is the best place to dump a nertz card that fits nowhere else.
• Aces and twos rarely stay in your waste for long in a four-player game. Play them up at once before someone else fills the spot.
• Watch the panels at the top: if a computer is down to two or three nertz cards, play everything you can onto the foundations, because the round is about to end.
• Each card you put on a foundation is a point, so even when you cannot win the round, feeding the middle keeps your score growing.

Nertz, Pounce and Racing Demon

These are the same family of fast "competitive solitaire" games. Pounce is a common American name, and Racing Demon is the usual British name, where the 13-card pile is called the demon. Table rules differ from group to group. Common variations: five work piles instead of four, turning the stock one card at a time, scoring −1 instead of −2 per card left, and playing a set number of rounds instead of to a target. This version uses the most widespread rules: 13 cards, four work piles, turn three, +1 / −2 scoring.

Playing against the computer

The computer players act on their own clocks while you play. On Easy they make a move about every two seconds, on Normal a little faster, and on Hard roughly every 0.7 seconds, turning their stock faster than they play cards. They always grab foundation plays first and work hardest on their nertz pile. Start with one Easy opponent, then add more players: with four players there are up to 16 foundations and the race for each card gets tight. For a calmer patience game, try Klondike Solitaire, or the turn-based race Spite and Malice.

FAQ

How do you play Nertz?

Each player deals a 13-card nertz pile, four face-up work piles and keeps the rest as a stock. Everyone plays at once: build your work piles down in alternating colours, turn the stock three at a time, and play aces and following cards of the same suit to the shared foundations. The first player to empty the nertz pile calls "Nertz!" and the round ends.

How is Nertz scored?

Each card you placed on the foundations is worth +1 point and each card left in your nertz pile costs 2 points. A player who goes out with 20 cards on the foundations scores 20; a player with 5 cards up and 6 left in the nertz pile scores 5 − 12 = −7. Scores carry over until someone reaches the target, usually 100.

What happens when everyone is stuck in Nertz?

When nobody can play after going through their stock, each player moves the top card of their stock to the bottom and keeps going, which changes which cards come up in each group of three. In this game that happens automatically once every player has had a full pass with no play. If it still does not help and nobody can go out, the round is scored as it stands.

Is Nertz the same as Pounce or Racing Demon?

Yes, they are names for the same real-time race. The details vary by family or region (four or five work piles, turning one or three cards, −1 or −2 per leftover card), but the core idea is identical: shared foundations, your own deck, and a pile you race to empty.

Can you play Nertz alone?

Nertz needs opponents, which is why this version gives you one to three computer players with adjustable speed. If you want to play by yourself without a race, a solitaire such as Klondike uses the same alternating-colour building.

Can I put a card on another player's work pile?

No. Your work piles, waste and nertz pile are yours alone. Only the foundations in the middle are shared, and every player can build on any of them.