Take a seat.
Three down, three up, three in hand. Play equal or higher; don’t be the last holding cards.
HAND COMPLETE
Waiting for the host to deal.
FREE ONLINE CARD GAME
Three down, three up, three in hand.
Don't be the last one holding cards.
Play Palace, the shedding game also called Shed or Karma, free against one to three computer opponents with no download or sign-up. Swap your best cards face up, play equal or higher, reset with a 2, burn with a 10, then flip your face-down cards blind. Choose Easy, Standard or Expert and switch on the 7, 8 and joker house rules. Not Palace Solitaire.
Classic Palace · 2–4 seats · Last with cards loses
Updated
New to Palace? Learn the rulesHOW TO PLAY
Two to four players, one deck. Everyone gets three face-down cards, three face-up cards on top of them, and three cards in hand.
Get rid of every card: hand first, then face up, then face down. The last player still holding cards loses.
Try a practice game ↑Before play starts you may swap any card in your hand with any of your own face-up cards, as often as you like, then press Ready. Your face-up cards are played late in the game, so most players put their 10s, 2s and highest cards face up and keep low cards in hand.
Hand card and face-up card change places.
On your turn, play one card or several cards of the same rank onto the pile. The rank must be equal to or higher than the card on top: 3 is lowest, then 4 up to 9, Jack, Queen, King and Ace. If you can’t, or don’t want to, pick up the whole pile into your hand; the next player starts a new pile. After playing from your hand, draw back up to three cards while the stock lasts.
Equal or higher beats the pile.
A 2 goes on anything and resets the pile: the next player may play any card. A 10 goes on anything and burns the pile: every card in it leaves the game and you play again. Four of a kind on top of the pile, whether one player or several played them, burns it too, and whoever completed it plays again.
Burned cards never come back.
LAST ONE HOLDING CARDS
Palace has no points. Each game is one deal: players drop out as they play their last card, and the game ends when one player is left holding cards. That player loses; everyone else is safe.
The scorecard records the finishing order (1st, 2nd …) and how many times each player picked up the pile. Statistics count a game as a win when you are not last with cards, and keep a separate count of games you went out first.
Example, four players: Wren goes out first, you second, Ash third, and Rowan is last with cards. You, Wren and Ash are safe; Rowan loses.
PLAY IT SMART
Your face-up cards are your last chance before playing blind. A 10, a 2 or an Ace there will get you out of trouble late in the game, while low cards in hand are easy to play early, when the pile is low.
Play your lowest card that fits. High cards are what you need when the pile climbs, so spend 3s and 4s while you can.
A 2 or a 10 saves you from picking up a big pile. Using one on a 5 wastes it. When you must use one, a 10 is better on a big pile: it burns everything and you play again.
Two 7s played together are one turn, not two. Watch the pile too: if three 9s are on top and you hold the fourth, it burns the pile and you go again.
Everyone can see face-up cards. If the next player is down to a 5, a 6 and an 8, anything higher than 8 makes them pick up the pile.
QUICK ANSWERS
By default a 2 resets the pile so the next card can be anything, and a 10 burns the pile and lets you play again. The 7 and 8 are ordinary cards unless you switch on the options: 7 = lower makes the next card 7 or lower, and the 8 rule makes an 8 skip the next player or count as transparent.
Yes, by default. Switch on 10s only on 9 or lower and a 10 is legal only on a 9 or lower, or on an empty or reset pile. It still burns the pile when it is played.
When the top four cards of the pile share a rank, whether one player or several played them, the pile burns and the player who completed the set plays again. Two 9s played onto two 9s count.
Yes. Before play you can exchange any card in your hand with any of your own face-up cards, as many times as you like, then press Ready. Most players put their 10s, 2s and highest cards face up.
You pick up the whole pile plus the card you flipped, and your turn ends. You then play those cards from your hand before flipping again. If the flipped card is legal it plays with its normal effect, including a 2 or 10.
Yes, as long as they all share a rank and that rank is legal. Select them together, then press Play. Playing several at once can also complete four of a kind.
After the swap, the player with the lowest card in hand, counting from 3 up; 2s and jokers don’t count. If two players tie, the first player is drawn at random.
Yes. Most rule sets allow it, and so do we, whenever the pile has cards and you are playing from your hand or face-up cards. Taking a small pile can be better than spending your last 2.
Jokers are an option here. With them on, the deck has 54 cards; a joker plays on anything, on its own, reverses the direction of play and is transparent, so the next player beats the card under it. House rules vary a lot for jokers; this is the combination the sources we read agree on most.
Yes. They are regional names for the same game, with small differences in the special cards. Our default follows the common core, and the 7, 8, joker and 10 house rules are options.
Two to four here, against computer opponents at Easy, Standard or Expert. With more players the stock runs out sooner and the face-up and face-down cards come into play faster.
Traditionally only a loser: the player who is last with cards. Our scorecard also records everyone’s finishing order, and Statistics count every game you finish safe as a win.
It can come close: two players can keep trading the same cards. If exactly the same position comes up a third time, the game ends here and whoever holds the most cards loses.
Easy keeps its cards as dealt and spends its 2s and 10s at once. Standard puts its best cards face up and saves its 2s and 10s until it is stuck. Expert tries each play against 16 random deals of the cards it cannot see and plays the one that finishes best on average. No level sees your hand or any face-down card.
No. Palace Solitaire is a one-player patience game. This is the shedding game for two to four players with face-up and face-down cards.
Yes, it is free and runs in your browser with no download or account.
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