There are multiple card games on the market these days. This makes it very difficult to choose. But, currently, everyone seeking some entertainment requires slight variations while retaining the whole essence of card games of the past, like Solitaire.
And today, we are going to talk about one such game – an intriguing and exciting version of solitaire. Yep, today, let’s talk about the Nertz card game, an exciting version of solitaire.
Learning the rules for the game will be so much more simple if you have played Solitaire in the past. It requires two things – a competitive environment and patience. Plus, multiple players can play this game – it’s the perfect time pass for a fun game night with friends and family.
Let’s dive straight into the rules for this interesting game!
The Nertz Card Game: What’s The Point Really?
Essentially, the Nert card game is a solitaire-inspired card game for 2 or 4 players. The purpose of this particular game is to actually score more points as compared to your opponents by simply playing cards in a sequence from king to ace. You will have to be the first one to get rid of all your cards from the stockpile and complete the match with the highest score.
The gameplay is pretty simple to how single-player solitaire is played, except in this case, you, as well as your opponents, will simultaneously compete to play cards on shared foundation piles.
It sounds fun, right? So, without wasting time, here’s what you need to know about this card game before we can get to the rules and functionalities.
Required Number Of Players:
To play a game of Nertz, you will need a standard deck of cards and 2 to 4 players. Of course, if you want to include more players, you can – you can play with eight players at the most.
Once you have eight players, after that, you will see that it will become too complicated to calculate the points and play. We recommend players of all ages to play, except the ones who are below eight.
Here are two pointers you need to remember before playing this game.
- Difficulty level: Medium.
- Time to play: 20–30 minutes.
Why Do We Like This Game?
It can be complex to determine in the beginning since it rewards patience – plus, it’s very competitive. But once you and the other involved parties have managed to master the Nertz card game, you will play the game with a standard card deck for hours.
How To Play The Nertz Card Game?
Now that you have a fair idea about the Nertz card game scroll down to find out how to play this game!
The Deal:
The dealer gives every player a pile of thirteen cards at the beginning of the Nertz card game. While twelve cards face down, the 13th card faces up on the top. Each of the players will then deal 4 cards facing up to begin four work piles right next to this card pile. Ensure that you and the other players are dealing these cards side by side without any overlapping.
You have to hold the cards in each of the player’s decks that others leave behind, facing down. Then, the players have to turn 3 cards simultaneously onto a stack facing up for forming a player’s garbage pile.
Just a reminder! It’s always best to play around in a central space that everyone can access easily.
The Gameplay:
Without taking any turns, players can move the cards around the central space as quickly as they want to. The primary goal here is to get rid of the Nertz pile. You can do this by playing cards from the same pile onto their built foundations or work piles.
Once the player’s Nertz pile starts getting depleted, they will yell ‘Nertz!’ – and the game ends instantly. In contrast, the cards in the air that were actually being moved from one particular point to another might be able to complete their journey. However, the game doesn’t permit any more play Nertz.
It is not necessary to get in touch with the Nertz. The moment your stock of Nertz starts getting depleted, you can opt to play a little longer while trying to raise your scores even more.
Players can easily move the different cards in the game easily with one hand. But they can also keep their stockpile of cards in the other. You can transfer only a single card at once, except for transferring an entire block of cards from one pile to another.
In case there are two or more players trying to play similar foundation piles simultaneously, the card that was played first (typically the cards that are kept at the lowest spot in the pile) will stay there.
All the other players will have to give back the equivalent cards they attempted to play to that very same foundation pile of cards to their last positions.
In case there’s an unbroken tie, then both the cards will continue to exist during the gameplay. Plus, you don’t have to actually play any card if it’s not technically in your best interest. After all, you can choose to wait.
How To Keep Score In The Nertz Card Game?
The rules of the Nertz card game are easy. When anyone yells, ‘Nertz!’ the game is technically over. The assessment for the scoring starts once the game ends. For every card being played, each team or player will get one point.
You have to sort the foundation piles of cards as per the card owners for easy identification. This is precisely why the card decks come with distinctive backs.
Except for the player who yelled, ‘Nertz,’ all other players will deduct 2 points for every card that is left in their Nertz pile of cards at the game’s end.
Thus, while yelling ‘Nertz’ doesn’t really guarantee the best scores, it almost always leads to solid scores. Once the gameplay ends, you will have to tally the score and evaluate the same.
Until the scores of one or more players exceed or meet a predetermined target (commonly 100), extra deals are played. At the moment, the player who has the best score wins the Nertz card game.
And It’s A Wrap!
If you are a fan of card games like the Spit card game or something similar, then you will definitely enjoy playing the Nertz card game. After all, the game has the appeal and kick of Solitaire. Moreover, playing exciting card games such as Nertz when you are free will not just keep you happy but will also improve your decision-making.
Additional Reading:
Barsha Bhattacharya is a senior content writing executive. As a marketing enthusiast and professional for the past 4 years, writing is new to Barsha. And she is loving every bit of it. Her niches are marketing, lifestyle, wellness, travel and entertainment. Apart from writing, Barsha loves to travel, binge-watch, research conspiracy theories, Instagram and overthink.
