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How to play Palace (2026) — Palace is a shedding card game with a twist: every player has three cards hidden face down, three face up on top of them, and a hand of three. You play equal or higher cards onto a pile, use 2s and 10s to reset or burn it, and try not to be the last person holding cards. It is known by many names, including Shed, Karma and a ruder one popular with backpackers. These rules follow the standard version on pagat.com, with common variations noted.
Decks for a Palace table: Bicycle Rider Back Playing Cards (12-pack)
Palace uses one 52-card deck for up to five players. Bigger groups often shuffle two decks together, so a multi-pack helps.
Price band: $20–$30 (about $25) · Check today’s price on Amazon
Palace at a glance
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Players | 2 to 5 (best with 3 or more) |
| Deck | One standard 52-card deck; add jokers or a second deck for big groups |
| Card order | 3 (low) up to ace; 2 and 10 are special |
| Goal | Get rid of all your cards and avoid being last |
| Time | About 15 to 20 minutes per game |
Dealing a game of Palace
- Deal three cards face down in a row in front of each player. Nobody may look at these.
- Deal three cards face up, one on top of each face-down card.
- Deal a hand of three cards to each player.
- Place the rest of the deck face down as the draw pile.
Before play begins, each player may swap any cards between their hand and their face-up cards. Most people move strong cards, such as 2s, 10s and aces, to the face-up row so they are available late in the game.
Who leads first
The player with a 3 face up starts. If nobody shows a 3, the first player to call out a 3 in their hand begins. If nobody has one, move up to 4s, and so on.
Playing to the pile
On your turn, play one card, or several cards of the same rank, face up onto the discard pile. Your play must equal or beat the rank of the top card. After playing, draw from the draw pile until you have three cards in hand again, as long as cards remain. You may always choose to pick up the whole pile instead of playing. If you cannot play, you must pick it up, and the next player starts a fresh pile with any card.
Special cards in Palace
| Card or event | Effect |
|---|---|
| 2 | Can be played on anything, and any card can be played on it: it resets the pile |
| 10 | Burns the pile: the whole discard pile is removed from the game, and you play again |
| Four of a kind | Four cards of the same rank in a row on the pile also burn it, and the player who completed them goes again |
In the pagat.com version a 10 cannot be played on a jack, queen, king or ace, but many groups allow a 10 on anything. Agree before you start.
Endgame: face-up and face-down cards
Once the draw pile is empty and your hand is gone, you play from your face-up cards. If you cannot beat the pile, you add one face-up card to it and pick the pile up, then go back to playing from your hand. When your face-up cards are gone, you play your face-down cards blind, flipping one per turn. If the flipped card is legal, it stays. If not, you pick up the pile along with that card.
Winning and losing Palace
Players drop out as they clear their hand and all six table cards. Play continues until one person is left holding cards. That player loses and traditionally deals the next game, or does the dishes, or whatever forfeit the table agrees on. Some groups play to find a winner instead, ending the game when the first player goes out.
Palace strategy
- Save 2s and 10s for the face-up row. They rescue you when you are forced onto table cards.
- Play low cards early. Getting rid of 3s and 4s while the pile is low keeps your options open.
- Play pairs together. Dumping two or three of a rank at once shrinks your hand faster.
- Watch for four of a kind. If two 8s are on the pile and you hold two more, you can burn it.
- Pick up on purpose. Taking a small pile early can be better than wasting a 10.
Popular Palace house rules
- 7 means lower: after a 7, the next play must be 7 or lower.
- 8 skips or reverses: in some groups an 8 skips the next player; in others it reverses direction.
- Jokers reverse: add jokers to allow a six-player game, with each joker reversing direction.
- Six-card deal: deal three face down and six to each hand, then choose three of the six to place face up.
Palace is often compared with President, another shedding game where finishing order matters. Learn it in how to play President, and find more ideas in our adult games with playing cards.
Palace card game questions
What are the special cards in Palace?
2s reset the pile and 10s burn it. Four of a kind in a row also burns the pile.
Can you play a 10 on anything?
It depends on the house. In the pagat.com rules a 10 cannot go on a jack or higher, but many groups allow it anywhere.
How many players can play Palace?
Two to five with one deck; add jokers or a second deck for more.
Is Palace the same as Shed or Karma?
Yes. They are regional names for essentially the same game, with small differences in special cards.
