Is Pounce the same game as Nerts or Nertz?
Yes. Pounce, Nerts, Nertz, and Racing Demon are common names for the same family of fast multiplayer solitaire games.
Rules and strategy
How to play Pounce
Pounce is a fast multiplayer solitaire race. Build shared center piles, manage your own work piles, and try to clear your 13-card Pounce pile before anyone else.
Players2 or more players, with one deck per player in tabletop play.
GoalEmpty your 13-card Pounce pile before the other players do.
Round paceEveryone plays at the same time. There are no turns.
ScoringCards played to the center score; Pounce cards left cost points.
Setup
The classic tabletop setup uses one standard deck per player. The online version keeps the same structure and deals the table for you.
- Give each player a full 52-card deck. In person, the backs should be distinct so scoring is easy. Pounce Online handles the decks for you.
- Deal a 13-card Pounce pile. The top card is the active card you are trying to clear.
- Deal four work piles, one face-up card each. These are your personal solitaire stacks.
- Keep the rest of your deck as stock. Turn stock cards three at a time into your waste pile, where only the top card is available.
- Leave the middle of the table open for shared foundation piles that any player can build on.
Round Rules
Pounce is simultaneous, so the core skill is seeing center-pile openings while keeping your own board moving.
- Start shared foundation piles with Aces, then build upward by suit: Ace, 2, 3, and so on through King.
- Build your own work piles downward in alternating colors, just like the visible piles in Klondike solitaire.
- Move a visible work-pile card, the top waste card, or the top Pounce card to the center whenever it fits a foundation.
- Move cards or ordered runs between your own work piles when they fit. An ordered run must include the last visible card of the stack you are moving from, and empty work-pile spaces can help you free blocked Pounce cards.
- Keep flipping through your stock three cards at a time. When the stock runs out, turn the waste pile back over and continue.
- When a player empties the Pounce pile, the round ends. In Pounce Online, that happens automatically.
Scoring
Calling Pounce usually helps, but it does not automatically guarantee the best score for the round.
| Center cards | Score 1 point for each of your cards that reached the shared center foundations. |
|---|---|
| Pounce pile penalty | Players who did not empty their Pounce pile lose 2 points for each card left there. |
| Match winner | Play multiple rounds and compare total points. Many tabletop groups play to a target score, while Pounce Online keeps a running scoreboard for the room. |
About the Game
Pounce belongs to a family of real-time solitaire card games. Depending on where you learned it, you may know it by another name.
- Nerts
- Nertz
- Racing Demon
- Peanuts
- Squeal
- Scrooge
- competitive solitaire
- multiplayer solitaire
Beginner Tips
Speed matters, but the best players are fast because they know where to look first.
- Check the Pounce card first after every center move. Clearing that pile is the main path to ending the round.
- Do not tunnel on your own board. A shared foundation can change as soon as another player drops a card.
- Use work-pile moves to expose cards that help your Pounce pile, not just to make tidy stacks.
- Keep the stock moving when you are stuck. Fresh waste cards often create the next opening.
Questions
How many cards are in the Pounce pile?
The common rule set uses 13 cards in the Pounce pile, with the top card available to play.
What is different in Pounce Online?
The core rules follow the classic game, while the app handles decks, rooms, scoring, bots, and round endings automatically. After each round, it also provides post-round analysis with tips for missed chances and better Pounce-pile play.
Ready to race the table?
Start a room, invite friends, or practice offline against bots while the rules are fresh.