How do you play Nerts?

Each player deals 10 cards into a Peanut pile and 5 tableau columns (1 to 5 cards each, top card face up). Players simultaneously build on shared foundation piles (Ace to King by suit) and their own tableau (descending, alternating colors). The round ends when someone empties their Peanut pile. Score +1 per foundation card played, -2 per card left in your Peanut pile.

How many players can play Peanut?

Peanut works with 2 to 8 players. Each player needs their own deck of cards with a distinct back design.

Peanut

The real-time multiplayer solitaire card game

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What is Peanut?

Peanut is a fast-paced, real-time multiplayer solitaire card game you can play online with friends. Also known as Nerts, Nertz, Racing Demon, and Pounce, it's often described as "multiplayer solitaire on steroids."

Unlike turn-based card games, all players play simultaneously, racing to be the first to empty their Peanut pile. It works with 2 to 8 players, can be learned in minutes, and creates the kind of loud, chaotic fun that makes it a favourite at game nights, dorm rooms, and family gatherings.

How to Play Peanut (Nerts Rules)

Setup

Each player uses their own 52-card deck. They deal:

The Peanut Pile: 10 cards face down, top card flipped face up. This is the pile you're trying to empty.
The Tableau: 5 columns dealt like Klondike solitaire. The first column gets 1 card, the second gets 2, and so on up to 5. Only the top card of each column is face up.
The Stock: The remaining cards, held in hand.

In the center of the table are shared Foundation piles that everyone builds on, one per suit, running from Ace up to King.

Gameplay

There are no turns. Everyone plays at the same time:

Tableau columns build down in alternating colors (red on black, black on red), just like Klondike solitaire.
Peanut pile: the top card of your Peanut pile can be played onto a tableau column or a foundation.
Stock: flip through your stock cards to find playable cards. Once through, flip the pile and go again.
Foundations: anyone can play on any foundation pile. If two players reach for the same spot, the fastest hand wins.

Ending a Round

The round ends the moment a player empties their Peanut pile and calls "Peanut!" Play stops immediately and scoring begins.

Scoring

+1 point for each card you successfully played onto a foundation pile.
−2 points for each card remaining in your Peanut pile at the end of the round.

Games typically run to 100 points across multiple rounds. The player who crosses 100 first wins.

The History of Peanut (Nerts)

Peanut belongs to the family of competitive patience (solitaire) games that emerged in Europe in the 19th century. The earliest well-documented form is Racing Demon, played in Britain from the late Victorian era.

The game crossed the Atlantic in the early 1900s, likely via British immigrants. The American name "Nerts" may come from 1920s slang meaning "nuts!", an exclamation of frustration. Some sources trace early American play to Pennsylvania Dutch communities.

By the mid-20th century, it became a staple of college dorms and game nights. It needed only standard decks of cards, accommodating large groups, and being gloriously chaotic. Each social circle named it independently, which is why it goes by so many names today.

Also Known As

The same game goes by many names depending on where and who you learned it from:

Nerts / Nertz: the most common American name
Peanut / Peanuts: a popular family variant name
Racing Demon: the original British name
Pounce: another American regional name
Blitz: possibly German-influenced, referencing the speed
Squeal: named for what you shout when you win

Whatever you call it, it's the same game, and you can play it online here for free.