The scoring system both rewards players for consistently placing cards to the common area, and also for getting through the “Nerts” pile quickly, but the 4 work piles do come in handy as well. This excitement is what makes it one of the most entertaining two player card games. Usually, players are reaching across one another, or waiting for certain cards to get played in the center, or running through their stockpiles frantically to find one particular card they passed a moment beforehand, and so on. Reset and deal again, and further hands are played until someone reaches an agreed target score, typically 100 points. Players gain a point for each card they played to the common area piles, but subtract two points for each card remaining in their “Nerts” pile. Here is where you need different prints to your decks, so you can separate whose card is whose. The first to eliminate their “Nerts” pile calls out “Nerts!”, which stops play and players tally their score. There are no turns, play is simultaneous and frantic. More cards can be added by either player to common area piles, but they may only stack in numerical order (Ace low) and by matching suit (Ace of Spades, then two of spades, three of spades, and so on). You remove these cards by placing them on top of either your work pile or by creating piles in the common area, starting with Aces.

To begin the game, each player turns over the top card of their “Nerts” pile face-up. Leave an open space in between the players and their decks, this becomes the common play area.

Most fun two player card games