Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 22:08:50 -0700
From: Robert Wusyk (nad@nucleus.com)
Subject: rules to a card game
I'm looking for the rules to a card game we used to play about 15 years ago that was called 'Nerd.' It could also be spelled 'Nurd.' It could also have a different name.
We played it with partners - 4 or more people. It was a 'Speed' type of solitaire game. Aces went up in the center and you built on them - same suite - anyone could play on them. I think we used more than 1 deck of cards, and each person had a hand of cards to get rid of.
It used to become wild. You won when you and your partner got rid of all of your cards. Cards left in the opponents hands were counted against them. Any help in find the rules to this game is greatly appreaciated. thanks in advance.
nadia
Date: Wed, 01 Oct 1997 13:41:35 -0400
From: Mark Delano (mjd233@Psu.Edu)
Subject: rules to a card game
I'm sure you have already gotten reponses to this (I just saw this posted), but the game referred to we call Nerts. I've assumed familiarity with basic solitaire rules in my explanation.
Played with one deck of cards per partnership, one person is in charge of the Nerts deck, and the other person uses the other deck (never really had a name for it, so it will be referred to as the other deck). The Nerts deck consists of twelve or thirteen cards, the top one being face up. The other deck is all the cards not otherwise used, all face down. Four cards are placed face up in front of the partners.
Once all the teams are ready, everybody counts 1,2,3 NERTS. The game starts with standard solitaire rules. All foundation piles (the aces in the middle, built up to kings) can be played on by anyone. There can be up to one foundation pile per ace in play working at the same time. The four cards in front of the partners can only be played on by them, built down in number, alternating color. If one of the spots the four cards occupy is empty, any playable card from either deck can be used to fill the spot (usually the top Nerts deck card).
The two decks have different rules. The Nerts deck is stuck until the top card on the deck can be played either on the four piles in front of them or the foundations, upon which the next card in the deck is flipped face up. The other deck is flipped up three cards at a time with the player able to proceed through the deck whenever he/she wishes, per standard solitaire rules. Once the team has successfully played all of their Nerts deck cards, they call out "Nerts" and the hand immediately stops. If ever all the teams are stuck (no cards from the nerts or other deck can be moved) play stops, and each team takes the top card from the other deck and places it on the bottom. Then everyone counts 1,2,3 NERTS and it starts up again.
For every card in the foundation piles the team scores a point. For every card left in their Nerts pile the team loses two points.
The first team to 100 points wins. You can go negative.
If we have four or fewer players we usually don't play with partners. Instead each player gets a whole deck of cards and plays both the Nerts deck and the other one. If we have an odd number of people >4 we play with rotating partnerships and individual scores. Also I have heard that some people play the team that Nertsed gets to go through their whole other deck once making all possible plays at their leisure. Its a really enjoyable game that I've played with up to 14 people. Contrary to most large multiplayer games and their excessive slowness, Nerts goes so blindingly fast with this many people that hands can take as little as thirty seconds.