Palace
SHEDDING-STYLE CARD GAME using a standard 52-card deck. 2-5 players each have 3 hidden face-down cards, 3 face-up cards on top of them, + 3 in hand. Play cards in ascending order onto the discard pile; special cards (2 = reset, 10 = clear pile, 4-of-a-kind = clear) trigger effects. Last player left with cards is the SHITHEAD/PALACE. Extremely popular in UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand + European hostels + student circles. 15-30 min. Family relative of PRESIDENT + Chinese SHENG JI.
Quick facts
Category
Card Games
Type
Individual
Players
2–5
Duration
~20 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Estimated origin
20th century British Isles; possibly derived from Karma (Indian)
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
Be first to shed all 9 cards (hand + face-up + face-down) from your play area.
Rules
Basic rules
Deal 3 face-down cards + 3 face-up on top + 3 in hand
3 layers of shedding.
Play cards equal or higher than discard pile top
Ascending rule.
Special cards: 2 = reset (any card next), 10 = burn pile, 4-of-a-kind = burn
Signature effects.
Cannot play → pick up whole discard pile
Punishment for stalling.
Empty hand → play face-up cards; then face-down blindly
Layer progression.
Last player with cards = Shithead/Palace
Anti-winner label.
Scoring
First to shed all 9 cards wins; last player is the Shithead/Palace.
| Action | Points |
|---|---|
| First to shed all 9 cards | Wins the round |
| Last player with cards | Loses (becomes Shithead/Palace) |
| Playing face-down card that can't beat pile | Pick up whole pile |
Win condition · Round-based; no cumulative score in most versions.
Equipment
Standard 52-card deck (or 2 decks for 6+ players)
Standard playing cards
Terminology
- Shithead / Palace
- Last player with cards; loser.
- Burn / Clear
- Removing entire discard pile from play (via 10 or 4-of-a-kind).
- Reset
- Playing a 2 — next player can play any card.
- Face-down
- Blind last-layer cards; played without seeing.
Where it is played
Frequently asked
Palace vs Shithead vs Karma — are they the same?+
YES — all names for the same game. British pubs + student circles call it SHITHEAD; family-friendly + Australian circles use PALACE; some Indian + hippie circles use KARMA. Core rules identical: 3 layers of cards, shed in ascending order, special cards clear/reset the pile.
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Shithead— Wikipedia