How to Play Racing Demon

By Jaques of London · Est. 1795 · Updated 2026-08-17

Racing Demon is a simultaneous, real-time card game for two to six players, each using their own standard deck. There are no turns: everyone plays at once, competing to build ascending suit sequences on shared central foundations while desperately trying to empty their own Demon pile. The pace is relentless and the table quickly becomes a blur of flying cards.

It is a firm favourite at family gatherings and school common rooms precisely because it is easy to learn, genuinely competitive, and over quickly enough to demand a rematch. All you need is one deck per player and a large table.

A little history

Racing Demon is widely known across the UK, Australia, and parts of North America, where it is also called Nerts or Pounce. Its exact origins are unclear, though it appears to be a Victorian or Edwardian parlour adaptation of Patience (Solitaire), adapted for multiple simultaneous players. The name 'Racing Demon' is the long-established British term for the game, and it has been passed down through families and school communities rather than through any single documented source.

Setting up

1. Seat all players around a large clear table so everyone can reach the centre.
2. Each player shuffles their own deck thoroughly.
3. Each player deals thirteen cards face-down in a pile to their left; this is their Demon pile. They then flip the top card face-up.
4. Each player deals four cards face-up in a row to their right; these are their Work piles.
5. Each player holds the remaining cards face-down as their Stock.
6. Clear the centre of the table; this shared space is where foundation piles will be built during play.
7. Agree on how many rounds will be played before the game starts, or play a set number of hands and total the scores.

How to play

1. When everyone is ready, one player counts down and all players begin simultaneously. There are no turns.
2. The aim is to move cards from your Demon pile into the centre or onto your Work piles as quickly as possible.
3. FOUNDATION PILES (centre): Any player may start a foundation pile in the centre by placing an Ace there. Foundations build upward in suit from Ace to King (Ace, 2, 3 ... King). Any player may add to any foundation pile if they hold the next card in sequence.
4. WORK PILES (your four row piles): Build downward in alternating colours, as in Patience. For example, a red 7 may be placed on a black 8. You may move single cards or sequences between your Work piles.
5. When a Work pile becomes empty, you may fill the gap with the face-up top card of your Demon pile.
6. STOCK: Flip your stock cards in groups of three (or one at a time if agreed before play). The top card of the stock is available to play to the centre, to a Work pile, or to your Demon pile gap. Cycle through the stock repeatedly.
7. DEMON PILE: The top card of your Demon pile is always available to play to the centre, to a Work pile, or to fill an empty Work pile space. Each time you move the top card, flip the next card face-up.
8. You may not move cards from Work piles back onto your Demon pile, and you may not look through your Demon pile.
9. When you have moved your last Demon card, shout 'Demon!' (or the agreed call) immediately. Play stops for all players at that moment.
10. If no one clears their Demon pile, play continues until a player calls stop voluntarily, or until all players are stuck. Cards remaining in the Stock do not matter for scoring; only the Demon pile count matters.

Winning and scoring

When a player calls Demon, all play stops. Each player counts the cards remaining in their Demon pile. Points are then calculated as follows: score one point for every card you successfully played onto the central foundation piles during that round, then subtract two points for every card still remaining in your Demon pile. The player who called Demon scores a bonus ten points. Total the scores across all agreed rounds; the player with the highest cumulative score wins. Negative round scores are possible and do count.

The fine points

The most common dispute is simultaneous plays to a foundation pile. If two players attempt to place the same card (for example, both have the 3 of Hearts and lunge for the same foundation), the card that lands first stands. The other player must take their card back. There is no do-over and no penalty; the slower player simply keeps their card. A designated referee or neutral observer helps in competitive play. If it genuinely cannot be determined which card landed first, replay the contested card placement with a brief freeze while it is resolved, then resume.

A second common issue is calling Demon incorrectly; that is, the player shouts but still has cards in their Demon pile. This is penalised by most house rules as an automatic deduction of ten points and play continues. Agree on this penalty before the first round. Also settle in advance whether stock cards are turned one at a time or three at a time: three at a time is standard and considerably harder.

How to win more often

• Watch the central foundations as much as your own cards. If a foundation pile is close to accepting one of your cards, prioritise freeing it rather than tidying your Work piles.
• Keep your Demon pile moving above all else. Every other action is secondary to exposing new Demon cards. An Ace buried in your Work pile can wait; a stuck Demon pile cannot.
• Do not over-stack your Work piles with long sequences. Long sequences are satisfying but they lock cards you may need and slow your access to new ones.
• Scan opponents' foundations regularly. If an opponent is clearly about to call Demon, switch entirely to clearing your own Demon pile at any cost rather than optimising your score.
• When turning stock three at a time, keep a mental note of useful cards you have passed. Plan which cards to expose on the next cycle rather than reacting card by card.

Variations

One at a Time Stock

Players flip stock cards one at a time rather than in threes. This is considerably easier, suits younger players or beginners, and tends to produce faster rounds since access to useful cards is less restricted. The rest of the rules remain identical.

Nerts (North American variant)

Functionally identical to Racing Demon, Nerts uses the same mechanics but the Demon pile is typically called the Nerts pile and the end call is 'Nerts!' rather than 'Demon!'. Scoring conventions vary; some Nerts players score one point per foundation card and subtract one (not two) per remaining Nerts card, so agree on scoring before play.

Partnership Racing Demon

With six players, split into two teams of three. Teammates sit alternately around the table. Each player still manages their own deck and Demon pile, but team scores are pooled at the end of each round. Partners may not touch each other's cards but can call out advice. The team with the higher total after the agreed rounds wins.

No-Bonus Flat Scoring

Remove the ten-point Demon bonus entirely. Players score one point per card played to the foundations and subtract two for each card remaining in their Demon pile. This variant rewards consistent performance over the course of several rounds rather than incentivising reckless speed, and tends to suit more experienced groups.

Racing Demon: frequently asked questions