Nertz (also called Pounce, Nerts or Racing Demon) is a fast card race. Every player has their own deck and races to empty a 15-card Nertz pile while building shared Ace-to-King piles in the middle of the table.

Is Nertz free to play online?

Yes. Nertz! at nertz.app is free and runs in your browser with no download. Play the computer at five levels or share a room code with family and friends.

How do you score in Nertz?

Cards you play to the middle score for you: Ace through 9 are worth 1 point, 10 through King are worth 5. Cards left in your Nertz pile count against you the same way. Capturing a pile with its King is +10, and going out (Nertz) is +50.

How many people can play Nertz?

Nertz! supports 2 to 32 players at one table — online with friends, or against up to 31 computer players.

Can I track my Nertz stats?

Yes. Sign in and every match is saved: win-rate, Nertz-call and capture trends over time, a recent-match log, and full match history with final scores for the whole table.

Help centre · Nertz!

Every screen, rule and setting in Nertz!, written out step by step. Search first, open a topic, or send us a message and a person will read it.

Getting started

New here? These five take you from "what is this" to playing with your family.

1What Nertz! isNertz (also called Pounce) is a fast, loud card race for 2 to 32 players. Here is what the game is and the three ways to start playing.
2Play your first roundA step-by-step walkthrough of a first Nertz round: choosing a mode, setting the table, and the five moves you can make once the countdown ends.
3Install it on your phoneNertz! installs straight from the browser on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac and Chromebook. No app store and no download required.
4Keep your scores with an accountHow to register with email and password or with Google, what an account gives you, and how to change the name attached to it.
5Open a table for familyHow to start an online Nertz table, share the code or invite link, choose the target score and deal the first round.

Popular articles

What is Nertz!? 2 minNertz (also called Pounce) is a fast, loud card race for 2 to 32 players. Here is what the game is and the three ways to start playing.Play your first round in 5 minutes 3 minA step-by-step walkthrough of a first Nertz round: choosing a mode, setting the table, and the five moves you can make once the countdown ends.Install Nertz! on your phone or computer 2 minNertz! installs straight from the browser on iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac and Chromebook. No app store and no download required.Create an account and sign in 2 minHow to register with email and password or with Google, what an account gives you, and how to change the name attached to it.I did not get my sign-up code 2 minWhat to do when the sign-up verification code does not arrive, how to resend it, and why codes sometimes land in spam.Fix sign-in problems 2 minWhat to check when you cannot sign in to Nertz!, including forgotten passwords, Google sign-in problems and signed-out sessions.Delete your account or ask for your data 3 minHow to download a copy of your data, have your Nertz! account, leaderboard history and notifications deleted, and how long it takes.Set up a solo table: level, players and target score 2 minWhat each computer level changes, how many computer players you can race, and what the target score does in a solo match.

Browse by topic

Getting startedWhat the game is, your first round, and installing it.3 articles Account & sign-inSigning up, codes, passwords, and leaving when you want to.5 articles Playing the computerLevels, table size, target score, hints and sound.2 articles Online tablesTable codes, invites, seats, reconnecting and guests.4 articles Rules & scoringHow a round runs and exactly how points add up.5 articles Stats & leaderboardYour profile, the boards, and sharing a match.3 articles The Coach helpersStrategy advice, finding a table, and score explanations.1 article Emails & notificationsThe bell, weekly winners, invites, and stopping them.2 articles Plans & billingWhat the game costs, ads, purchases and prizes.1 article Privacy & dataWhat we collect, cookies, and your data rights.3 articles Safety & reportingReporting abuse, bugs, security issues and appeals.5 articles TroubleshootingLoading, sound, slowness and score questions.3 articles AccessibilityKeyboard, motion, contrast, and asking for better.2 articles Contact & ticketsReaching a person, and tracking your request.2 articles

Three ways to get an answer

Ask the helper

The floating button in the corner of every page. It answers from these articles, links the ones it used, and says when it does not know.

Send us a message

The ticket form asks a couple of questions, offers the articles that usually fix it, then reaches a person. You get a reference number.

Open the form

Email us

support@nertz.app reaches the same queue as the form, if you would rather write from your own mailbox.

Trust, safety and data

Contact support

Tell us what happened, and include your display name, the mode you were playing and the device you used. You get a reference number such as NZ-000123 on screen, and signed-in players can follow the whole thread under My tickets. We read every message. We do not quote response times, because we would rather be accurate than fast on paper. Guests get the reference number on screen too, and we reply to the email address given when we can reach it.

Contact support My tickets All contact options