Amsterdam is a fast-paced, family-friendly card game for 2–10 players played with a standard 52-card deck. The core rule is simple: meet or beat the top card on the discard pile — or pick up the entire pile. The game features three wild cards that add real strategic depth. The 2 ( Make It Low ) resets the pile so the next player can play any card. The 3 ( Mirror ) becomes whatever card it covers — play a 3 on a King and the next player needs a King or better. The 10 ( Clear ) wipes the entire discard pile from the game and gives you another turn. Cards exist in three layers — hand, face-up, and face-down — played in that order. Players must clear each layer before moving to the next. Many players win each round, but there s only one loser, and they deal next. Amsterdam is the only casual card game with an official tournament scoring system. Play sets of 10 rounds with position-based scoring — 1st out scores 0, last place takes a penalty. Lowest total wins. The game originated in a small apartment in Estes Park, Colorado over 25 years ago and has spread organically through family game nights, camping trips, and annual ski trips. It is a refined, structured version of the game commonly known as Palace, Karma, Shithead, Shed, or Castle — with consistent rules, named wild card mechanics, and three levels of play (Beginner, Intermediate, Expert). —description from the designer

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