How to play Kings Corner
- The deal. Each player gets 7 cards. Four more go face up next to the deck, one on each side: north, east, south and west. The four corners stay empty for now. The rest of the deck is the stock.
- Your turn. Make as many of these moves as you like, in any order:
- Build down. Play a card from your hand on a pile if it's one rank lower and the other colour than the card on top: a red 9 on a black 10, a black 4 on a red 5. Hearts and diamonds are red, spades and clubs are black. Aces are low, so nothing goes on an ace.
- Start a corner. Put a king from your hand in an empty corner. A corner pile builds down like any other: a red queen on a black king, then a black jack, and so on.
- Move a pile. Move a whole pile onto another pile when its bottom card is one rank lower and the other colour than the other pile's top card. A pile with a king at the bottom can move into an empty corner.
- Fill a space. When the north, east, south or west space is empty, play any card from your hand there.
- End your turn by drawing one card from the stock. If you can't play anything, or don't want to, you just draw.
- Go out. The first player to play their last card wins the hand straight away, without drawing.
- When the stock runs out, play goes on without drawing. If a whole round of turns goes by in which nobody plays anything, the hand is over.
Scoring
When the hand ends, everyone who still holds cards takes penalty points for them:
| Card left in your hand | Penalty points |
|---|---|
| King | 10 |
| Any other card | 1 |
- Choose the game on the page: One hand, To 25 points (the default) or To 50 points.
- In a game to 25 or 50, the points add up from hand to hand. As soon as someone reaches the target, the player with the fewest points wins. If two or more players tie for the fewest, play goes on a hand at a time until one player alone has the fewest. (Pagat's rules don't cover ties.)
- In a game of one hand, the player who goes out wins. If the hand ends because nobody plays for a whole round, the fewest penalty points wins, and a tie for the fewest is a draw.
- The first player moves one seat to the left every hand.
Controls
- Play a card: tap a card in your hand. The piles it can go on glow; tap one to play it there. Cards that fit somewhere right now have a blue edge.
- Move a pile: tap a pile with a blue edge, then tap the glowing pile to move it onto. Tap it again to put it back.
- End your turn: press Draw and end turn, or tap the stock. When the stock is empty, the button says End turn.
- Each pile shows its top card with its bottom card peeking out above it, and how many cards it holds. Your hand is sorted from kings down to aces, with your penalty points next to your name.
- The cards here use the usual two colours, red and black, so you can see at a glance what goes on what.
- Keyboard: ← and → to move along your cards, Tab to reach the piles, Enter to pick or play, D to draw and end your turn, and Esc to put back what you picked.
With 2–4 Players, a cover screen hides the cards whenever the device passes to the next player, and a short line tells them what the others did. At the end of each hand everyone's cards are shown face up.
Computer levels
The computer never looks at your cards or the order of the stock. It knows its own cards, the piles on the table, how many cards each player holds and how many are left to draw, just as you do. Playing alone, choose 2, 3 or 4 players to take on 1, 2 or 3 computer players, all at the level you pick.
| Level | How it plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Misses about one card in four that it could play, and picks its moves without much thought. |
| Medium | Plays every card it can: kings first, then any card that fits, its highest card in an empty space, and it moves piles to make room. |
| Hard | Works out the best order for its whole turn, so it's left with the fewest penalty points, and tries not to leave easy places for the next player's cards, sometimes keeping a card back. Now and then it overlooks a card. |
| Expert | Plans like Hard without overlooking anything, and also watches what you couldn't play: if a card fitted the table when you ended your turn, you probably don't hold it. In a game for two it keeps back cards that would give you somewhere to play. |
Tips to win
- Get your kings out fast. A king left in your hand costs 10 points, as much as ten other cards.
- Make your own spaces. Moving a pile onto another empties its space, and an empty space takes any card: ideally a high one your other cards can follow.
- Don't leave a space empty. At the end of your turn, an empty space lets the next player get rid of any card they like.
- Watch what isn't played. If a black 8 sat on top of a pile all through your rival's turn and they didn't play a red 7 on it, they probably don't have one.
- Aces close a pile. Nothing goes on an ace, so playing one also takes away a place where your rival could play.
- Keeping a card back can pay. Against one rival, a card that would open a new place for their cards may be worth holding for a turn, even though it costs a point if they go out.
About Kings Corner
Kings Corner, also called King's Corners, is a card game popular in North America, played with one ordinary deck of 52 cards. It's a mix of patience (solitaire) and a race to empty your hand: everyone builds on the same piles, so every card you play can help or block the others. The rules here follow Pagat, the card game rules site: you draw one card at the end of your turn, and penalty points are 10 for a king and 1 for any other card, added up to a target such as 25 or 50.
Families play it in many ways: drawing at the start of the turn, or two cards, playing kings as soon as you can, counting cards at face value, or building the corners down in one suit. Here, a pile with a king at the bottom may move into an empty corner at any time, not only at the start of the hand.
Questions
How do you play Kings Corner?
Each player gets seven cards, and four cards go face up round the deck. On your turn you play cards on the piles, one rank lower and the other colour, start the corners with kings and move piles to make room, then draw a card. The first player to play their last card wins the hand.
How many cards do you deal in Kings Corner?
Seven cards to each player, whether two, three or four are playing. Then four cards go face up next to the deck, and the rest form the stock.
Do you draw at the start or the end of your turn?
At the end: drawing a card from the stock is what ends your turn. Some families draw at the start instead; this game follows Pagat's rules.
Can you put any card in an empty space?
Yes, in the north, east, south or west space. Only a king can go in an empty corner, and in this game a pile with a king at the bottom can move there too.
What if a king is dealt face up at the start?
The first player can move it into an empty corner and fill the space it leaves. In this game, the same goes for a king at the bottom of any side pile, at any time. A face-up card that fits on another can be moved onto it, too.
What happens when the stock runs out?
Players carry on without drawing. If a whole round goes by in which nobody plays a card or moves a pile, the hand ends and everyone counts their penalty points.
How do you score Kings Corner?
Everyone still holding cards when the hand ends takes 10 penalty points for each king and 1 for each other card. In a game to 25 or 50, the fewest points wins once someone reaches the target.
Can 3 or 4 people play Kings Corner on one phone?
Yes. Choose 2–4 Players and how many people are playing. A cover screen hides each hand while the device is passed round.
Is Kings Corner free?
Yes. It's free in your browser, with no download, no sign-up and no ads during a game.
Updated 11 November 2026