A Step-by-Step Guide to Dutch Blitz

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Learn how to play this super fun card game for all ages

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 22, 2024 References

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Forming the Piles

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Playing a Round

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Scoring a Game

Dutch Blitz is an action-packed, fast-paced game played with 4 decks of cards that have 40 cards in each deck. The game can be played with 2-4 players, or up to 8 players if you have a special expansion pack. To play Dutch Blitz, start by having each player select a deck to play with. Then, each player can form their Post Piles and Blitz Pile. When a round starts, any player can play a card at any time by placing the next card of the same color in ascending number order. The goal of each round is to get rid of all of the cards in your Blitz Pile. When a player empties their Blitz Pile, they shout “Blitz!” and the round is over. Tally up the remaining cards and keep track of the score before you start another round!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Forming the Piles

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1
Gather a minimum of 2 players for a game. In order to play a game of Dutch Blitz, you have to have a minimum of 2 players and a maximum of 4 with a standard deck. Find enough people to complete a full game of Dutch Blitz. ^{[1]
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- You can play with up to 8 players with special expansion packs.
2
Designate a scorekeeper for the game. Dutch Blitz is fast-paced and involves lots of quick rounds of play. In order to keep track of everyone’s total points, choose a player to keep a notebook and tally everyone’s points at the end of each round. ^{[2]
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- You can also use the memo or notes application on a smartphone to keep track of the total points.
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3
Have each player choose a deck of cards and shuffle them. A standard game of Dutch Blitz has 4 decks of 40 cards each. Each of the 4 decks has a different decorative design on the back of them: a pump, a carriage, a pail, and a plow. Have each player choose one of the decks of cards. ^{[3]
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- The player will use the same deck of cards for the entire game of Dutch Blitz.
- If you’re playing a game with only 2 or 3 players, don’t use the spare deck of cards.
After you’ve chosen your deck of cards, remove the 3 cards from the very top of the deck and place them in front of you, face up. These cards are your Post Piles and you can use them to draw from while you’re playing a round.

Note: If you’re playing a game of Dutch Blitz with 2 players, each player will draw the top 5 cards from their deck and lay them face up in front of them to form 5 Post Piles.
5
Count out 10 cards and place them face up to make the Blitz Pile. Once you’ve formed your Post Piles with the top 3 cards, count out 10 additional cards from the deck and set them to the right of the Post Piles. This is your Blitz Pile and you’ll use it to replenish your Post Piles and progress through each round of play.
- Keep the Blitz Pile face up to the right of the Post Piles.
6
Hold the remaining cards in your hand. Keep the remaining cards in your hands in case you need to draw from them to form a Wood Pile during a round. If you’re unable to play any of the exposed cards on the table in front of you, you can pull 3 cards from the spare cards to create a Wood Pile to give you more chances to play.
- Don’t look through the cards. Keep them together and facing down until you need them.
7
Designate the area in the center of the table as the Dutch Piles. Keep the area in the center of you and the other players clear so you can create and add to the Dutch Piles. The only cards that should be placed in the center are cards that are being played. ^{[4]
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- Don’t clutter the center area so every player can see it clearly.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Playing a Round

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Every player begins a round at the same time and plays simultaneously until the round is over. In order to avoid confusion, have the scorekeeper indicate when a round is starting. ^{[5]
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Tip: Have the scorekeeper give a signal or say something like, “1, 2, 3, Go!”
2
Move any Number 1 cards to the center of the table to start a Dutch Pile. If any of the exposed cards in the Post Piles or the Blitz Pile are a Number 1 card, move them to the center. Keep the card face up. The Dutch Piles can be added to by any player that has the next higher number for the same color.
- All players are playing their cards simultaneously.
- Anytime a Number 1 card comes up in the game, move it to the center of the table to form another Dutch Pile.
3
Fill an empty space in the Post Piles with the top card of the Blitz Pile. Whenever a player moves 1 of the cards from their Post Piles to a Dutch Pile in the center, replace the empty slot with the top card in the Blitz Pile. There must always be 3 Post Piles for each player. ^{[6]
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- For games played with 2 players, there must always be 5 Post Piles for each player.
4
Place a Number 2 card of the same color on top of the Number 1 card. If you have the Number 2 card of the same color as a Number 1 card in the center, stack the Number 2 card on top of it. Keep the card face up so every player can see it. ^{[7]
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- You don’t need to wait to play the card. If you see it, play it!
5
Continue to stack cards of the same color in ascending number order. All of the cards on a Dutch Pile are played to the next higher number and they must be the same color. There are no turns in Dutch Blitz, so if you see have a card that is the same color and the next highest number of the top card on a Dutch Pile in the center, stack it on top of the card face up. ^{[8]
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- For example, if there’s a Dutch Pile that has a blue 6 on top of it, you can place a blue 7 on top of that card if you have it.
6
Stack cards in your Post Piles in descending order. You can add cards to your Post Piles by placing cards in descending number order, while also alternating between boy and girl cards. If you look at the corners of the face of the card, you’ll notice that there is either a drawing of a boy or a girl there. You must alternate the cards by boy and girl and counting down in number. ^{[9]
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- For example, if you have a red 5 card and there’s a boy in the corner of the card, you can place a blue 4 beneath it if there is a girl in the corner of the card.
7
Count 3 cards out of the deck in your hand if you can’t play a card. If you can’t play a card from your Post Piles or your Blitz Pile, you can create a Wood Pile. Remove the top 3 cards from the deck in your hand and lay them face up, revealing only the top card. You can now draw from your Post Pile, Blitz Pile, or Wood Pile to add to a Dutch Pile in the center.
- You must play the top card from the Wood Pile. You can’t choose which card you’d like to play by sorting through it.
- If you run out of cards in your Wood Pile, draw 3 more from the stack in your hand.
The goal of each round is to empty your Blitz Pile. As you play cards from your Post Piles, you’ll replace them with cards from your Blitz Pile. You can also play the top card directly from your Blitz Pile. When your Blitz Pile is empty, shout “Blitz!” and the round is over.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Scoring a Game

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1
Count the number of cards remaining in your Blitz Pile. Once a round has ended, each player counts the number of cards that they have left in their Blitz Pile. The number on each card isn’t relevant, just count the total number of cards left in the pile. ^{[10]
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- Keep the Blitz Pile nearby as you organize the rest of the cards and count them.
2
Gather and sort the cards in the Dutch Piles. Remove the Dutch Piles from the center and have each player sort them into matching decks of cards. Stack your deck of cards and set it aside. ^{[11]
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- Don’t combine the cards from your Dutch Pile with the Blitz Pile or any of the cards you have left in your hand or Wood Pile.
3
Take your deck and count the cards that were played in the Dutch Piles. Count the total number of cards that were played in your Dutch Pile. Have each of the other players do the same to get a total number of cards. ^{[12]
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- Do not count the number on the card. Each card counts as 1.
4
Give both numbers to the scorekeeper to compute. Tell the scorekeeper how many cards were in your Dutch Pile and how many were in your Blitz Pile. They will be able to tally and keep track of the total scores before you move on to the next round. ^{[13]
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- Use a notebook to write down the scores for easy reference.
Tip: Try using the memo or notes app on a smartphone to keep track of scores if you don’t have a notebook to write in.
5
Add 1 point for the cards in the Dutch Pile and subtract 2 for the cards in the Blitz Pile. To calculate each player’s score for the round that ended, count the total number of cards in their Dutch Pile and subtract 2 from that number for each card left in their Blitz Pile. That is their score for that round. ^{[14]
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- For example, if you have a Dutch Pile of 19 cards and you have 3 cards left in your Blitz Pile, your total score for that round is 13.
6
Continue to play rounds until a player reaches 75 total points. Once a round is over and the scores have been tallied, start up another round! The game ends whenever 1 player reaches a total score of 75 or higher.
- If 2 players score past 75 at the same time, whoever has the highest score wins.