Kings in the Corner rules
Kings in the Corner is a card game for 2 to 4 players who all play onto the same piles in the middle of the table. You build the piles down in alternating colors, and kings start new piles in the corners. The first player to empty their hand wins. It is also called Kings Corner or Kings Corners.
Also called Kings Corner, Kings Corners, Kings in the Corners.
- Players
- 2 to 4. Said to be best with 4.
- You need
- A standard 52-card deck, without the jokers
- Deal
- 7 cards each. The rest go face down in the middle as the stock, with 4 cards turned face up around it.
- Goal
- Be the first to play every card from your hand
- Game ends
- One hand can be the whole game. For a longer game, play hands until someone reaches an agreed target, such as 25 or 50 penalty points. The lowest total wins.
- Playing time
- About 10 to 15 minutes a hand
Quick start
- Deal 7 cards to each player. Put the rest face down in the middle as the stock. Turn 4 cards face up, one on each side of the stock.
- The player on the dealer’s left goes first. Play as many cards as you like onto the piles. Each must be one lower and the other color, such as a black 8 on a red 9.
- Only kings can go into the 4 empty corners, where they start new piles. You can also move a whole pile onto another pile if its bottom card fits.
- When one of the 4 side spaces is empty, you can play any card from your hand into it.
- When you have finished playing, or if you cannot or will not play, draw 1 card from the stock. That ends your turn.
- The first player to play every card wins the hand. The others take 1 penalty point for each card left, 10 for a king. At the agreed target, the lowest total wins.
Rule sheet and score sheet
Print the whole game on one page, and a score sheet made for Kings in the Corner. Both are free PDFs for Letter paper.
Setup
2 to 4 players, each playing alone. It is said to be best with 4. Some groups play with 5 or 6, and a note on that is further down.
You need: A standard 52-card deck with the jokers taken out.
| In the set | Count | Worth when scoring |
|---|---|---|
| Number cards, 2 through 10 | 36 | 1 penalty point each if left in your hand |
| Jacks | 4 | 1 penalty point each |
| Queens | 4 | 1 penalty point each |
| Kings | 4 | 10 penalty points each |
| Aces | 4 | 1 penalty point each |
| Total | 52 |
- Cards rank from king, the highest, down to ace, the lowest. Nothing can be played on an ace.
- Color matters and suit does not. Red cards go on black cards and black cards go on red ones.
- Use a standard 52-card deck with the jokers taken out. Kings are high and aces are low.
- Choose a dealer at random. After each hand, the deal passes to the left.
- Deal 7 cards face down to each player.
- Put the rest of the deck face down in the middle of the table. This pile is the stock.
- Turn 4 cards from the stock face up and put one on each side of it: north, east, south and west. These start the 4 side piles. The 4 corners between them stay empty for kings.
| Players | Each player gets | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 7 cards | 4 cards go face up around the stock, and 34 stay in the stock. |
| 3 | 7 cards | 4 cards go face up around the stock, and 27 stay in the stock. |
| 4 | 7 cards | 4 cards go face up around the stock, and 20 stay in the stock. |
Each player’s hand
7 cards
North
East
Stock
Face down in the middle
South
West
The 4 corners stay empty until kings are played
- If a king is one of the 4 cards turned up, leave it where it is for now. The first player may move it to a corner on their turn.
- Another way to choose the first dealer: everyone draws a card, and the highest card deals.
How to play
Turns pass to the left. On your turn you can make four kinds of play, as many times as you like and in any order. Then you draw 1 card, and that ends your turn.
-
Play cards onto the piles
On your turn, you can play a card from your hand onto any pile when it is one rank lower and the other color than the top card. A red 9 goes on a black 10, and a black 8 goes on that. Keep playing as long as you have cards that fit and want to play them.
- Aces are low, so nothing can be played on an ace.
- Once a card is on a pile, it stays there. You cannot take it back into your hand.
- You do not have to play a card just because it fits. Some groups play that you must, so agree first.
-
Put kings in the corners
A king can start a pile in any empty corner, at any point in your turn. Play it there from your hand. Build on it the same way as the side piles: a queen of the other color, then a jack, and so on down to the ace.
- Only a king can go into an empty corner. No other card can start a corner pile.
- If a king was one of the 4 cards turned up at the start, the first player may move it to a corner. They can then play any card from their hand into the space it left.
- A corner pile has a king at the bottom, and no card is higher than a king. That means a corner pile can never be moved onto another pile.
-
Move a whole pile
You can move a whole pile onto another pile. The bottom card of the pile you move must be one rank lower and the other color than the top card of the pile it joins. Moving a side pile leaves an empty space.
- It is the bottom card that has to fit, the one at the start of the run. The top card of the moved pile then becomes the card to play on.
- You can move a side pile onto a corner pile too, as long as the bottom card fits.
-
Fill an empty side space
When one of the 4 side spaces is empty, you can play any card from your hand into it. That card starts a new pile, and you build down on it as usual.
- Only the 4 side spaces take any card. The corners take only kings.
- The rule sources we checked do not agree on moving a whole pile into an empty side space. One allows a run of cards there, and the other mentions only a card from your hand. Agree before you play.
-
Draw 1 card to end your turn
When you have made all the plays you want, draw 1 card from the stock. That ends your turn, and the player on your left goes next. If you cannot play or do not want to, draw 1 card and your turn ends.
- Everyone draws at the end of the turn, the first player included.
- Some groups draw at the start of the turn instead. See the variants further down.
- If you play your last card, you have won the hand and do not draw.
-
When the stock runs out
If the stock is used up, keep playing without drawing. Your turn ends when you have made the plays you want.
- Once the stock is gone, a player who cannot play passes, and the turn moves to the left.
-
End of the hand
The hand ends as soon as a player plays the last card from their hand. That player wins the hand. It also ends if the stock is gone and nobody can or will play another card. Then everyone scores the cards left in their hand.
| Place on the table | What you can play there |
|---|---|
| A pile with cards on it | A card one rank lower and the other color than its top card, or a whole pile whose bottom card fits that way |
| A pile with an ace on top | Nothing |
| An empty corner | A king, and only a king |
| An empty side space | Any card from your hand |
Example: move a pile, then fill the space
It is your turn. North holds the 10 of diamonds with the 9 of spades on top. South holds the 8 of hearts with the 7 of clubs on top. East shows the 4 of clubs and west the 2 of diamonds. You hold the queen of spades, the jack of diamonds, the 6 of hearts, the 5 of diamonds and the 3 of spades. The 8 of hearts at the bottom of the south pile is one lower than the 9 of spades and the other color. So you move the whole south pile onto north, and south is now empty. You play the 6 of hearts on the 7 of clubs. Then you put the queen of spades into the empty south space and the jack of diamonds on top of it. The 3 of spades cannot go on the 4 of clubs, because both are black. Nothing else fits, so you draw 1 card and your turn ends.
Your hand at the start
North before
South before
The 8 of hearts fits on the 9 of spades, so the whole pile moves
North after
The moved pile, then the 6 of hearts from your hand
South after
Any card can fill an empty side space
East
The 3 of spades cannot go here because both are black
West
Left in your hand
Now draw 1 card to end your turn
Scoring
You can play a single hand, won by the first player to empty their hand. For a longer game, everyone takes penalty points for the cards left in their hand, and low scores are good.
| Card | Penalty points |
|---|---|
| Each king | 10 |
| Each other card | 1 |
| No cards left (you went out) | 0 |
| Card | Main rule | Jacks and queens at 2 | Face values |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Queen or jack | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 2 through 10 | 1 | 1 | The number on the card |
| Ace | 1 | 1 | 25 |
| Usual target | 25 or 50 | 25 or 50 | 100 or 250 |
- A player who goes out scores nothing for that hand.
In a one-hand game, the first player to empty their hand wins. In a longer game, add up each player’s penalty points after every hand. When someone reaches the agreed target, such as 25 or 50, the player with the lowest total wins.
Write each player’s penalty points after every hand and keep a running total. Agree on the target before the first deal.
A worked example: scoring one hand with 3 players
Maya plays her last card, so the hand ends. Leo has 3 cards left: the king of spades, the 7 of diamonds and the 2 of clubs. He drew the king at the end of his last turn and never got to play it. Sam has 4 cards left and no kings. Each king costs 10 and each other card costs 1. These points go on top of each player’s total from earlier hands.
Leo’s hand
10 for the king, 1 each for the others
Sam’s hand
1 each
| What happened | Goes to | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Maya went out with no cards left | Maya | 0 |
| Leo’s king of spades | Leo | 10 |
| Leo’s 7 of diamonds and 2 of clubs, 1 each | Leo | 2 |
| Sam’s 4 cards, 1 each | Sam | 4 |
| Maya | 0 | |
| Leo | 12 | |
| Sam | 4 |
Scorekeeper
One row for each hand. Enter each player’s penalty points for the cards left in their hand: 10 for each king and 1 for each other card. When someone reaches the target, the lowest total wins. The target starts at 50 and can be changed to 25 or any number your group agrees on. It works in this browser, keeps the game if the page reloads, and needs no account.
Other ways to play
Kings in the Corner for 2 players
The rules do not change. Deal 7 cards each and turn 4 cards face up around the stock, which leaves 34 cards in the stock. The non-dealer goes first, and the two of you take turns until one of you plays the last card from your hand or the hand is blocked.
Kings in the Corner for 5 or 6 players
The game is usually played by 2 to 4, but the rules allow more. Deal 7 cards each and turn up 4 as usual. The stock is small: 13 cards with 5 players and 6 cards with 6 players. It runs out early, and after that everyone plays on without drawing. One deck cannot give 7 cards each to 7 players.
House rules and other versions
- Draw at the start of your turn
- Draw 1 card from the stock before you play, not after. The first player draws too. Since the draw no longer ends your turn, knock on the table or say “pass” when you have finished.
- You must play when you can
- If a card in your hand fits anywhere, you have to play it. You draw without playing only when nothing fits.
- Penalty for holding back a king
- A player caught holding a king they could have played takes 3 penalty points, or pays 3 chips. This is hard to check, so agree on it before you play.
- Jacks and queens count 2
- At the end of a hand, each jack or queen left in your hand costs 2 points. Kings still cost 10 and every other card 1. Play to 25 or 50.
- Face-value scoring
- Each ace left in your hand costs 25, each king, queen or jack costs 10, and other cards cost the number on them. Play to 100 or 250, or play a set number of hands. The lowest total wins.
- Out at the target
- A player who reaches the target is out of the game. The others keep playing hands until only one player is left, and that player wins.
- Playing for chips
- Everyone puts 1 chip in the pot before the deal. On a turn where you only draw and play nothing, add 1 more chip. The player who goes out wins the pot. Each other player also pays them 1 chip for every card left in hand, or 10 for a king.
- Draw 2 cards
- Draw 2 cards from the stock at the end of each turn instead of 1.
- Draw until you can play
- If you have nothing to play, keep drawing from the stock until you get a card that fits. Play it, then draw 1 more card and end your turn.
- Corner piles built in suit
- The corner piles are built down in the king’s own suit, not in alternating colors: on the king of hearts goes the queen of hearts, then the jack. Some versions leave the side piles as usual. In one, the side piles are built up instead of down, still in alternating colors. In another, every pile is built down in suit.
- Collect the corners
- A player who completes a corner pile, from the king all the way down to the ace, claims it. When play ends, the player with the most corners wins.
- Two jokers
- Add the 2 jokers to the deck. A joker can be played as any card you like. Agree before you start on what a joker left in your hand costs.
Rule questions
How many cards do you deal in Kings in the Corner?
7 cards to each player, from a standard 52-card deck without jokers. The rest go face down in the middle as the stock. Then 4 cards from the stock are turned face up, one on each side of it. With 4 players, 20 cards are left in the stock.
Do you draw at the start or the end of your turn?
At the end in the main rules. You make your plays, then draw 1 card, and the draw ends your turn. The first player draws at the end of their turn like everyone else. Some groups draw at the start instead, before playing. Then the first player draws too, and you knock or say “pass” when you are done.
Do you have to play a card if you can?
No, not in the main rules. You can play as many fitting cards as you like, or none, and then draw. The rule sources we checked differ on this, and some groups require you to play every card that fits. Agree before you start.
Can any card go in an empty corner?
No. Only a king can go into an empty corner. Any card from your hand can go into an empty side space, which is one of the 4 spaces that held the face-up cards at the start.
What if a king is turned up at the start?
The first player may move it to an empty corner on their first turn. They can then play any card from their hand into the side space the king left.
When you move a pile, which card has to fit?
The bottom card of the pile you move. It must be one rank lower and the other color than the top card of the pile it joins. For example, a pile that starts with the 8 of hearts can move onto the 9 of spades.
Can you move a pile into an empty space?
The rule sources we checked differ. One allows a card or a run of cards to fill an empty space. The other says only that you can play any card from your hand there. Agree before you play.
What happens when the stock runs out?
Keep playing without drawing. The hand goes on until someone plays their last card, or until nobody can or will play another card. Then everyone scores the cards left in their hand.
What happens if nobody can play?
While the stock lasts, each player draws 1 card and the turn passes on. Once the stock is gone and nobody can or will play, the hand is over. Everyone takes penalty points for the cards in their hand.
Can you play anything on an ace?
No. Aces are the lowest card, so a pile with an ace on top is finished. If it is a side pile, you can still move the whole pile onto another pile when its bottom card fits there. A corner pile, with its king at the bottom, cannot be moved.
How much is a king worth at the end of a hand?
10 penalty points for each king left in your hand. Every other card costs 1. Some groups count jacks and queens as 2, and some score every card at face value.
What score do you play Kings in the Corner to?
Agree on a target before you start. 25 or 50 penalty points are usual. When someone reaches it, the player with the lowest total wins. In another version, reaching the target puts you out, and the last player left wins.
Words used in Kings in the Corner
- Kings Corner, Kings Corners
- Other names for Kings in the Corner. Kings in the Corners is another. They are all the same game.
- Stock
- The face-down cards in the middle of the table. You draw from it at the end of your turn.
- Side piles
- The 4 piles started by the cards turned up at the start, north, east, south and west of the stock. Card players also call them foundation piles.
- Corner piles
- The piles in the 4 corners between the side piles. Only a king can start one.
- Build down
- Play a card one rank lower than the top card of a pile, such as a 7 on an 8.
- Other color
- Red on black or black on red. Hearts and diamonds are red. Spades and clubs are black.
- Empty space
- A side space with no cards in it, usually because its pile was moved. Any card from your hand can fill it.
- Going out
- Playing the last card from your hand. It wins the hand.
- Penalty points
- Points you take for cards left in your hand when a hand ends. The lowest total wins.
- Rank
- The number or letter on a card. From high to low: king, queen, jack, 10 down to 2, then ace.
What you need
- A standard deck of playing cardsOne 52-card deck is enough for 2 to 6 players.Find it on Amazon (A standard deck of playing cards, opens in a new tab)
- Poker chipsOptional. Only for the version played for chips.Find it on Amazon (Poker chips, opens in a new tab)
- A playing card holderOptional. It holds 7 or more cards for a child or anyone who finds a fan of cards hard to hold.Find it on Amazon (A playing card holder, opens in a new tab)
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Checked against
These rules are written in our own words from Bicycle Cards and checked against Pagat. Sources last checked on October 12, 2026.
- First source: Bicycle Cards, Kings Corner. The 52-card deck, the 7-card deal, the 4 face-up cards in a cross, card ranks, the first player, building down in alternating colors, kings only in the corners, moving piles, filling empty spaces, the first player out wins, 2 to 4 players and the draw at the start of the turn.
- Second source: Pagat, Kings Corners. The draw at the end of the turn, playing as many or as few cards as you like, the bottom card rule for moving piles, a king turned up at the start, the empty stock, the blocked hand, penalty scoring with kings at 10 and the target of 25 or 50, the dealer and most of the variants.
Other sources we used (1)
- Wikipedia, Kings in the Corner. A third opinion on when to draw and whether you must play, the non-dealer first with 2 players, choosing the dealer by the highest card, cards staying where they are played, the name King’s Corners, and the variants with jacks and queens at 2, players out at the target, drawing until you can play and collecting corners.
Where the sources differ (10)
| Topic | Bicycle Cards | Pagat | This page |
|---|---|---|---|
| When you draw | Lists the turn as: draw 1 card from the stockpile, make as many valid plays as possible, then the next player goes. It does not say whether the first player draws. | You play first, then must draw 1 card, and the draw ends your turn. A player who cannot or will not play still draws. Drawing at the start of the turn is listed as a variation, with a knock or “pass” to end the turn. | Draw at the end, following Pagat. Wikipedia also has the draw at the end. Drawing at the start is a variant and a rule question. That the first player draws under that rule is our reading, because Bicycle gives no exception. |
| Whether you must play | Says to make as many valid plays as possible, which can be read as a duty to play. | A player who is unable or unwilling to play draws. Holding back a king is a variation with a 3-point penalty, which the page says is hard to enforce. | Playing is optional, following Pagat. Wikipedia says playable cards must be played, though it also mentions a player who chooses not to play. Must-play is a variant and a rule question. |
| Which card must fit when a pile is moved | A full pile moves onto another if its “top card” fits in descending, alternating order. | The bottom card of the moving pile must be one lower and the opposite color to the top card of the pile it joins. | The bottom card, following Pagat and Wikipedia. Bicycle’s short summary is read as loose wording, since only the bottom card can meet the pile below. |
| Filling an empty space | Play on empty foundation spots “with any valid card or sequence”. | Any card from your hand can go into an emptied north, east, south or west space. Moving a pile there is not mentioned. | Any card from your hand. Moving a pile into the space is a rule question, with advice to agree first. |
| Scoring and the end of the game | No scoring. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins. | Penalty points for cards left in hand: 10 for a king, 1 for any other card. Play to an agreed target, for example 25 or 50. The lowest total then wins. | Both. One hand can be a whole game, and Pagat’s penalty scoring is the main rule for a longer game. Wikipedia counts jacks and queens as 2 and puts players out at the target. Both are variants. |
| Number of players | 2, 3 or 4. | Two or more, said to be good for four. | 2 to 4, best with 4, with a version for 5 or 6. Wikipedia’s text says 2 to 4 and its infobox 2 to 5. |
| The stock running out and a blocked hand | Not stated. | Play continues without drawing. Play also ends when the stock is gone and nobody can or will play. | Follows Pagat. Wikipedia agrees on play continuing without drawing. |
| A king among the 4 face-up cards | Not stated. | It can be moved to a corner. The player on the dealer’s left gets that move and may then play a card from hand into the space. | Follows Pagat. |
| Choosing the dealer | Not stated. The player on the dealer’s left starts. | The first dealer is chosen at random, and the deal passes clockwise. | At random, passing to the left. Wikipedia’s highest-card draw is in the setup notes. |
| Name | Kings Corner. | Kings Corners, also known as Kings in the Corners. | Kings in the Corner, with the other names in the intro and the terms. Wikipedia gives King’s Corners. |
What on this page is our own
- The playing time of about 10 to 15 minutes a hand is our estimate. Wikipedia’s infobox gives about 5 to 15 minutes.
- The example turn, the 3-player scoring example and the pieces pictured at the top of the page are our own.
- The stock sizes after the deal (34, 27, 20, 13 and 6 cards) and the point that one deck cannot deal 7 cards each to 7 players are our arithmetic.
- That a corner pile can never be moved onto another pile and that a pile with an ace on top can still be moved are our reasoning from the rules.
- That a side pile can be moved onto a corner pile is our reading. Pagat calls the corner piles foundation piles and allows a pile to move onto any other foundation pile.
- Under the draw-at-the-start variant, that the first player draws too is our reading, because neither Bicycle nor Pagat makes an exception.
- In the collect-the-corners variant, Wikipedia says a player claims each corner they complete. Taking complete to mean built down to the ace is our reading.
- We call the 4 piles around the stock side piles. The sources call them foundation piles.
- That a player who plays their last card does not draw is our reading of Pagat, where the draw applies only to a player who has not gone out.
- That suit does not matter, only color, follows from the alternating-color rule. Neither main source says it in those words.
- That a player who cannot play after the stock is gone passes the turn is our wording of Pagat’s rule that play continues without drawing.
- The 5 or 6 player version applies the normal rules to Pagat’s “two or more players”. Wikipedia’s infobox gives up to 5.
- The notes under What you need describe products and are not rules.
Spotted a mistake? Email [email protected] and we'll check it against the sources.