How to Play Dutch Blitz

Last Updated on July 22, 2025 by The Official Game Rules Team

Dutch Blitz is a fast-paced card game where players race to empty their “Blitz Pile” by playing cards onto center piles in ascending order. This page provides a clear breakdown of the rules, guiding you through the card play, hand management, and the frenetic speed that defines this game. With its focus on quick reflexes and simultaneous play, Dutch Blitz offers an engaging experience for those who enjoy high-energy card games. Get ready to play fast, think quickly, and blitz your way to victory.

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Goal of Dutch Blitz:
Be the first player to completely clear your Blitz pile before anyone else!

Number of Players:
2 to 4 participants

Game Components:
Four decks of Dutch Blitz cards, each containing 40 cards (total of 160 cards)

About Dutch Blitz

Dutch Blitz is a quick and lively card game originally created by a German immigrant in Pennsylvania. Initially designed as a fun matching game for children, it has since become popular with players of all ages who enjoy fast reflexes and competitive play. Though it’s easy to pick up, mastering Dutch Blitz requires practice and strategy.

Setting Up the Game

Each player receives one of the four distinct decks, which feature different symbols and colors. Use only your assigned deck throughout the game.

Preparing Your Card Piles:

Place 3 cards face-up in a row in front of you — these form your “Post” piles.
Next to these, deal 9 cards face-down, topped with one face-up card — this pile is your “Blitz” pile.
If the total value of the face-up cards in your Post and Blitz piles exceeds 30, reshuffle and redeal.
The remaining cards become your “Wood” pile, which you will cycle through during gameplay.

How to Play Dutch Blitz

There are no turns in Dutch Blitz — all players play simultaneously, racing to play cards onto shared piles or their own stacks as quickly as possible. The main objective is to be the first to empty your Blitz pile.

Dutch Piles:
These are central, shared piles where players build ascending sequences starting with the number 1 cards (if available). Anyone can add to these piles in numerical order. When a pile reaches the 10 card, place it face-down to close it.

Wood Pile:
Flip through your Wood pile in sets of three cards at a time, revealing a face-up card on top each time. If the top card can’t be played, keep cycling through until you find one that can. This mechanism is similar to the draw pile in Solitaire.

Playing from the Blitz Pile:
Your Blitz pile is key—playing all cards from this pile ends the round. Each time you play a card from your Post pile, move the face-up card from your Blitz pile to that spot and reveal the next card. When you run out of cards in your Blitz pile, shout “Blitz!” to signal the end.

Advanced Play: Post Pile Stacking

You can rearrange cards within your Post piles by stacking cards in descending order, alternating colors between “boy” and “girl” cards (e.g., red and blue cards are boys, yellow and green are girls). You may move cards from your Blitz pile or between Post piles this way to free up cards and reveal new ones.

Scoring

Once a player empties their Blitz pile and calls “Blitz,” scoring begins:

Each remaining card in a player’s Blitz pile counts as -2 points.
Players then earn 1 point for each card they contributed to the shared Dutch piles, categorized by symbol.
The first player to reach a total of 75 points wins the overall game, though you can set your own target or play a fixed number of rounds.

Tips for Success

Always focus on playing from your Blitz pile first since leftover cards reduce your score.
Use Post pile stacking strategically but avoid stacking from the Wood pile onto Post piles.
Keep an eye on opponents’ Blitz piles to anticipate when they might call Blitz.
Try to get rid of high-value cards early to open up your Blitz pile faster.

Playing with More Than Four Players

Although Dutch Blitz is designed for up to 4 players, expansion packs add new decks and colors, allowing up to 8 players for a bigger and more chaotic game.