You’ve probably seen that bright blue and yellow box sitting on a shelf at a cabin or a basement game night. It looks innocent. It looks like something a nice Pennsylvania Dutch family would play while sipping root beer. And they do. But don’t let the "Vonderli" and the "Plowman" cards fool you. Once the game starts, it is pure, unadulterated chaos. Honestly, if you want to know how to play Dutch Blitz, you first need to accept that you are about to enter a high-speed collision of math, reflexes, and flying cardboard.
It’s fast. Very fast.
Unlike most card games where you sit around waiting for your uncle to decide if he wants to play a Jack or a Queen, Dutch Blitz has no turns. Everyone plays at the exact same time. It’s a "vonderful" game, as the box says, but it’s also a test of how well you can keep your cool when four different hands are lunging for the same pile of cards in the middle of the table.
What’s Actually in the Box?
Before you start slapping cards down, you need to make sure your deck is right. A standard Dutch Blitz set comes with four decks. Each deck has a different symbol on the back: a Carriage, a Bucket, a Pump, or a Plow. This is the only way you’ll get your cards back at the end of the round. Trust me, you do not want to mix these up permanently.
Each deck has 40 cards. The cards are numbered 1 through 10 in four different colors: Red, Blue, Green, and Yellow.
The goal? Get rid of your "Blitz Pile." That’s it. If you empty that pile first and yell "BLITZ!" the round ends, and everyone else is left staring at their remaining cards in despair.
Setting Up Your Farm
In Dutch Blitz, you aren’t just a player; you’re a farmer. Sorta. You have to set up your "Farm" area before the screaming begins.
First, shuffle your deck thoroughly. You’re going to count out 10 cards and place them in a pile face up. This is your Blitz Pile. This is the bane of your existence. This is the pile you must exhausted to win. Next to that, you’ll place three cards face up, side-by-side. These are your Post Piles. Think of them as your staging area.
The rest of the cards stay in your hand. This is your Wood Pile.
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So, to recap your workspace:
- The Blitz Pile: 10 cards (the ones you want to get rid of).
- The Post Piles: 3 cards (used to build or move cards).
- The Wood Pile: The leftover cards in your hand.
If you are playing with only two people, you actually use five Post Piles instead of three to keep the game moving. With three players, use four. It keeps the table from getting too stagnant.
How to Play Dutch Blitz and Actually Win
The game starts when someone yells "Go!" or "Blitz!" or just makes a loud, aggressive noise.
There are two main places you are playing cards: the Dutch Piles (the center of the table) and your own Post Piles.
The Center (Dutch Piles)
The Dutch Piles are where the real action happens. These piles are public property. Anyone can start a Dutch Pile by placing a number 1 card of any color in the middle of the table. Once a 1 is down, anyone can play a 2 of the same color on top of it. Then a 3, then a 4, all the way up to 10.
This is where the speed comes in. If there is a Red 4 in the middle and you have a Red 5, you better move fast. If your neighbor also has a Red 5, whoever hits the pile first gets the spot. Physical contact is common. Apologies are optional.
Your Post Piles
You can also play cards onto your own three Post Piles to clear space. But there’s a catch. You have to build them in descending order and alternate colors. For example, if you have a Red 9, you can put a Blue 8 on top of it. Then a Green or Yellow 7. It’s very similar to Solitaire, but way more stressful because the person across from you is breathing heavily.
Why bother with Post Piles? Because it uncovers cards in your Blitz Pile. Every time you move a card from your Blitz Pile to the center or to a Post Pile, you flip the next card in your Blitz Pile over.
The Wood Pile
When you’re stuck—and you will get stuck—you turn to your Wood Pile. You count off three cards at a time and flip them over, only looking at the third card. If you can play it, great. If not, you flip another three. You keep cycling through your hand until the round ends.
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The Scars of the "Blitz"
The round ends the second someone clears their 10-card Blitz Pile and shouts "Blitz!"
Everything stops. Immediately. If you were mid-air with a card, it doesn't count. Put it back.
Now comes the math. It’s simple but can be painful.
- Count your points: Look at all the cards in the middle of the table. Flip them over and find the ones with your symbol (the Pump, the Carriage, etc.). Each card is worth 1 point.
- The Penalty: Look at your Blitz Pile. For every card left in that pile, you subtract 2 points from your score.
It is very possible to end a round with a negative score. I’ve seen people finish with a -15 because they were too slow and got stuck with a full Blitz Pile. It’s humbling.
The first person to reach 75 points over several rounds is the overall winner.
Nuance and Strategy: More Than Just Fast Hands
A lot of people think learning how to play Dutch Blitz is just about being the fastest. It’s not. If you just mindlessly slap cards, you’ll block yourself.
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is ignoring their Post Piles. They get so focused on the middle of the table that they forget they can move cards around on their own board. If you have a Yellow 6 in your Blitz Pile and a Green 7 in your Post Pile, move that 6! It clears a spot in your Blitz Pile, which is the whole point of the game.
Another trick: watch the other players. If you see someone hovering a Blue 4 over the middle, and you have the Blue 5, get ready. You don’t even need to look at your other cards. Just wait for their card to hit and then strike. It’s a bit predatory, sure, but the Pennsylvania Dutch didn't design this for the weak of heart.
The "Stall" Problem
Sometimes, the game grinds to a halt. No one has a 1. Or no one has the Red 4 that everyone needs. When this happens, and everyone has cycled through their Wood Pile and no moves are left, everyone agrees to a "wash." Everyone takes the top card of their Wood Pile, puts it on the bottom, and you try again. It breaks the deadlock.
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Common Misconceptions
People often confuse Dutch Blitz with Nertz or Ligretto. While they are cousins, the card distribution in Dutch Blitz is specific. The 40-card deck and the specific imagery are unique.
Also, there's a myth that you have to use your hand (the Wood Pile) to win. Honestly? Some of the best players barely touch their hand until they’ve cleared half their Blitz Pile using only the Post Piles. The hand is a distraction. The Blitz Pile is the mission.
Another one: "You can't use two hands." Well, actually, the official rules are a bit loose on the physical mechanics, but standard etiquette is one hand for moving cards and one hand for holding your Wood Pile. Using two hands to grab cards from different places is generally considered "cheating" or at least a good way to get your knuckles rapped.
Advanced Tactics for the Competitive Soul
If you want to move beyond the basics of how to play Dutch Blitz, you have to master the "three-card flick." Since you flip your Wood Pile in groups of three, you can actually plan ahead. If you see a card you need is the second one in the stack, you know that if you play one card from a previous set, that second card will eventually become the third card in a future cycle.
It’s card counting for people who don't have time to count.
Also, spatial awareness is huge. You need to keep the entire center of the table in your peripheral vision. If you’re staring at your own cards, you’ll miss the half-second window when the Green 9 is open.
Organizing the Chaos
To keep the game from devolving into a literal fistfight, keep the table clear. Remove snacks. Remove drinks. Especially drinks. I have seen many a Red 3 ruined by a spilled ginger ale.
If you're playing with kids, you might want to give them a "head start" by reducing their Blitz Pile to 5 cards instead of 10. It keeps them from getting frustrated while they develop the motor skills to compete with the adults who have been playing this at church retreats for thirty years.
Ready to Blitz?
Learning how to play Dutch Blitz takes five minutes. Mastering it takes a lifetime of caffeine and fast reflexes.
Now that you know the setup—the Blitz Pile, the Post Piles, and the Wood Pile—and you understand that the goal is to exhaust that 10-card stack while building sequences in the middle, you’re ready.
Your Next Steps:
- Clear a large, flat surface. A round table is actually better than a rectangular one because everyone is equidistant from the Dutch Piles.
- Check your decks. Ensure all 40 cards are present for each player (1-10 in four colors).
- Assign a scorekeeper who isn't afraid of doing quick math under pressure.
- Start with a practice round where you play at 50% speed just to get the "ascending color" logic down.
Once the first "Go!" is shouted, all bets are off. Good luck. You're going to need it.