Amsterdam: The Meet or Beat Card Game

The Game

Simple rules. Real competition.

Amsterdam is a fast-paced card game where every hand matters. Many players win each round — but there's only one loser, and they deal next.

🎯

One Core Rule

Meet or beat the card played to you — or pick up the pile. Everything flows from that.

⚡

Three Wild Cards

The 2, 3, and 10 can flip the game in a single move. Learn them and you have an edge.

🏆

Tournament Ready

Official scoring. Sets of 10. The only casual card game built for real competition.

🌍

Play Anywhere

One standard deck. No special pieces. Game nights, camping trips, family tables.

Rules

How to Play Amsterdam

You'll be playing your first round in under five minutes.

01

The Setup

Deal 9 cards to each player: 3 face-down (no peeking), 3 face-up on top of those, and 3 in hand. The rest is the draw pile. Before play begins, each player may swap any of their face-up cards with cards from their hand.

02

To Start

The dealer asks the player to their left: "Do you have a 4?" The first player holding a 4 opens play. If nobody has a 4, move to 5, then 6, and so on until someone can open.

03

Your Turn

Play a card from your hand that meets or beats the top card on the discard pile. You can play multiple cards of the same value at once. If you can play — you must. If you can't, you pick up the entire discard pile.

04

Draw Up

While the draw pile lasts, keep at least 3 cards in hand. Play 1, draw 1. Play 2, draw 2. If you pick up the discard pile, all those cards become your hand — you don't draw again until you're back below 3.

05

Can't Play? Pick Up.

If you can't beat the top card, pick up the entire discard pile. That's your new hand. No sandbagging — if you can play, you must.

06

The Layers

Your cards exist in three layers — hand, face-up, face-down. You always play from your hand first. Once the draw pile is gone you move to face-up cards, and face-down cards come last. You can never skip ahead: if you pick up and go back to hand cards, you must fully clear each layer before advancing to the next.

07

The Endgame

When the draw pile runs dry, play your face-up cards. Can't play one? Pick up the pile — clear your hand completely before returning to face-up cards. Once all face-up cards are gone, blindly flip one face-down card per turn. Unplayable? Pick up everything. Clear your hand before flipping another. Every card must be earned.

08

Many Win. One Loses.

Players exit as they clear their cards — some cards have been cleared from play entirely. The last player still holding cards loses and deals the next round.

Natural 4-of-a-Kind: If four cards of the same value are played consecutively — by one player or across multiple players — the pile clears and the last player gets a free turn. (Example: playing four 6s on a 5 counts.) Only a natural 4-of-a-kind clears — a 3 (Mirror) played into the sequence counts as the card it mirrors, which interrupts the streak and resets the count.

Wild Cards

The 3 Cards That Change Everything

Master these three cards and you'll win more than your share of rounds.

2

♥

Make It Low

The 2 — "Make It Low"

Resets the pile. The next player can play any card, even the lowest in their hand. One rule: you can never play a 2 on a 3.

3

♦

Mirror

The 3 — "Mirror"

Becomes whatever card it covers. Play a 3 on a King — next player needs a King or better. The 3 takes on the identity of the card beneath it.

10

♣

Clear

The 10 — "Clear"

Wipes the entire discard pile from the game. Those cards are gone. And you get another turn. The most powerful card on the table.

Our Story

25 Years in the Making

"We learned a version of the game from a friend who'd just been to Amsterdam. Half the rules were missing — so we figured them out ourselves and kept playing."

This game came to be in a small apartment in Estes Park, Colorado, after a friend returned from a trip to Amsterdam with an incomplete card game. The rules were half-finished. So we did what anyone would do — argued, refined, and kept playing.

Over 25 years, Amsterdam spread through family game nights, camping trips, and scout troop weekends. No ads. No algorithm. Just a genuinely great game that people couldn't stop teaching to others.

90s

The Amsterdam Connection

A friend returns from a trip to Amsterdam with an incomplete card game. We fill in the blanks in a small apartment in Estes Park, Colorado.

00s

It Spreads Organically

Game nights, camping trips, scout troop events. The rules sharpen. The game gets better.

2025

Tournament Play Develops

A group of friends who play every year on a ski trip develop an official scoring system so they can crown a weekend champion. Sets of 10. A last-place penalty that makes every game count.

Now

Amsterdam Goes Official

25 years of organic play. Now it has a home. Welcome to Amsterdam.

Difficulty

Play at Every Level

Whether you're teaching someone new or playing with regulars, Amsterdam scales with the room.

Setup

3 face-down, 3 face-up, 3 in hand as normal
Before play starts, you may swap any face-up cards with cards from your hand
Strategy tip: put strong cards face-up, keep a 10 in hand

Best For

First-time players and younger players
Casual game nights where everyone should feel capable
The swap moment gives new players time to think

Setup

3 face-down, 3 face-up, 3 in hand as normal
No swapping — face-up cards stay as dealt
Play with what you're given

Best For

Groups that know the game and want more challenge
Regular game nights where everyone is comfortable with the rules
Builds real strategy around hand and pile management

Setup

3 face-down, 3 face-up, 3 in hand — no swapping
Unplayable face-down card? Pick up the entire pile
An unplayable face-down card does not go to your hand — it becomes a face-up card. Pick up the pile, clear your hand, then play that new face-up card before flipping your next face-down card. Three layers, earned in order: hand → face-up → face-down.

Best For

Seasoned players and tournament play
High-stakes nights where every decision matters
The face-down cards become a real gamble at the end

Competitive Play

Tournament Mode

The only casual card game with an official scoring system built for real competition.

1–2

Deck Options

1 deck: 2–5 players · 2 decks: 6–10 players

10

Games per Set

Complete 10 games to finish a Set

3

Sets per Tournament

The player with the lowest total score across all Sets wins the tournament

📊

Official Scoring

Lowest total score wins — your finish position is your score

Points Per Game

Finish	Points	Notes
1st Out 🏆	0	First to clear all cards
2nd Out	2	—
3rd Out	3	—
4th Out	4	—
Last Place	Players + 1	5-player game = 6 pts penalty

Your score each game is simply your finishing position — 2nd out scores 2, 3rd out scores 3, and so on. 1st place scores 0, rewarding the player who goes out first. Last place scores their position plus 1 (the point from 1st place) as a penalty — going out last costs extra. There is intentionally no score of 1. Last place also deals the next round.

Track Your Set ↓

Stay in the Game

Get the Free Amsterdam Rules Card

A printable quick-reference card — perfect for keeping in any deck box. Free when you sign up for the Amsterdam newsletter. We'll keep you in the loop on new updates, tournaments, and what's coming next.

📥Instant PDF download · Free Rules Card · Join the Amsterdam newsletter

Amsterdam

Simple rules. Real competition.

One Core Rule

Three Wild Cards

Tournament Ready

Play Anywhere

How to Play Amsterdam

The Setup

To Start

Your Turn

Draw Up

Can't Play? Pick Up.

The Layers

The Endgame

Many Win. One Loses.

The 3 Cards That Change Everything

The 2 — "Make It Low"

The 3 — "Mirror"

The 10 — "Clear"

25 Years in the Making

The Amsterdam Connection

It Spreads Organically

Tournament Play Develops

Amsterdam Goes Official

Play at Every Level

Setup

Best For

Setup

Best For

Setup

Best For

Tournament Mode

Points Per Game

Amsterdam Score Tracker

Set Up Your Game