Avoid the lowest card. Aces are low. Kings block an exchange.

This round's actions
    Completed rounds
    Revealed cards and lost lives from completed rounds
    RoundYouMinaLeoRosa

    Play Chase the Ace Online Free

    One card and one decision: keep it or risk an exchange. Play Chase the Ace against Mina, Leo, and Rosa, three computer opponents. No account or download is needed. This is the traditional card game also called Screw Your Neighbor, Cuckoo, or Ranter Go Round, not a lottery, raffle, or real-money game.

    How to Play

    1. Everyone begins with three lives. Each round deals one card per remaining player from a fresh shuffled 52-card deck.
    2. Turns follow the displayed player order, starting after the dealer. Keep your card or exchange with the next remaining player. A neighbor holding a King reveals it and blocks the swap.
    3. The dealer acts last and exchanges with the stock instead. Drawing a King blocks that exchange too, so the dealer keeps the original card.
    4. Reveal the cards after the last turn. Lowest rank loses one life, including every player tied for lowest. Aces are lowest, Kings highest; suits do not matter.
    5. The dealer moves to the next surviving player each round. Outlast the table to win. Your game ends if you lose all three lives. If everyone remaining loses their last life together, this version records a draw.

    Using the Table

    Your card is always visible. Computer cards stay hidden until the round ends or a King blocks an exchange. After your choice, the computers finish their turns immediately. Read the action list to see exchanges and blocked swaps, then choose Next Round when ready. On later rounds the computers may act before you because the dealer rotates.

    Keep Card and Swap with Neighbor work by click, tap, or keyboard: Tab to a button, then press Enter or Space. When you are dealer, the swap button becomes Exchange with Stock. New Game and a page reload both start over; unfinished games are not saved.

    Chase the Ace Strategy

    An Ace is dangerous, but exchanging does not guarantee a better card. High cards are usually worth keeping. The Hint button uses only your own rank, suggesting an exchange for 7 or below. Computer decisions follow the same rule, without looking at anyone else's hidden card. This is a light game of chance and risk, not a guaranteed winning strategy.

    Questions and House Rules

    Can I play Screw Your Neighbor against the computer?

    Yes. This page plays the one-card keep-or-swap version against three bots. Other games share the name Screw Your Neighbor, so check that your family uses these rules.

    Can I play with friends?

    This version is single-player only. No multiplayer rooms, entry fees, prizes, or betting are involved.

    What counts as a leaderboard win?

    Only becoming the last surviving player counts as a win. It earns 1,000 game-score points plus 100 for each life you kept. Losses and draws earn zero game-score points. Merely surviving one round is not a win.

    Where can I read other variations?

    Pagat's Cuckoo and Chase the Ace rules describes other house rules. This version has no special powers for Queens or Jacks and uses a draw when a final tie eliminates everyone.

    More Easy Card Games

    Try Trash for filling a hidden-card layout, Palace for shedding hand and table cards, or Old Maid for avoiding the last unmatched Queen. For lower-score grid play, try 9 Card Golf.