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Nerves is a fast paced card game for two players.

• A regulation deck of 52 distinct playing cards, no jokers.
• A table to play on

The deck is placed face down in the middle of the table, between the two players. A round of 'divide or choose' is played as follows. One player divides the deck by cutting the top of in one smooth motion and places the top half next to the bottom half. The second player chooses one of the two halves without touching either pile. This assigns each player one pile of cards. They need not contain the same number of cards.

Both players place their respective pile of cards before them, at a distance of their choosing on their own half of the field. Both piles of cards must remain entirely on the table, no piece of any card may stick out beyond the edge of the table.

+---------+
|   +-+   |
|   | |   |
|   +-+   |
|         |
|         |
|         |
|   +-+   |
|   | |   |
|   +-+   |
+---------+

Both players place the palms of their hands against the table such that they each have one hand on either side of their respective pile of cards.

One player says the name of any person within earshot of the game. The game starts then that person first responds.

When the game starts, each player is allowed to remove their hands from the side of the table to pick up their respective pile of cards.

Each player arranges their cards into five piles of cards as shown on the figure below. The top card of each pile of cards should face up, the others must face down.

 +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+
 +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+  | |
 +-+  +-+  +-+  | |  +-+
 +-+  +-+  | |  +-+
 +-+  | |  +-+
 | |  +-+
 +-+

This arrangement may be mirrored horizontally as follows:

 +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+
 | |  +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+
 +-+  | |  +-+  +-+  +-+
      +-+  | |  +-+  +-+
           +-+  | |  +-+
                +-+  | |
                     +-+

The arrangement must be made by first placing the back row, either from left to right or from right to left. Only then may the second row be placed, etc.

When a player has arranged their cards, they place the rest of their card to the right and in front of this arrangement as follows. Enough space must be left for two piles between these cards, and some more place between those two piles. These outer two most piles of cards are called the rest cards.

                          +-+
                     +-+  | |
                +-+  | |  +-+
           +-+  | |  +-+  +-+
      +-+  | |  +-+  +-+  +-+
      | |  +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+
      +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+

 +-+                           +-+
 | |                           | |
 +-+                           +-+
    
    
      +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+
      +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+  | |
      +-+  +-+  +-+  | |  +-+
      +-+  +-+  | |  +-+
      +-+  | |  +-+
      | |  +-+
      +-+

Once a player has finished arranging their cards, they can start turning their first rest card. No player has to wait for the other to start once they have finished their own arrangement.

A player can only use one hand to arrange their cards at a time, but they can use either hand.

At any time after the arrangement of their cards, a player may re-arrange their arranged cards to their own liking.

• At any time, their may be up to five piles of cards with face-up cards.
• A player may turn any face-down card to make this happen.
• Two or more cards with the same value may be stacked on top of each other. These cards then only count as one pile of face-up cards.

A player may never re-arrange the other player's cards.

After arranging their cards, a player may turn rest cards from their own rest pile onto their own playing pile. A player may never turn a rest card from the other player's rest pile. Turning a rest card must be done such that the face of the card that is being turned is visible to the other player first. A player is never forced to turn a rest card.

                          +-+
                     +-+  | |
                +-+  | |  +-+
           +-+  | |  +-+  +-+
      +-+  | |  +-+  +-+  +-+
      | |  +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+
      +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+

 +-+ -> +-+             +-+ <- +-+
 | | -> | |             | | <- | |
 +-+ -> +-+             +-+ <- +-+
    
    
      +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+
      +-+  +-+  +-+  +-+  | |
      +-+  +-+  +-+  | |  +-+
      +-+  +-+  | |  +-+
      +-+  | |  +-+
      | |  +-+
      +-+

To play an arranged card, a player picks up a face-up arranged card and places it on top of one of the playing piles. To play a card, the value of the card being played and the card on top of the chosen playing pile must differ by exactly one.

+-+                +-+     +-+
|8| Allowed cards: |7| and |9|
+-+                +-+     +-+

If a mistake has been made, the player that makes the mistake must take back the card that they played mistakenly. This player may only resume playing afterward, but the other player can play on in the meantime.

When the top of the two playing piles show cards of the same value, both players are allowed to hit between the two playing piles.

The player that does not hit between the two playing piles first, must take all cards on both of the playing piles and add them to the bottom of their rest piles.

To continue the game, the other player must then wait until the player that just picked up the playing cards has turned a rest card.

When a player has three or fewer arranged cards, they may take these cards on hand such that the other player cannot see them. A player has no obligation to show these last three cards to the other player if they were face down up until that point.

When a player plays his last arranged card, he enables both players to hit either playing pile. Each player chooses a playing pile by hitting it. Only one player can choose any given playing pile. The player who hits their chosen playing pile first gets to take it. The other player must choose the other.

Each player picks up the chosen playing pile, as well as their rest pile and possible remaining arranged cards. When a player has picked up all their cards, they can start arranging them again. The other player does not have to wait until the first has finished picking up their respective cards.

To win the game, a player must hit an empty playing pile after playing all of their respective arranged cards.

To hit, a player places their hand on the spot that they choose to hit.

A hit may never occur at the same time as the action that made the hitting possible. This means that when a play with one hand makes a hit possible, then the same hand may not be used to hit at that same location. It also means that when a play with one hand makes a hit possible, then the other hand may not be used to hit at an other location.

Cards on either playing pile may not be re-arranged.

No card may be shuffled, not even between two games.