Card game: Grid

Getting a feel for the strategy of this game probably requires following the instructions and playing it!
Any number of players can play, although it probably becomes pointless with too many players (especially for variant 1).

This game has two variants.

Variant 1

Use a shuffled deck.

Place 8 cards, face up, on the table in a pattern like this:

AAA
A A
AAA

The eight card positions are actually eight potential stacks.

Give each player one card, face-up. These are their personal stacks. The player with the most cards in their stack at the end of the game wins.

Place the rest of the deck, face-down, in the middle position.

Players take turns around the table. On a turn you first fill any missing stacks out of the eight with cards from the deck (one card per empty stack). then you do *one* of the following:
a) place one card/stack on another card/stack, as long as the top cards of the two stacks are either the same suit or the same value. repeat as desired
b) take exactly one stack and place it on your personal stack. You may only do this if the top card on your personal stack is the same suit or value as the top card on said stack.
You may not pass. (you must either take a stack or place at least one stack/card atop another, unless no move is possible)

Variant 2

Just like variant 1 except that you can't "repeat as desired". you either do a) twice, or b). you cannot pass. if you do a) and doing it only once is possible, you do it once.