Game Rules
SuecaThe Seven Reigns

Portugal's fastest trick-taking game. The Seven is the second highest card, teams need 61 points.

Players4
Duration15 – 25 Min
Deck40 Cards · 1 Deck
LevelMedium
I · Game Idea

Unusual
Card Values

I

Sueca is played with a 40-card deck (without 8s, 9s, 10s) in two partner teams. The card ranking is unusual: Ace is the highest card, but the Seven is the second highest – more important than King or Queen.

The goal is for the team to score more than half of the total 120 points – at least 61.

II · Preparation

Before the
Game Begins

II
1
Reduce Deck
Use 40 cards: Ace, 7, King, Queen, Jack, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 of each suit.
2
Deal Cards
10 cards per player.
3
Determine Trump
Dealer turns over a card – its suit is trump for the round.
Before Starting

The Seven is the most valuable card after the Ace – this surprises many beginners and should be considered from the start.

III · Card Values
How Cards
Count
III
A
Ace
11 Points
The Ace is the highest card and also the most valuable – 11 points.
7
Seven
10 Points
The Seven is the second highest card – unusually strong and worth 10 points.
K
King
4 Points
The King is only the third highest card after the Ace and Seven.
61
Point Goal
Out of 120
The team needs more than half of the total points, i.e., at least 61.
IV · Gameplay

Trick
by Trick

IV
1
Show Trump
Dealer turns over a card – its suit is trump.
2
Follow Suit
Play the led suit if possible, otherwise trump or off-suit.
3
Win Trick
Highest trump card wins, otherwise the highest card of the led suit.
4
Coordinate with Partner
If your partner is leading, play low cards instead of overtrumping.
5
Count Points
All trick points of the team are added. The team with at least 61 out of 120 points wins the round. Several rounds are played until an agreed score is reached.
V · Variants
Variants
V

Sueca is also popular in Brazil and former Portuguese colonies.

B
Bisca
Related game with similar card values, but different rules.
2
Two Players
Reduced variant for two instead of four players.
T
Til
Brazilian name for a very similar game.
∅
No Trump Showing
Stricter variant: Trump is not shown openly, only announced.
VI · Tips & Tricks

What really
matters

VI
Strategy Tips
+

Internalize the unusual ranking immediately – whoever treats the Seven as a low card will squander valuable tricks.

+

Play in coordination with your partner – if they are already leading the trick, play low cards instead of unnecessarily overtrumping.

+

Hold back Trump Ace and Trump Seven, if possible, for crucial later tricks.

+

Observe carefully which high cards have already been played – with only 40 cards in the deck, the rest can be estimated well.

Common Mistakes
–

Treating the Seven as an ordinary card and losing it too early in unimportant tricks.

–

Overtrumping your own partner, even though they have already securely won the trick.

–

Forgetting that only 40 instead of 52 cards are in play – this changes all probability calculations.

–

Playing high trump cards too early without a clear tactical reason, instead of saving them for critical moments.

Berlin Hold'em · Matching Decks
Get the right deck

Sueca is Portugal's fast trick-taking game – playable immediately with a reduced deck.

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20s Playing Cards – Double Pack For larger groups and long game nights. To the Product Viking Playing Cards – Double Pack Two decks, suitable for 5+ players. To the Product
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