How to play Sueca

• Sueca is played by four people in two teams of two. Partners sit opposite each other.
• Play goes counter-clockwise: the turn always passes to the player on your right.
• Each hand is worth 120 points. The team that scores more than 60 wins the hand and scores games.
• The first team to reach 4 games wins the match.

A 40-card deck is used: a standard deck without the 8s, 9s and 10s. There are four suits (hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs), each with 10 cards.

Card ranking, from strongest to weakest

Note: the Seven is the second strongest card, right after the Ace, and the King outranks the Jack and the Queen.

Points per card

• A
  11 points
• 7
  10 points
• K
  4 points
• J
  3 points
• Q
  2 points
• 6, 5, 4, 3 and 20 points

Each suit is worth 30 points. The whole deck, 120.

1. 1The first dealer is drawn at random. On each new hand, the deal passes to the player on the right.
2. 2The deck is shuffled and cut automatically.
3. 3The dealer deals 10 cards to each player, starting with the player on their right. The last 10 go to the dealer.
4. 4The last card dealt, which belongs to the dealer, is turned face up: its suit is the trump suit for the hand.
5. 5The trump card stays visible to everyone until the dealer plays it.

• The player to the right of the dealer leads. After that, whoever won the previous trick leads.
• Each player plays one card, in turn. The four cards make a trick.
• You must follow the suit that was led whenever you have a card of that suit.
• If you don't have the suit, you may trump or discard any other card. You're not required to trump or to play a higher card.
• The highest trump wins the trick. If nobody trumped, the highest card of the suit led wins.
• The points of the four cards go to the team that won the trick.

There's no revoke online: the server refuses any card you're not allowed to play, so you can never fail to follow suit by mistake.

After the 10 tricks, each team counts its points. Only the team with more points scores.

• The match is won by the first team to reach 4 games.
• A bandeira (all 120 points) wins the match immediately, whatever the score.

• You have 30 seconds to play each card.
• If time runs out, autopilot plays a legal card for you so the table doesn't stall.

Whoever creates a private table can change these rules. Public tables always use the standard rules (4 games, 30 seconds, no doubling after a draw).

Games to win

1, 2, 4 or 6 games.

Time per move

15, 30 or 60 seconds.

Double after a draw

After a 60 to 60 draw, the next hand is worth double the games.

Mão (hand)

The 10 tricks played with one deal of cards.

Vaza (trick)

The four cards played in one round of the table.

Trunfo (trump)

The suit of the card turned up by the dealer. Any trump beats cards of the other suits.

Dador (dealer)

Whoever deals the cards for the hand. Keeps the trump card.

Assistir (follow suit)

Playing a card of the same suit as the card led.

Cortar (trump)

Playing a trump when you don't have the suit led.

Baldar-se (discard)

Playing a non-trump card of another suit because you don't have the suit led.

Renúncia (revoke)

Not following suit while holding that suit. Penalised at a real table; impossible online.

Manilha

The Seven, the second strongest card of each suit.

Jogo (game)

The unit of the scoreboard. A hand is worth 1, 2 or 4 games.

Capote

Winning the hand with 91 to 119 points. Worth 2 games.

Bandeira

Taking all 120 points. Worth 4 games and wins the match.

Partida (match)

The series of hands until one team reaches the games needed.