Sueca (game)
Encyclopedia
Sueca is a 4 player-partnership point trick-taking card game
. The game is most popular in Portugal
, Brazil
and Angola
. Its closest known relative is the very similar German game Einwerfen
.
As well as the high position of the seven, known as "manilha" or "bisca" to Portuguese speaking players, notice that the jack beats the queen. This is very common in Portuguese card games, a resonance of the old Portuguese decks where the Jack was thought of as a knight and the queen corresponded to a maid (see The Baraja in Portugal).
The first dealer is chosen at random and the turn to deal passes to the right after each hand. The player to the dealer's right shuffles the cards and the player at the dealer's left cuts. The dealer then gives 10 cards to each player, in a single batch, beginning with the player to dealer's right, going around counter-clockwise and ending with the dealer. The bottom card of the deck, which belongs to the dealer, is turned face up, and its suit becomes trumps.
Alternatively, the dealer can choose to deal the first ten cards to himself, the next ten to the player to his right, and so on counter-clockwise. In this case the dealer's first card (the original top card of the deck) is turned up and determines the trump suit.
Being considered a "deaf-dumb persons game" in Portugal, there can be no talking between the players and no exchange of signals between partners (considered cheating in tournament play). In casual play, though, this rule is frequently overridden, with signs actually being negotiated between partners prior to playing, which adds a different level of fun to the game - as each team tries to discover the other's cheating signs so they can get the upper hand in play.
It is to be noted that in the Azores the 10 is worth 10 points and the sevens are removed from the deck. There are 120 points in the deck altogether.
The object of the play is to win tricks containing more than half of the card points. The team which takes more than 60 card points scores one game. The first team to score four games win the rubber.
If a team takes 91 or more card points in tricks on one deal, they score two games instead of one. If they take all the tricks they score four games and thus win the rubber immediately. Taking 120 points but losing a trick (with no counting cards in it) is not sufficient to win the rubber. In this case the winning team would just score 2 games for having more than 90. In case of tie it's considered a null game... no team gets any point.
Card game
A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games...
. The game is most popular in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. Its closest known relative is the very similar German game Einwerfen
Einwerfen
Einwerfen or Zählspiel is a German 8-card point-trick game for four players using a 32-card piquet pack. Its closest relative is the popular Portuguese game Sueca. Perhaps the most basic and typical representative of the Ace–Ten card games , this game was first described in 1873 but may be...
.
Players & deck
The game is played with 40 cards by removing 8s, 9s, 10s from a standard 52 card deck. The rank of the cards in each suit, from highest rank to lowest one, is: Ace, 7, King, Jack, Queen, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.As well as the high position of the seven, known as "manilha" or "bisca" to Portuguese speaking players, notice that the jack beats the queen. This is very common in Portuguese card games, a resonance of the old Portuguese decks where the Jack was thought of as a knight and the queen corresponded to a maid (see The Baraja in Portugal).
The deal
The game is played counter-clockwise.The first dealer is chosen at random and the turn to deal passes to the right after each hand. The player to the dealer's right shuffles the cards and the player at the dealer's left cuts. The dealer then gives 10 cards to each player, in a single batch, beginning with the player to dealer's right, going around counter-clockwise and ending with the dealer. The bottom card of the deck, which belongs to the dealer, is turned face up, and its suit becomes trumps.
Alternatively, the dealer can choose to deal the first ten cards to himself, the next ten to the player to his right, and so on counter-clockwise. In this case the dealer's first card (the original top card of the deck) is turned up and determines the trump suit.
The play
The player to the right of the dealer (the one who shuffled the cards) leads to the first trick. Players must follow suit if they can. A player who has no card of the suit led may play any card. If any cards of the trump suit are played to a trick, the highest trump wins. Otherwise, the trick is won by the highest card of the suit led. The winner of each trick leads to the next.Being considered a "deaf-dumb persons game" in Portugal, there can be no talking between the players and no exchange of signals between partners (considered cheating in tournament play). In casual play, though, this rule is frequently overridden, with signs actually being negotiated between partners prior to playing, which adds a different level of fun to the game - as each team tries to discover the other's cheating signs so they can get the upper hand in play.
Scoring
In Sueca, the aim is to win tricks containing valuable cards. The card values are:| Card | Name / Value |
|---|---|
 |
Ace 11 Points |
 |
Seven 10 Points |
 |
King 4 Points |
 |
Jack 3 Points |
 |
Queen 2 Points |
 |
The rest of the cards 0 Points |
It is to be noted that in the Azores the 10 is worth 10 points and the sevens are removed from the deck. There are 120 points in the deck altogether.
The object of the play is to win tricks containing more than half of the card points. The team which takes more than 60 card points scores one game. The first team to score four games win the rubber.
If a team takes 91 or more card points in tricks on one deal, they score two games instead of one. If they take all the tricks they score four games and thus win the rubber immediately. Taking 120 points but losing a trick (with no counting cards in it) is not sufficient to win the rubber. In this case the winning team would just score 2 games for having more than 90. In case of tie it's considered a null game... no team gets any point.
Alternative scoring rules
There are several scoring rules that diverge from country to country and even region to region. The most common are:- Scoring 120 points being enough to win 4 games, as opposed to having to take all tricks. In the north of PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
your team has to win all the cards in the deck to be able to win 4 games. - The rubber being of 6 points instead of 4 (frequently played in the north of PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
). In this case taking all the tricks will make you win 4 games, not the entire rubber. - If a team scores more than 90 points, the defeated one loses 2 games - this is called "rolha" in Portuguese or "corkscrew" as a close translation (variation often played in southern regions of PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
as Alentejo and Algarve). - If there is a tie, both teams taking exactly 60 card points in tricks, no one scores, but the next hand is worth an extra game.