User:Bermicourt/Card games/Czech Sedma

Sedma (Czech for "Seven", also known as "Red Seven") is a popular Czech card game for 2-4 players. It is played with a pack of 32 'Mariage' cards i.e. Bohemian pattern playing cards with German suit symbols. This is a plain trick-taking game that can act as preparation for more complex games of a similar type, such as Draw (Lízaný) or Voleny Mariáš.

Card values
The most powerful cards in the game are the Sevens because they beat all other cards, however, the only counting cards are Aces and Tens, which are worth 10 points each. If three play, 2 non-counting cards (usually an Eight and Nine) are removed from the pack bbefore the game. The player who is dealt the 'Red King' (King of Hearts) plays alone (it is prudent to hide possession of the Red King for as long as possible), against the other two whose points are combined at the end. In a three-player game, the "Red King" also acts as the Seven. Otherwise the rank and suit of the cards has no significance in this game.

In a four-hand game, each pair of players sitting opposite one another forms a team and combine their points at the end. They may assist each other, but must not give advice, indicate the composition of their hands, etc.).

Rules
At the beginning, each player is dealt four cards, the rest of the pack is placed in the middle, face down.

Forehand plays a card of any rank. If an opponent wants to head the trick, he must play a card of equal rank. If he does not have a card of the same rank or does not want to play it, he may play any card. If no one follows the rank of the first card, the trick is taken by the player who led. Otherwise the player who was last to play a card of the led rank wins the trick.

An exception is the Seven, which may represent a card of any rank, except when led. The first player can also continue the trick with it.

The trick winner leads to the next trick. Players draw cards from the stock in the middle until each has four cards again. If there are not enough cards in the pack, they draw them such that everyone has the same number.

The cards won by a player in tricks are placed in front of him. At the end of the game, the counting cards that each player has won in tricks are counted up. The counters the Tens and Aces, other cards have no point value (not even the Sevens). Ten additional points are scored by the player who took the last trick. A maximum of 90 points is available. The player or team that scores more points wins the game.

Scoring
Sedma is played for a pre-agreed number of game points, usually 10, with 1 game point being earned for each game won. However, if the losing side scores no card points, then 2 game points are awarded for the win. And if the losing side fails to take any tricks at all, the winning side scores 3 game points.

Burnt game
If a player draws four cards of the same rank, the game is said to be 'burnt' or 'burned' (spálená); it ends immediately, and the player who drew the four cards wins (when three or four play, of course, his teammate also wins). The winning side gets 4 game points for burning the game.

The game can also be burnt by the successive play of cards to a trick: if the leader plays the first card and the other players play the remaining three cards of the same rank immediately after it. In this case, the game is won by the player who plays the last card, but only 1 point is awarded for the game. The game is not burnt if four cards of the same value do not follow in unbroken succession (e.g. A-7-7-A-A-A) or if the four equal-ranking cards are not played in the first round of a trick (e.g. A-A-7-7-7-7). The game cannot be burnt in this way in the three-player variant.

Other rules
The loser of the previous game shuffles the cards for the next game and deals 4 cards to all players. The one who won the last game starts (or vice versa).

At the beginning of each game (except the first), forehand has the right to exchange his cards with his partner. Any communication between partners during the game are prohibited.

If two players play a card of the same rank in a row and if the next player in turn also has it, he must play it (so-called obligation). This rule applies only within one round - neither the trick winner nor the next player has this obligation.