Sueca

Sueca is a trick-taking game that originated in Portugal and is popular in both Portugal and Brazil. The game is played with a Spanish deck of 40 cards and involves four players split into two teams. The objective of the game is to be the first team to reach a certain number of points, typically 4, 10 or 40.

Gameplay

The game begins with the dealer shuffling the deck and dealing nine cards to each player. The remaining four cards are placed face down in the center of the table, forming the talon. The top card of the talon is then turned face up.

The player to the dealer's right leads the first trick by playing a card face up on the table. The other players, in clockwise order, must then play a card of the same suit if they have one. If a player does not have a card of the same suit, they may play any card. The player who played the highest card of the suit led wins the trick and leads the next trick.

Points are scored based on the cards won in tricks. The Ace, Seven, King, Jack and Six are worth points, with the Ace being the highest value card.

Strategy

Successful play in Sueca requires a combination of card counting, strategy and teamwork. Players must keep track of which cards have been played and use this information to make strategic decisions about which cards to play and when. Communication between partners is also crucial, although it must be non-verbal as verbal communication is not allowed during the game.

Variations

There are several variations of Sueca, including Bisca and Sueca Italiana. These variations may have different rules or scoring systems, but the basic gameplay remains the same.

See also

• List of trick-taking games
• Card game
• Spanish playing cards