How to Play

Sueca is the Portuguese national 4-player partnership trick-taking game. 40-card deck (no 8/9/10); each player gets 10 cards; the dealer's last card is trump. Unusual rank order within each suit: Ace, 7, King, Jack, Queen, 6-2. Deck totals 120 points (A=11, 7=10, K=4, J=3, Q=2); partnership with 61+ points wins 1 game; 91+ = 2 games; 120 = 4 games. First to 4 games (or agreed target) wins the match.

Sueca is the national partnership trick-taking game of Portugal and the dominant traditional card game across the entire Portuguese-speaking world (Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, and East Timor). Four players form two fixed partnerships (partners sit opposite); each receives 10 cards from a 40-card deck (standard pack minus 8s, 9s, 10s). The dealer's final card (the 40th card, traditionally kept face-up beside the dealer) determines the trump suit for the hand. The crucial quirk is the unusual rank order within each suit: Ace is highest (11 points), Seven is second highest (10 points), then King (4), Jack (3), Queen (2), then the worthless pips 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 in descending order. The deck contains exactly 120 card points (from 4 Aces + 4 Sevens + 4 Kings + 4 Jacks + 4 Queens); the partnership scoring more than 60 points wins the deal. Strict follow-suit rules apply, but trumping is not mandatory. A match is scored in 'games' (one 1-point game per normal win, 2 games for 91-119 points, 4 games for the total 120-point sweep), and the first partnership to reach the agreed game target (commonly 4 games) wins the match. Sueca is short, sharp, information-heavy, and deeply embedded in Portuguese café culture; it is arguably Portugal's most-played card game.

Players

Exactly 4 players in two fixed partnerships, with partners sitting opposite. The partnership structure is unchangeable during the match. The first dealer is chosen by drawing the highest card; deal rotates anticlockwise (the Portuguese convention). Each player plays their own hand privately and cannot speak to their partner during play; all partnership coordination is through the signals of the cards played.

Card Deck

A 40-card Portuguese or stripped French deck (standard 52-card deck with the 8s, 9s, and 10s removed). Four suits [♠][♥][♦][♣]. Rank order within each suit, high to low: Ace, 7, King, Jack, Queen, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. Note: the Seven ranks second (above King), a rank-reversal quirk shared with several Iberian games. Point values: Ace = 11, 7 = 10, King = 4, Jack = 3, Queen = 2, everything else = 0. Total deck value: 120 card points (4 × 11 + 4 × 10 + 4 × 4 + 4 × 3 + 4 × 2 = 44 + 40 + 16 + 12 + 8 = 120).

Objective

As a partnership, take more than 60 of the 120 card points in tricks during the hand. 61+ points scores 1 game; 91+ scores 2 games; all 120 scores 4 games. The first partnership to reach the agreed game target (typically 4 games) wins the match.

Setup and Deal

1. Cut for dealer; lowest card deals first. Deal rotates anticlockwise after each hand.
2. Shuffle the 40-card deck thoroughly. The player to the dealer's right cuts.
3. Deal 10 cards to each player face-down, in two batches of 5, anticlockwise.
4. The dealer's last card (40th) is kept face-up on the table beside the dealer: its suit is the trump suit for this hand. The card remains face-up and in the dealer's possession until the dealer plays it (usually on an early trick where they are void of the led suit).
5. No stock remains; the entire deck is in play.
6. The player to the dealer's right (the eldest position in anticlockwise play) leads the first trick.

Gameplay

1. Ten tricks are played. Each trick consists of four cards, one from each player, played anticlockwise.
2. The leader plays any one card face-up. Subsequent players follow.
3. Follow suit strictly. If you hold any card of the led suit, you must play one of them. Otherwise, you may play any other card, including a trump; trumping is optional, not mandatory (the key difference from Sueca Italiana and from forced-trump games like Briscola).
4. Trick resolution: If any trump was played, the highest trump wins. Otherwise, the highest card of the led suit wins (remember: A > 7 > K > J > Q > 6 > 5 > ... > 2 in each suit).
5. The winner of the trick collects the four cards face-down into the partnership's trick pile and leads the next trick.
6. No table talk. Once the deal has been dealt, partners may not communicate verbally, by gesture, or by coded comment; the only legal information channel is the cards played.
7. After all 10 tricks, each partnership counts the card-point values in its trick pile.

Scoring

• Card points per trick: Ace = 11, 7 = 10, King = 4, Jack = 3, Queen = 2, 6-2 = 0.A♠K♠Q♠J♠
• Total in deck: 120 points.
• Winning the hand (single game, 1 game point): A partnership that takes 61-90 points wins 1 game.
• Schneider / Pontos (2 game points): A partnership that takes 91-119 points wins 2 games. This is called 'pelada' or 'pontos' in some Portuguese regions.
• Capotão / Big Slam (4 game points): A partnership that takes all 120 points (i.e., every card-valued card, which effectively means all tricks containing valuable cards) wins 4 games. This outcome is rare but decisive.
• Tie (60-60): The hand is a draw; neither partnership scores a game, and the next hand's dealer rotates anticlockwise to the next seat.
• Match target: A match is commonly played to 4 games. Some circles play to 10 games or even a longer series. The first partnership to reach the target wins.

Winning

A single hand is won by the partnership taking 60+ points (draws on exact 60-60). A match is won by the first partnership to reach the agreed game target (typically 4 games, sometimes 10 or an open session). Session play aggregates across many hands, and skilled Sueca players can play dozens of hands in an evening, keeping a running tally of games.

Common Variations

• Sueca Italiana (forced-trump): If you are void of the led suit, you must trump if possible; also called 'obrigação'. Makes the game more tactical and reduces bluffing.
• Sueca à Descoberta / Aberta (open-hand): Dealer and dummy play with exposed hands; used for teaching.
• Sueca de Pontos (points, not games): Scoring accumulates raw points per hand; first to 500 points wins the match. Often used in tournaments.
• Bisca: A shorter 4-player Portuguese variant with a trump-turning card but simpler rules (only 3 cards dealt at a time from a stock; closer to Briscola). Separate game.
• Sueca Brasileira: Brazilian variant with minor scoring tweaks (sometimes adding a bonus for taking the last trick).
• Three-handed Sueca: Used informally when only 3 players are present; one hand is dead (dummy).
• Double-deck Sueca: Two 40-card decks combined (80 cards); played by 6 or 8 players in two partnerships.
• Maria de Copas (Hearts-bonus): Optional rule giving the Queen of Hearts a higher bonus; rarely played.Q♥

Tips and Strategy

• Remember the rank inversion: 7 outranks King. The single most common beginner mistake is playing a King thinking it is the highest side-suit card; expert play constantly leverages the A-7-K-J-Q ordering.
• Count trumps carefully. 10 trumps exist per hand. When fewer than 4 trumps remain in opponents' hands, you can safely cash your Aces and Sevens in plain suits.
• Lead trumps when long in trumps. If you hold 4-5 trumps including an Ace or Seven, lead trump to strip opponents and protect your side-suit winners.
• Protect your partner's Aces. If your partner leads a plain-suit card that looks like it could be their singleton, play your highest card of that suit to keep the lead in the partnership. If your partner plays second-to-last in a trick, assume they are signalling that they want the suit continued.
• Read the partner's echo. Playing a high then low card of a suit (in that order) is a classical Sueca signal meaning 'I have a doubleton'; playing low then high means 'I have 3+'. These conventions are Portuguese cafe-standard.
• Avoid leading weak Kings and Jacks mid-game. They are valuable card-points but lose to unseen Aces and Sevens; lead them only when you can afford the risk or know the opponents are void.
• Be cautious with the capotão (120-point sweep). Going for all 120 points risks losing the whole hand; only chase it when your team has already taken 90+ points and you control every remaining high card.
• Track where the 4 Sevens are. The 7 is worth 10 points and is the second-highest rank; the 7 of trumps is almost as crucial as the Ace.
• Manage your Queen carefully. A plain-suit Queen is worth 2 points and is easily lost to higher cards; use Queens to discard from long suits rather than to win tricks.

Glossary

• Sueca: The game name; from Portuguese 'Sueca' meaning 'Swedish', though the game is not Swedish in origin. The etymology is disputed; some theorists link it to 'sueca' meaning 'partner's shuffle' in regional dialect.
• Trunfo (Trump): The trump suit for the hand, determined by the dealer's final card.
• Capotão / Capot: Taking all 120 card points in one hand; scores 4 games.
• Schneider / Pelada / Pontos: Taking 91-119 points in one hand; scores 2 games.
• Manilha: The Seven of trumps, the second-highest trump and a key card.
• Obrigação: The forced-trump rule in Sueca Italiana.
• Trick: Four cards played in rotation, one from each player.
• Partnership / Parceria: The two-player team; fixed for the match.
• Match (Jogo): A series of hands; first to 4 (or 10) games wins.
• Ranking order in every suit: Ace, 7, King, Jack, Queen, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (from high to low).A♠K♠Q♠J♠