Seven Up

Seven Up is a trick-taking card game of the All Fours Family. It is basically an American derived variation of All Fours Game. Seven Up is also identified by the name "Old Sledge", and has the advantage of being easily adapted to four players in two fixed-partnerships, or as a card game for three, where each player plays for themselves.

The Cards

A standard deck of 52 cards, ranking Ace down through 2.

The Deal

Players draw to deal, and 6 cards are dealt in batches of 3 to each player, turning up the next card to establish trumps.

If that card just happens to be a Jack, the Dealer scores 1 point for it immediately.

First to the dealer’s left may say stand, and play begins.

Or, the player may beg, that is, say pass, which means he wants the dealer to deal out another 3 cards to every player, and turn a new card for trumps.

The Dealer can either say, “Take it”, in which case the other team/player immediately scores one point, and play begins. Or he/she can deal out another 3 cards to each player and turn the next for trumps, and play begins with this new suit as trumps.

However, if the new turned up card is of the same suit, then the dealer sets it aside, and deals each player another 3 cards and then turns up the next one, and does so until a different suit is turned up, and then play begins with this new suit as trumps. If he/she runs out of cards, we throw in the hand, and the same dealer deals again.

Objective

There are 4 points on offer per deal. These are for High, Low, Jack and Game. This means that you want to win the trick with the Jack of Trumps in it. You also want to win lots of 10s, Aces, and Kings etcetera in tricks.

The Play

First to the dealer’s left leads off, and thereafter, the winner of the trick leads to the next.

Rules

If a trump is led, you must follow suit
If a plain suit is led, you can either follow suit or play a trump.
If unable to follow suit, you can play anything, you don’t have to trump in.

Scoring

Points are awarded in the following strict order

High: This is for being dealt the highest trump in play
Low: This is for being dealt the lowest trump in play. It doesn't matter who wins the card in a trick. The point is awarded to the player or team that was dealt the lowest trump in that hand.
Jack: This point goes to the player or side that wins the Jack of Trumps in a Trick.
Game: This point is awarded to the player or side that has the highest tally of valuable cards.

Game point is awarded on the basis of which player or side has won the greater number of Kings, Queens, Jacks, Aces and Tens.

For the purposes of awarding game point, the following cards have a tally value:

Cards: K Q J A 10
Value: 3 2 1 4 10

So, at the end of play, each player counts up how many Kings, Queens, Jacks, Aces and 10s they have, assigning to them their respective values, and, announce their tally. The side or player with the highest tally is awarded 1 point for Game Point.