“Sevens”
Rules of Play
History/ Objective:
The game of Sevens was first discovered in what is now Majadrin in and around the year 1320 AW, when advancements in nautical technology made trade between the humans and halflings of the west and the orcs of the east possible. Called “Naykuh D’alg” or “Wealthy Merchant” in it’s native Majad, the object of the game is to accrue as close to a total score of seven with your hand of cards without going over the target number, meant to represent a merchant’s want to accrue as much wealth as possible without matching or surpassing the wealth of the local warlords.
Play:
The game is played with a deck of 36 cards, consisting of three suits, numbering one to six twice over for each suit. Each player places an agreed-upon monetary bet (ante) in the centre of the table (pot). The player dealing the cards then shuffles the deck, handing each player their initial hand of three cards.
Each player, starting at the dealer’s left and continuing as such, has an opportunity to look at their cards, and one by one decide what they would like to do next.
Check, Call, or Raise - Each player has the opportunity to increase the size of the pot. On their turn, a player may choose to add no additional coin (check), add coin to the pot (raise), or match another player’s raise (call). A player may only check if the pot has not been raised on that particular hand, and all players must call a raise to continue playing a hand.
Trading cards - After a player chooses to check, call, or raise, they may discard one, two, or three cards to be traded for an equal number from the top of the deck. This can only be done once per hand.
Fold - At any point leading up to revealing one’s hand, a player may choose to remove themselves from the hand (fold). When a player folds, they discard their hand and forfeit any coin they had placed in the pot up to that point.
Winning:
After all bets have been placed and cards have been traded, the players, starting at the dealer’s left and continuing as such, reveal their hands to one another. The player whose card numbers add up to the number seven, or the highest total thereto without going over seven wins the hand. In the event of a tie, the player whose hand contains the most cards of the same suit wins, and if by then a tie still persists, the pot is split between the players who have tied.
