7️⃣ How to play Sevens

Easy rules, to read aloud 🔊

1. Deal out all the cards.
2. The person with the seven of hearts puts it down first.
3. On your turn, put down another seven or a card that fits next to one already down.
4. An eight goes above its seven, and a six goes below it, in the same suit.
5. If you cannot play, knock on the table to pass.
6. The first to play all their cards wins.

The full rules

1. Deal the whole deck, one card at a time. It is fine if some players get one more card.
2. The player holding the seven of hearts lays it face up in the middle to start.
3. Play goes to the left. On your turn, play one card: any seven, which starts a new row for its suit, or the next card up or down on a row that has already started.
4. Each suit grows in a line: 8, 9, 10, jack, queen and king on one side of its seven, and 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and ace on the other.
5. If you have a card that can go down, you must play one. Pass by knocking on the table only when nothing fits.
6. Keep going around until someone plays their last card.

How to win: The first player to get rid of every card wins. For a longer game, the others count the cards they still hold, and the lowest total over several hands wins.

Tips

• When you have a choice, play a card that opens the way for your own next card.
• Holding back a six or an eight can block the other players.

What it practises

counting up and down, number order, planning ahead.

Other ways to play

• Seven of diamonds start. The player with the seven of diamonds starts instead.
• Domino. The first player chooses which number starts the rows, and every suit must start with that number.