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Official Sergeant Major Rules
Sergeant Major is a fun and strategic trick-taking card game for 3 players. Here's a breakdown of the rules:
Objective
Be the player who wins the most tricks (groups of cards played in a round) during a hand.
Setup
1. Dealer Selection: The first dealer can be chosen randomly. In subsequent hands, the deal rotates clockwise.
2. Deck Shuffle and Deal: The dealer shuffles the deck and deals 16 cards to each player, four cards at a time. The remaining 4 cards are placed face down in the center of the table to form a kitty.
3. Choosing Trump and Discard: The dealer declares a suit (clubs, diamonds, hearts, or spades) as the trump suit for the hand. They can then discard any four cards from their hand face down and secretly take the four cards from the kitty to replace them.
Gameplay
Eldest Hand Leads: The player to the left of the dealer starts the first trick by playing any card from their hand face up to the table.
Following Suit: Each subsequent player, going clockwise, must try to follow the suit led by the first player if possible.
If Possible: If a player has a card in the same suit as the leading card, they must play it.
If Not Possible: If a player has no cards in the led suit, they can play any card from their hand.
Winning the Trick: The highest-ranking card of the led suit wins the trick. However, if one or more trump cards are played:
Highest Trump Wins: The highest-ranking trump card played on the trick wins, regardless of the led suit.
Trick Winner Leads Next: The player who wins the trick collects all the played cards and places them face down in a pile in front of them. They then lead the next trick.
Target and Scoring (Each Round):
Each player has a specific number of tricks they are trying to win during the hand, based on the number of cards dealt:
16 Cards Dealt: Aim for 8 tricks.
15 Cards Dealt: Aim for 5 tricks.
14 Cards Dealt: Aim for 3 tricks.
Scoring: After all the cards have been played (12 tricks total), compare the number of tricks each player won to their target number.
Winning Target: If a player wins exactly their target number of tricks, they score zero points.
Missing Target: If a player wins less than their target number, they score one point for each trick they missed.
Exceeding Target: If a player wins more than their target number, they score three points for each extra trick won.
Deal and Exchange (Second and Subsequent Hands):
In subsequent hands, the deal rotates clockwise, and the card exchange process changes slightly.
The winner from the previous hand does not discard any cards and takes the top four cards from the kitty face down without replacement.
The second-place finisher discards two cards face down and takes two cards from the kitty face down.
The third-place finisher discards four cards face down and takes the remaining four cards from the kitty face down (or none if there aren't four left).
Winning the Game
The game can be played for a predetermined number of hands, or until a player reaches a set score threshold (e.g., 10 points). The player with the lowest score at the end wins the game!
Notes/Variations
Some variations allow players to call bids or "Meez" (meaning they can't win any tricks) before the hand starts, adding an extra layer of strategy.
Sergeant Major is a simple yet engaging game that requires both luck and strategic card play. Have fun and see if you can become the Sergeant Major!
