Welcome to STOVKAHRA!

Hi there! I’m super excited to tell you all about Stovkahra, an awesome card game that you and your friends can play together. Let me explain how it works!

SETUP

First things first, we need to set up the game. You’ll need a deck of cards, but don’t worry, we won’t be using all of them. Just grab a standard 52-card deck and remove all the cards numbered 6 and lower. That means you’ll be left with Aces, Kings, Queens, Jacks, 10s, 9s, 8s, and 7s. Perfecto!

Now that we’re all set up, let’s dive into the gameplay!

Stovkahra is a cool trick-taking card game for 4 players. You and your friends will be split into 2 teams of 2. The goal of the game is to be the first team to reach 100 points. Exciting, right?

Now, you might be wondering how you earn those points. Well, here’s the deal: you score points by collecting special combinations, winning tricks, and even some other sneaky ways that you’ll discover as you play.

Each player keeps track of their own points, and at the end of each round, you add up the total points for your team. The team with the highest score wins the round and gets closer to that magical 100-point goal. It’s all about teamwork!

So gather your friends, shuffle those cards, and get ready for an epic game of Stovkahra. Have fun!

In this card game, the role of the dealer rotates from player to player, starting with a random choice for the first deal and passing to the left after each round. To begin, the cards are thoroughly mixed and then cut by the player on the right side of the dealer. For subsequent deals, the cards are not shuffled; instead, they are simply collected and cut by the player on the right side of the dealer.

Once the deck has been cut, the bottom card is revealed. This card determines the trumps for the current round. With trumps established, the dealer will distribute the cards to each player in a clockwise fashion. The dealer will first deal three cards to each player, then two, and finally three more. In total, each player will have eight cards. The player to the left of the dealer will have their first three cards dealt face-up, while all other cards will be dealt face-down.

Once all the players have their cards, the game is ready to begin.

Card Rankings, Combinations, and Values

When you play Stovkahra, each card has both a rank and a value. And there are certain combinations of cards that you can declare. These combinations also have values attached to them.

The ranking of cards in Stovkahra is pretty standard. The Ace is the highest ranking card, followed by the King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, and the 7s, which are the lowest ranked cards. Each of these cards has a specific value attached to it, which is important for scoring points when you win tricks. The values assigned to each card are as follows: 6 points for the Ace, 5 points for the King, 4 points for the Queen, 3 points for the Jack, and zero points for the 10, 9, 8, and 7 cards.

If you want to score points in this game, you need to declare certain combinations. You don’t have to declare them, but if you don’t, you won’t get the points for the combinations. The available combinations are: four aces, three aces, four 10s, four 7s, three 10s, three 7s, four kings, four Queens, four Jacks, three Kings, three Queens, and three Jacks. Once these combinations are declared, the players can score points. To declare a combination, you need to say how many cards there are and what rank they are, but you don’t have to name the specific cards. The point values for the combinations are: 40 points for four aces, 30 points for three aces, 20 points for four 10s, 10 points for four 7s, 12 points for three 10s, and 6 points for three 7s.

It’s Time to Play

Now that all the combinations have been declared, it’s time to start the game. The player to the left of the dealer will go first and then it will continue clockwise. They can start with any card.

When you’re playing a card game, it’s important to know the rules. In this game, called “follow suit,” there are some important things to keep in mind. Here’s how it works:

First, let’s talk about following suit. When it’s your turn to play, you have to play a card that matches the suit of the card that was led. If you don’t have a card in that suit, you can play a trump card. And if you don’t have a trump card, you can play any card you want. Just remember, when you do have a card in the suit that was led, you have to try to beat the highest card that’s been played so far.

Now, let’s talk about winning a trick. A trick is a round of cards that each player plays. The winner of the trick is the player who played the highest trump card, if any were played. If no trump cards were played, then the player who played the highest card of the suit that was led wins the trick. And the player who wins the trick gets to lead the next trick.

Finally, let’s talk about scoring points. In this game, there are special tricks that are worth points. The first trick and the last trick are worth points, as well as any tricks that are won with 7s. So, keep an eye out for those valuable cards!

The last trick is a valuable move in the game, granting you a hefty 6 points when you secure the victory. However, if you manage to win it with a 7, its value skyrockets to an impressive 26 points. On the other hand, the first trick you win with a 7 is an absolute jackpot, giving you a whopping 52 points. And don’t forget about the middle tricks – if you win any of them with a 7, you’ll still be rewarded with a respectable haul of 10 points each.

SCORING

At the end of each round, the scores are tallied up. These scores are then carried over to subsequent rounds, creating a cumulative total. The ultimate goal is to be the first team to reach the magic number of 100 points and claim victory.

In some variations of the game, players opt to play multiple rounds in a row. To keep track of these scores, they employ a system of points known as matchsticks. If a team successfully reaches 100 points and the opposing team has amassed more than 50 points, the winners are awarded 1 matchstick. However, if the opposing team has fallen short and accumulated less than 50 points, the triumphant team is doubly rewarded with 2 matchsticks.

Hey, did you know that sometimes players can reach 100 points before a round is over? Yeah, it happens! And when it does, a team can say “enough” and end the game right there.

If they end the game early, their points will be counted, and if they’re correct, they get matchsticks based on their opponent’s score. But, if they’re wrong, the other team scores 2 matchsticks. Talk about a risky move!

Now, when a team earns matchsticks, they have a choice. They can either add them to their total score, or they can take the same number of matchsticks away from their opponent’s score. It’s like a game of give and take.

The grand finale – End of Game!

Okay, now let’s talk about when the game actually ends. It’s simple – the game ends once a team reaches 100 points. Easy, right? But hey, if you’re playing multiple games, the winner is the first team to reach 10 matchsticks. Now that’s a cherry on top!