Welcome to Swedish Chicago

Hey there! Let me introduce you to Swedish Chicago, an awesome game that combines hand building and trick taking. It’s super fun! Let me walk you through how to play. Ready? Here we go!

The Cards and the Deal

First things first, let’s talk about the cards. In Swedish Chicago, we use a standard deck of 52 cards. No fancy stuff here! To determine who gets to be the first dealer and scorekeeper, each player should grab a card from the deck. Whoever has the lowest card gets the honor of dealing and keeping score. Cool, right?

Now that we know who’s in charge, let’s shuffle the deck and deal five cards to each player. Make sure everyone gets a fair share!

It’s Time to Play!

In Swedish Chicago, we play the game in three phases. In each phase, we aim to create the strongest poker hand possible. In the third phase, we also try to win tricks.

PHASE ONE

First, we deal five cards to each player. Then, we go around the circle, and everyone has the option to exchange as many cards as they like, but only once. For example, if I want to, I can swap three of my cards for three new ones. The dealer collects the exchanged cards and creates a discard pile facing down. After that, the dealer gives me three new cards. If I don’t want to swap any cards, I can simply say “pass.”

Once everyone has had the chance to exchange cards, we move on to determining who has the best hand. Starting from the player on the left side of the dealer, each person can declare the poker hand they’ve formed, as long as it’s better than the previous declaration. For instance, I could say, “two pairs.” To top that, the next player must have at least two pairs. In case of a tie, each player reveals their cards one by one, comparing them until a winner is determined. Let’s say two players have flushes; they would compare their cards one at a time to decide who has the highest flush. If I had a flush with the highest card being a 9, and the other player had a flush with the highest card being a Queen, they would win the points. If two or more players have the exact same hand, no points are awarded in this phase. And if no one has a poker hand to declare, no points are earned in this phase.

If I haven’t made a poker hand, I simply say pass.

At the end of phase one, whoever has the highest ranking poker hand earns the appropriate amount of points for that hand. Then, we move on to phase two.

PHASE TWO

With the same cards I had at the end of phase one, I get another chance to exchange cards with the draw pile. If I won points during phase one and I want to exchange some cards, I have to show my hand first to avoid any cheating.

Now that we’ve all had a chance to swap cards, let’s find out who’s got the best hand once again. Just like before, each of us will announce the poker hand we’ve put together, as long as it’s the same or better than the previous one. Remember, our hands don’t have to beat the previous winning hand.

The player with the highest-ranking hand wins the appropriate number of points, and we move on to phase three.

PHASE THREE

Here’s another chance for us to swap cards from our hands, if we want to. If the draw pile of cards has run out by this point, we’ll shuffle and reuse the cards we discarded earlier.

So, here’s how the game goes: first, we all get a chance to swap some cards if we want. Then it’s time for the trick-taking round! The person to the left of the dealer starts by playing a card. The rest of us have to follow suit if we can, but if we can’t, we can play any card we like. Remember, though, only the final trick earns points, so we need to plan our strategy accordingly. Whoever wins the final trick gets 5 points.

Once the trick-taking is over, we compare our hands again. The person with the best hand gets the points they deserve for it.

If you think you can win all five tricks in the trick taking phase, you can announce a “Chicago”. If you successfully win all five tricks, you’ll get 15 points instead of 5. However, if another player wins a trick before you, the trick taking phase ends and you lose 15 points. Taking the final trick doesn’t earn you any points. Keep in mind that you can only attempt a Chicago when you have at least 15 points, and your score can never go below zero.

Now, let’s talk about scoring. Points are earned based on the highest poker hand during each phase. Make sure to record the points right away with the scorekeeper.

Poker Hand	Points
One Pair	1
Two Pairs	2
Three of a Kind	3
Straight	4
Flush	5
Full House	6
Four of a Kind	7
Straight Flush	8
Royal Flush	52

In this card game, every poker hand has a value associated with it. Let me break them down for you:

1. One Pair – Worth 1 point.
2. Two Pairs – Worth 2 points.
3. Three of a Kind – Worth 3 points.
4. Straight – Worth 4 points.
5. Flush – Worth 5 points.
6. Full House – Worth 6 points.
7. Four of a Kind – Worth 7 points.
8. Straight Flush – Worth 8 points.
9. Royal Flush – Worth a whopping 52 points!

But that’s not all! You can also earn points in other ways. For example, if you manage to take the final trick, you get 5 additional points. And if you’re feeling confident and declare a Chicago, you’ll earn a bonus of 15 points for successfully taking all five tricks. But be careful! If you fail to complete the Chicago, you’ll lose 15 points instead.

WINNING

The aim of the game is to be the first player to reach 52 points or more. Once you hit that magic number, you win! But what happens if there’s a tie? Well, in that case, a tie breaking round will be played between the players with the same score. It’s a nail-biting showdown to determine the ultimate winner!

If you’re a fan of this game, why not give Horse poker a try? It’s another exciting variation that you’re sure to love!