How to Play Svara
Svara (svarka) is a gambling game similar to poker, played with 32 cards - from 7 to Ace. Between 2 and 9 players can participate in one game.
§ I. Dealing
At the beginning of the game, a dealer is chosen at random. Three cards are dealt to each player, one by one, with the face of the cards down and clockwise. In the next round, the next player in the direction of movement becomes the dealer.
§ II. Betting and Raising
In svara there are three types of bets: initial entry, blind betting and normal betting.
Initial Betting
All players must pay an initial bet before cards are dealt to them to join the game. In poker games, the term is also known as 'Ante'. The initial entry is always the same for the table and is determined in advance.
Blind Betting
After the initial bet and before players see their hands, the first player sitting to the left of the dealer has the right to bet 'blind'.
- If the first player on the left bets blind, then the next one has the right to also bet blind, with the amount being at least twice as large as the previous blind bet.
- Each subsequent player has the option to bet blind, which means to double, triple or quadruple the previous blind bet.
- If a player decides not to bet blind and looks at their cards, the players after them lose the option to bet blind. The first player whose turn is after a blind bet must bet at least double.
- Blind betting is not mandatory. It is only an option.
- If no player doubles the blind bet, the winner of the round is the last player who bet blind.
- After blind betting is finished, players can see their cards.
After someone decides to see their cards, blind betting ends and all remaining players can look at their cards.
Normal Betting
Normal betting begins when all players see their cards. If there was blind betting, then the first player who did not bet blind must pay double the last blind bet, raise the bet or fold. Then it is the turn of the player to his left and so on.
- Betting is not mandatory, but if a player doesn't bet, they are out of the game.
- The dealer bets last.
- If all players refuse to bet, the dealer wins the pot with the initial bet.
- Normal betting continues until each player has either folded or paid the bet.
- The player with the highest number of points in their cards wins the bets on the table.
§ III. Svarka
In case two or more players share first place with an equal number of points, a Svarka occurs. No player takes the pot. Players with equal points fight for it in a new deal (svarka), while the remaining players can also join by paying an entry fee. The entry fee is determined based on the pot formed in the svarka, divided by the number of players with equal points. That is, if the pot was 300 and two players had equal points, the remaining players must pay 150 to enter the additional deal.
After all players pay or refuse, 3 cards are dealt again and the game follows its normal cycle. In case of a new tie in points, the pot remains on the table again and a new svarka is formed.
§ IV. Scoring
Card Strength
Scoring is determined based on a combination between the cards in the player's hand. Individually, the cards carry the following points:
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace | 11 points |
| King | 10 points |
| Queen | 10 points |
| Jack | 10 points |
| 10 | 10 points |
| 9 | 9 points |
| 8 | 9 points |
| 7 | 7 points |
*7 of Spades (Chechak, Tsetso Yonchev) has a special purpose in the game and counts as 11 points.
§ V. Standard Combinations
-
Cards of one suit – points are collected from all cards in the hand that are of the same suit.
Example - 8♠ Q♠ Q♥. The combination yields 18 points because only 8♠ and Q♠ are included. -
Three identical cards – points are collected from all three cards.
Example - J♥ J♦ J♣. The combination yields 30 points because all three Jacks are included.
§ VI. Special Combinations
- Aces can be combined in pairs in hand, instead of necessarily three. That is, the hand A♠ A♥ K♣ brings 22 points.
- Two 7s, regardless of suit, bring 23 points.
- 7♣ can play the role of any card in a combination, bringing 11 points. That is, the hand 7♣ 9♠ J♠ brings 30 points, because 'Yonchev' enters into combination with the two spades.
- Three sevens, regardless of suit, bring 34 points and are the strongest hand in the game.
§ VII. Example Combinations
| Hand | Combination | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 7♠ 8♣ 8♦ | No card combination. The strongest card is an 8 | 8 points |
| 7♣ 8♣ 8♦ | 7♣ combines with the two eights | 27 points |
| 7♠ 7♦ 10♦ | 7♠ and 10♦ combine, as they are of one suit, but 7♠ and 7♦ make a stronger combination | 23 points |
| J♦ Q♥ A♥ | Combination between Q♥ and A♥, as they are of one suit | 21 points |
| 9♥ A♣ A♦ | Special combination between the two Aces | 22 points |
| 9♦ 10♦ K♦ | The three cards are of one suit and make a combination | 29 points |
| K♠ K♦ K♥ | The three Kings make a combination of three identical cards | 30 points |
| 7♣ 7♦ 7♥ | The strongest combination in the game | 34 points |
§ VIII. Terminology
Dealer
The player who deals the cards. He bets last.
Initial Entry (Ante)
A pre-agreed bet amount that each player must pay to play in the current deal.
Blind bet
An optional bet made before the player has seen their cards.
Normal Bet
The bet that the player decides to make or not, after paying the initial entry and seeing their cards.
Pot
The sum of all bets made by players at the table in the current deal.
Svarka
A special event in the game when two or more players have an equal highest-scoring hand.
Yonchev (Chechak)
Seven of Spades.