Svara rules

Svara in brief

Svara (svarka) is a betting card game in the poker family. It is played with a 32-card deck, from seven to ace, and 2 to 9 players can sit at a table.

Each player gets three cards. The hand with the most points wins, and points come from cards of the same suit, cards of the same rank and a few special combinations. If nobody calls your bet, you win with a bluff too.

The deal

At the start of the game the dealer is chosen at random. The dealer gives each player three cards, one at a time, face down and clockwise.

In the next round the next player clockwise deals.

Bets and betting

Svara has three kinds of bets: the ante, the blind bet and the normal bet.

Entry bet (ante)

Before the deal, every player pays an entry bet to take part in the round. In poker it is known as the "ante". It is the same for the whole table and known in advance.

Blind bet

After the ante and before anyone has looked at their cards, the first player to the left of the dealer may bet blind, without looking at their cards.

• The next player may also bet blind, but at least double the previous blind bet.
• Each following player can double, triple or quadruple the previous blind bet.
• As soon as someone looks at their cards, blind betting ends and everyone else may look too.
• The blind bet is optional.
• If nobody raises the blind bet, the last player who bet blind wins the round.

Normal bet

Normal betting starts once everyone has seen their cards. If there was a blind bet, the first player who did not bet blind must pay double the last blind bet, raise or fold. Then it is the turn of the player on their left.

• Betting is optional, but a player who does not bet drops out of the round.
• The dealer bets last.
• If everyone folds, the dealer wins the pot of antes.
• Betting goes on until every player has either folded or matched the bet.

Showdown and winner

When betting is over and two or more players are still in, the cards are turned over. The player with the most points takes the whole pot.

Svarka: what happens on a tie

If two or more players share first place with the same score, it is a svarka. Nobody takes the pot; the tied players play a new deal for it.

The other players can join too by paying an entry equal to the pot divided by the number of tied players.

Example: the pot is 300 and two players are tied. Anyone else who wants to join the svarka pays 150.

Once everyone has paid or folded, three new cards are dealt and the round continues as normal. If there is another tie, the pot stays on the table again and a new svarka is played.

Points and combinations

Points come from the combination of the cards in your hand. The tables show what each card is worth and which combinations are strongest.

Special combinations

• Aces also combine in pairs: A♠ A♥ K♣ is worth 22 points.
• Two sevens of any suits are worth 23 points.
• The 7♣ (Yonchev, chechak) stands in for any card in a combination and is worth 11 points: 7♣ 9♠ J♠ is worth 30.
• Three sevens of any suits are worth 34 points and are the strongest hand in the game.

Example hands

Hand calculator

Glossary

Dealer

The player who deals the cards. The dealer bets last.

Entry bet (ante)

A bet agreed in advance that everyone pays to play the round.

Blind bet

An optional bet made before the player has seen their cards.

Normal bet

The bet a player makes, or not, after seeing their cards.

Pot

The total of all bets on the table in the current round.

Svarka

A tie: two or more players hold equally strong best hands.

Yonchev (chechak)

The seven of clubs, 7♣. A joker worth 11 points.