How to Play Swip
A Card Game of Calculation, Strategy, and Chance
To begin play, shuffle the pack of 52 cards and deal four cards, one at a time, to each player and to the middle of the table. Players may look at their hand of cards. The player to the dealer's left goes first.
Object
The object of Swip is to score points by collecting cards from the table. Points are scored at the end of each round, as follows:
- Most cards 2 points
- Most Spades 2 Points
- Aces 1 Point each
- 10 of Diamonds 2 Points
- 2 of Spades 1 Point
- each "Swip" 1 Point
On Your Turn
On your turn you can do one of three things:
- pick up a card or cards using a card from your hand
- build a pile of cards on the table using a card from your hand, or
- discard a card from your hand to the table
You can only play one card from your hand each turn.
Values of the Cards
The values of the cards in swip are important not only to what you can pick up from the table, but what you can 'build' together to make other values. The values of the cards are:
- Aces: 1 or 14
- Kings: 13
- Queens: 12
- Jacks: 11
- Everything else: Face Value
Picking Up Cards
To pick up a card or cards from the table, you must have a card in your hand equal to the value of the cards you are trying to pick up. For example: if you have a 10 in your hand, you may pick up any and all 10's on the table, and any cards that together add up to 10. Place the cards you collect face down in front of you. You score points at the end of the round based on the cards you collect.
Building
Building is putting together a group of cards to make a new value, which leads us to the following rules:
- to make any build, you must have the card to pick up the build in your hand.
- you must pick up a build from the table the turn you make it unless it is built with a card from your hand.
- You may not have multiple builds on the table at the same time, unless you are picking up the extra build the same turn you make it.
Swips
When a player plays a card that clears the table, this is called a 'Swip.' A player earns a point for each Swip they score, turning over a card from their pile to mark the point earned. Swips are counted with other points earned at the end of the round.
New Hands
After all the cards from the first hand have been played, the dealer deals a new hand of 4 cards to each player, but does not deal any new cards to the table. After all the hands have been played, and the deck is exhausted, players count the cards they collected during the round and add up the points they have earned.
Winning
The first player to score 21 points wins the game. If there are ties, players continue playing rounds until a clear winner emerges.
Latest Articles