Seven-card closed-circle version, passing left together. No stock draws. First valid call wins; an indistinguishable simultaneous call shares the round.

← On a small screen, scroll the diagram horizontally. →

Four hands of seven use twenty-eight cards; twenty-four are excluded. The ring passes left together. All hands are shown only for teaching, from the same example.
Four hands of seven use twenty-eight cards; twenty-four are excluded. The ring passes left together. All hands are shown only for teaching, from the same example.

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Deal seven, keep the rest aside

For 4–7 players shuffle 52 cards, without jokers. Deal 7 to each, clockwise, keeping hands secret. With 4 players, 28 are dealt and 24 are unused. Do not trim specific ranks before shuffling. Rank has no effect on the goal.

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Send first, receive second

Everyone selects one unwanted card and puts it face down for the neighbour on the left. Wait until everyone has committed a card; then pick up the card from the right. Repeat together. Never inspect an incoming card before choosing your outgoing card. Each completed exchange restores your seven-card hand.

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What you may change

You may change your target suit whenever you wish. Matching ranks, runs and pairs have no special value. Keep your own hand private; do not give advice about another hand. There is no discard pile, drawing or stock recycling: the same dealt cards circulate. Agree a passing rhythm rather than rewarding who grabs fastest.

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Call, verify and score

When all 7 cards share a suit, call “My ship sails!” and show them. A qualifying initial hand may call before the first pass. The first valid call earns 1 win. Our tie agreement awards 1 to each indistinguishably simultaneous caller. Play a fixed 5 deals; most wins takes the match, equal totals share. Rotate dealer left.

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From five hearts to seven

A holds A♥ K♥ 8♥ 5♥ 2♥ Q♣ 4♠. First A passes 4♠ left and receives 9♥ from the right: six hearts. Next A passes Q♣ and receives J♥: A♥ K♥ J♥ 9♥ 8♥ 5♥ 2♥ is a winning hand. Each received card was already held by a neighbour; neither comes from the unused reserve. The diagrams show this teaching sequence, not a promised result.

← On a small screen, scroll the diagram horizontally. →

1 · Choose before receiving. A: AH, KH, 8H, 5H, 2H, QC, 4S. From the right: 9H. A passes 4♠ left. The right neighbour has already committed 9♥; only then does A receive it. 2 · Six hearts, one club. A: AH, KH, 8H, 5H, 2H, QC, 9H. Next incoming card: JH. A now chooses Q♣ to pass. In the next completed exchange, J♥ arrives from the right. 3 · One suit, valid call. A: AH, KH, JH, 9H, 8H, 5H, 2H. All 7 are hearts. A calls and shows the hand. Numerical order is not required.. Two completed exchanges turn five hearts into seven. Each card comes from the neighbour on the right; the reserve is never drawn.
Two completed exchanges turn five hearts into seven. Each card comes from the neighbour on the right; the reserve is never drawn.

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An old name, several sets of rules

The phrase appears in older card-game collections, including an account of Commerce with successive exchanges. That does not establish that those older games used today’s seven-card simultaneous rules. Modern children’s collections describe the closed-circle game taught here. Stock-fed variants and passing right also exist; agree the version before dealing.

Common questions

Do the cards need to form a run?+

No. Only the suit must match.

May I take a card from the reserve?+

No. The undealt cards are excluded for the whole deal.

Can I change my target suit?+

Yes, but choose the outgoing card before seeing the incoming one.