Suipi
(pronounced “Sweepy”)
Jo Patrick
Background:
Suipi is a Samoan card game that is a significant part of the Samoan culture – as Samoan as chop suey and kilikiti. Most Samoans are taught to play it as children. It is played in families and between adults also. I have discovered some Samoan people who were taught the game as young as 3- 4 years of age, who believe this greatly contributed to their future success with maths at school.
According to a card game website (www.pagat.com) it may be a version of ‘Casino’, the only ‘fishing’ game to have become popular in English speaking countries. The 10 of diamonds is called ‘kasiga’ (pronounced “kah-singa”) which most likely comes from ‘casino’, and the name of the game is from ‘sweep’ – the action of capturing all the cards from the layout.
According to a card game website citing ‘Casino from Nowhere to Vaguely Everywhere’, an article by Franco Pratesi in The Playing Card Vol XXIV No 1 July/Aug 1995 pp6 – 11, Casino first appears in the card game literature at the end of the 18th Century in London, and shortly afterwards in Germany. It is traditionally supposed to have originated in Italy, but there is no direct evidence of it having been played there, at least under that name, though many other Italian ‘fishing’ games are known. It became fashionable in America in the late 19th Century and a number of new variations were developed. There are some interesting variations of the game from southern Africa.
Suipi has spread through other Pacific islands, Tokelau and Niue at least, although in Niue it has another name.
Gambling Issues: There is a small sector of the Samoan community for whom the game Suipi has a slightly negative connotation in that it is sometimes played for money. The Methodist Church some years ago banned it as it was feared playing Suipi could lead to playing Poker, and concern was raised re gambling with it. Despite this it has become a national game, and it appears on the CVs of many prominent Samoans as one of their hobbies or recreations. I have been told by Samoan Methodist ministers that there would be no problem with children playing Suipi at school to benefit their maths – it is only a problem to the Church when it is played for money.
Mathematical Content: The mathematics involved in Suipi, when played with a normal pack, is addition combinations up to and including10. This increases to 13 when played with a ‘500’ pack. Numeral recognition to 10, memorising cards played, game strategies and logic.
Suipi along with other card games could become a regular independent maths activity for children in your class.
Suipi – How to Play
The Players, the Cards and the Objective:
Suipi can be played with 2 or 4 players. When 4 players, pairs play as a team. This description will focus on the 2-player version.
A regular 52 card pack is used. Each numeral card is counted as its numerical value (ace =1, two = 2, etc). Picture cards have no numerical value. The aim is to capture cards from a layout on the table, by playing a card from the hand which matches in number a card or the sum of several table cards. Captured cards (including those played to capture them) are accumulated in a pile to be counted at the end of each game. A set = 2 games – one deal each player.
The Deal:
There are 3 deals in each game.
The dealer initially deals 8 cards to each player, and lays 4 cards face up in the middle. These must be 4 different cards. If two face-up cards have the same value, put one in the middle of the rest of the pack and re-deal a face up card. The rest of the cards are temporarily put aside. After the initial first eight cards each have been used up in play, another eight each are dealt, but no more face-up cards are dealt to the middle for that game.
The Play:
Starting with the player who did not deal, each player in turn must play one card out from their hand face up on the table. This card may or may not capture one or more cards from the table.
· In the case of a capture, when the other players have had an opportunity to see the capturing card, the player picks up this card and the captured card or cards and stores them all face down in a pile next to them for scoring later.
· If there is no capture the played card remains face up on the table.
Irrespective of whether a capture was made or not, the turn passes to the other player.
In detail, the possible types of play are as follows:
1. Capturing with a face card
If the card played is a face card (king, queen or jack) which matches the rank of a face card on the table, the face card on the table may be captured. This is the only possible capture with a face card. If the table contains more than one matching card only one may be captured.
Example:The Q and Q are on the table, and the Q is played. The player may capture one of the queens from the table but not both.
2. Capturing with a numeral card
A numeral card (Ace, 2, ..., 10) can capture any numeral cards on the table which are of the same rank as the card played, and any sets of numeral cards which add up to the rank of the card played, with the following restrictions:
· cards which are part of a build (see below) can only be captured by a card of the rank announced for that build;
· when sets are captured, each captured card can only counted as belonging to one such set.
Example If an eight is played it could capture one, two or three eights from the table. It could also capture a five and a three, or a four and two twos. If the following cards are on the table: A 2 3 5 6 8, then an eight could capture 8 6 2 5 3 or 8 5 2 A, but not all six cards.
3. Building
A numeral card may be played and combined with other cards on the table, placing them together to form a build. A build can be made out of any collection of numeral cards which can be captured by a single numeral card according to rule 2 above. The player making the build must announce the capturing number (saying, for example, "building 5"), and must hold a numeral card which can later make the capture. There are two types of build: single builds and multiple builds.
· A single build consists of two or more cards whose capture values add up to the capture value of the build - for example a 5-build made of a 2 and a 3, or a 10-build made of A-4-5.
· A multiple build consists of two or more cards or sets of cards, each of which equates to the capture value of the build - for example a 5-build made of a 2 and a 3 plus a 4 and an ace, or a 5-build made of A-4 and 5, or a 9-build made of two nines, or a 9-build made of 6-3 plus 5-4 plus 9.
When you make a build, it must include the card you just played - you cannot create a build consisting entirely of cards that were already on the table. Cards which have been made into a build can subsequently only be captured as a unit, never separately.
Examples
· If there is a 5 on the table, a player holding a 3 and an 8 may put the 3 on the 5 and announce "building 8"; this single build can now only be captured by an 8.
· If there is an ace and a two on the table, a player holding two threes and a six could play one of the threes and either:
- capture the two and the ace;
- combine the played three with the ace and the two and make a single build, announcing "building 6";
- combine the played three with the ace and the two and make a multiple build, announcing "building 3";
It would not be legal to play the three on the ace, building four, or on the two, building five, as the player does not hold a four or a five.
4. Capturing a build
A build can be captured by playing a numeral card of the rank which was announced when the build was made. It is thus possible to "steal" a build created by another player, if you have the right numeral card.
If on your turn, the table contains a build which you created or added to yourself, and no other player has added to it since your last turn, you are not allowed simply to trail a card (as in rule 6) on your next turn. You must either make a capture of some kind, create another build, or add to a build (i.e. follow rule 3, 4 or 5). It is always possible to capture in this situation - if nothing else, you must hold the capturing card for the build you just made, otherwise your build was illegal.
While capturing a build, you can also capture any loose cards on the table that add up to the same number. For example you have made a build of 9 and there is a 5 on the table. If the player before you plays a 4, you can capture the 4 and the 5 at the same time that you take in your build.
It is not possible to capture a build with a card of any other rank than that announced for the build. For example the table contains a 4 and a 3 combined into a build of 7, plus a separate 2. You cannot play a 9 to take the build of 7 plus the 2 - the build can only be captured with a 7.
5. Adding to a build
There are two ways of adding to a build:
- You may add a card from your hand to a single build, increasing the capturing number, provided that you also hold a card which will capture the new build. At the same time you may incorporate additional cards from the table into the build, either to make up the new capturing number or because they are equal to the new capturing number. In the last case the build will become multiple.
Example A The table contains a build consisting of two threes, announced as a build of six. If you hold a two and an eight, you can add the two to the build announcing "building 8". The next player, holding an ace and a nine, could then add the ace and say "building 9".
The capturing number of a multiple build can never be changed. If the original build of two threes in the above example had been announced as building three (rather than building six), it would not be possible for a player holding a two and a five to add the two to the build, making five.
Example B The table contains an ace, a two and a four; the ace and the four have been combined by a previous player into a build of five. You hold a three and a ten. You can play your three, combine it with the single five-build and the two on the table and announce "building ten".
Example C The table contains a three and a four, built into a seven, and a separate nine. You hold a two and a nine. You can play your two, combining it with the seven-build to make nine, and at the same time incorporate the nine on the table into the build, converting it to a multiple build and saying "building nine".
- You may add to any build, single or multiple, by playing a card from your hand which, either alone or combined with other cards on the table which are not yet in builds, matches the existing capture number of the build, provided that you hold a card which can capture the combined build.
Example: The table contains a 9-build consisting of a 5 and a 4, and there is also a 3 on the table. You hold a six and two nines. You can play your 6, combining it with the 3 and the existing build to make a new multiple build of 9. Then on your next turn (provided that no one else captured) you could add one of the nines from your hand to the build. Finally, on the following turn, you could capture the whole build with your second nine.
Note that when making or adding to a build, you must contribute a card to it from your hand. You cannot just combine various cards which are already on the table to form a build. Note also that once a build contains more than one card or sets of cards which add to the capturing number, it is a multiple build and the capturing number can no longer be changed.
Example. There is a multiple 8-build of 3-5-8 on the table, and there is also a loose 6 on the table. In your hand you have 2, 8, 8, 10. You may add one of your 8s to the build, making 3-5-8-8, or to add your 2 together with the 6 on the table, making 3-5-8-2-6, still with capture value 8. You cannot use your 2 to change the capture value to 10.
6. Trailing If you simply play a card without building or capturing, the card is placed face up on the table alongside any other layout cards and remains there to be captured or built on in future. It is then the other player’s turn.
7. A ‘Suipi’ (sweep)
A suipi occurs when a player takes all the cards from the table, leaving it empty and forcing the next player to trail. When making a suipi, the capturing card is stored face-up in the pile of won cards, so that the number of suipi can be checked when scoring. Capturing the last cards from the table at the very end of a round does not count as a suipi.
If you win a suipi, the other player plays first afterwards.
Last Player to make a Capture gets the rest of the cards:
When all the cards have been played in the final deal, the last player who made a capture also wins any cards which are left on the table. That is why it is important that the dealer should announce “last” when dealing the last cards.
Scoring:
Each player counts their score based on the pile of cards they have won. There are 11 possible points + Suipi points in each game
· whoever has the most cards gets 3 points
· whoever has the most spades gets 1 point
· Each Ace is worth 1 point
· The ten of diamonds (Kasiga) is worth 2 points
· The two of spades is worth 1 point
· A Suipi is worth 1 point
The person with the highest score wins the game.