1: Deal out the whole deck, one card at a time. Some hands may hold one card more.One regular 52-card deck suits three to eight players.
2: The player on the dealer's left goes first, and turns pass to the left.At the start only a 7 fits. A first player without one passes.
3: On your turn, play one card face up to the table if you can.One card a turn, never two.
4: Any 7 may be played. Each 7 starts a row for its suit.The four 7s can come out in any order.
5: Or play the next card up or down in a suit that is already on the table.On the 7 of clubs, the 6 or the 8 of clubs. Once the 8 is down, the 9.
6: Each row runs from the 7 down to the 2, and from the 7 up to the king, then the ace.Many tables put the ace at the low end instead, after the 2. Say which before the deal.
7: If any card in your hand fits, you must play one. Holding back is not allowed.With several cards that fit, the choice of which is yours.
8: Nothing fits? Pass. A knock on the table says so.Passing with a card that fits is against the rules.
9: The first player to play their last card wins.The others can play on for second and third place.
1: Deal out the whole deck, one card at a time. Some hands may hold one card more.One regular 52-card deck suits three to eight players.
2: The player on the dealer's left goes first, and turns pass to the left.At the start only a 7 fits. A first player without one passes.
3: On your turn, play one card face up to the table if you can.One card a turn, never two.
4: Any 7 may be played. Each 7 starts a row for its suit.The four 7s can come out in any order.
5: Or play the next card up or down in a suit that is already on the table.On the 7 of clubs, the 6 or the 8 of clubs. Once the 8 is down, the 9.
6: Each row runs from the 7 down to the 2, and from the 7 up to the king, then the ace.Many tables put the ace at the low end instead, after the 2. Say which before the deal.
7: If any card in your hand fits, you must play one. Holding back is not allowed.With several cards that fit, the choice of which is yours.
8: Nothing fits? Pass. A knock on the table says so.Passing with a card that fits is against the rules.
9: The first player to play their last card wins.The others can play on for second and third place.
Show all 30 rows (21 more)
The layout, with a worked turn 7
1: The finished layout is four rows, one for each suit, with the 7 in the middle of each.Laid out card by card it is 13 cards wide and 4 rows tall.
2: Lower cards go on one side of the 7 and higher cards on the other.Keep the low cards on the same side in every row.
3: Short of table space? Pile the low cards on the 6 and the high cards on the 8.Only the top card of each pile matters for the next play.
4: No card of a suit can be played until its 7 is down.An 8 in your hand waits for someone to play that suit's 7.
5: Worked turn (ours): on the table are the 7 and 8 of hearts and the 7 of spades.The cards that fit: 6 or 9 of hearts, 6 or 8 of spades, the 7 of clubs, the 7 of diamonds.
6: With four players everyone holds 13 cards. With any other number, hands are uneven.The deal passes to the left each game, so the longer hands move around the table.
7: Three to eight can play, and four to six is the best table.With eight players, four hold seven cards and four hold six.
Scoring over several deals 6
1: A single deal can be the whole game: first out wins.To play several deals, score each one when the first player goes out.
2: Simple count: each player scores 1 penalty point for every card left in hand.The player who went out scores nothing.
3: Pip count: a number card left in hand scores its face value against its holder.A 9 left in hand is 9 points.
4: Pip count: a jack, queen or king left in hand is 10 points, and an ace is 15.Getting rid of high cards early matters more under this count.
5: Worked sum: a hand left with a 9, a king and an ace scores 9 + 10 + 15 = 34.Under the simple count the same hand scores 3.
6: The lowest total wins. Agree on the number of deals before the first (ours).One deal for each player as dealer keeps it even.
Variations, each one marked 8
1: Variation, named 7 starts: the holder of the 7 of diamonds plays it as the first card.Other tables name the 7 of hearts. After it, play goes on to the left.
2: Variation, ace low: each row runs down from the 7 to the ace and up to the king.The rows are then the same length on both sides of the 7.
3: Variation, free pass: a player may pass even when a card fits.Some tables limit this to three passes a game for each player.
4: Variation, 8 first: after a 7, the 8 of that suit must be down before any other card.The 6 and the cards below it wait for the 8.
5: Variation, 6 and 8 first: both must be down before the rest of the suit can follow.After that, cards go on either end as usual.
6: Variation, equal hands: deal everyone the same number and turn the leftovers face up.Anyone may play a leftover card on their turn when it fits.
7: Variation, hand a card: a player who cannot play is handed a card by the player before.The giver chooses it, usually the card they want least.
8: Variation, any rank starts: the first player leads any card, and that rank opens every suit.Lead a 9, and each of the other three rows must start with its 9.
How this list was compiled: Written for this site on 2026-10-09, in our own words. Sevens is a traditional card game with no governing body; it is also called Fan Tan, Parliament, Domino and Card Dominoes. The standard sheet follows the card game rules site Pagat: https://www.pagat.com/layout/sevens.html, read on 2026-10-09: a 52-card deck for three to about eight players, best for four to six, all the cards dealt one at a time, the player on the dealer's left starting, one card a turn, any 7 starting a row for its suit, the next card up or down added beside a card already there, the ace above the king and the 2 lowest, a player who can play having to, a pass shown by knocking, and the first player out of cards winning. The compact layout with piles on the 6s and 8s, the grid of 13 by 4, the deal passing to the left, the 7 of diamonds played first and the ace played low are as Pagat gives them. English Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, Domino (card game), the article that covers Sevens: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domino_(card_game), read the same day, gives the game for three to eight players and the names Fan Tan in the United States and Parliament in Britain; it has the holder of the 7 of hearts lead in Sevens, lets play go on for second and third place, and gives the two ways of scoring (a count of cards left, or face value with 10 for each jack, queen and king and 15 for an ace), the advice to hold back cards next to a 7, and the variations with a free pass, three passes a game, the 8 before other cards, the 6 and 8 before other cards, equal hands with the leftover cards face up, a card handed to a player who cannot play, and a first card of any rank. Both sources also describe versions played with a pool of chips; this page leaves those out. Rows marked ours are this site's own and are not official; hand sizes and the worked sum were counted from a 52-card deck. Licence: own work
How it works
Sevens is a card game for three to eight players and a regular deck, called Fan Tan in the United States and Parliament in Britain. Cards are played into four rows, one a suit, each growing outward from its 7.
Read the full guide
Rules for playing the card game Sevens: one turn
Say the 5, 6 and 7 of clubs and the 7 of diamonds are on the table. You may play the 4 or 8 of clubs, the 6 or 8 of diamonds, or another 7. Holding any of those, you must play one. Holding none, you pass and the turn moves on.
What tables change: the first card and the ace
On the standard sheet the player on the dealer's left starts and the ace sits above the king. Many tables start with one named 7, or play the ace low. Variations, each one marked has both, and Scoring over several deals turns single deals into a longer game.
When two cards fit, think about keeping the 7 or the card next to it: the others then have to open the suits you need.
Questions and answers
How do you play the Sevens card game?
Deal out the whole deck. In turn, each player lays one card: a 7, which starts a row for its suit, or the next card up or down in a suit already started. A player with nothing that fits passes. First out of cards wins.
Can you pass in Sevens if you have a card to play?
Not in the standard game: a player who can play must. You pass only when nothing in your hand fits. Some tables allow a free pass, often up to three a game, and the sheet of variations marks that as one.
Who goes first in Sevens?
The player on the dealer's left, who plays a 7 or passes. Many tables instead have the holder of the 7 of diamonds, or the 7 of hearts, start by playing it.
Is the ace high or low in Sevens?
It depends on the table. One common rule builds each suit from the 7 up to the king and then the ace, and down to the 2. Another puts the ace below the 2. Settle it before the deal.