Swoop Card Game The Complete Guide to Rules and Strategy

Are you looking for a family-friendly card game for ages 8 and above? Well, the Swoop card game is the best choice to add excitement and fun to your weekend getaways with a card game that supports 3-8 players at a time.

The gameplay and Swoop rules are easy to understand and implement. In this blog, we will learn some of the winning strategies, rules, and how to play swoop.

What is Swoop?

The Swoop card game, also known as Swipe, Swish, or Swoosh, has been popular in America since the 21st century. The card game Swoop is inspired by a popular game known as Shithead. The main objective is to get rid of all hand cards or make the lowest score in the game. All hand cards are swooped by playing a 10 or completing a four-of-a-kind combination.

A player who does not pick up an appropriate card, i.e., equal to or lower than the top card of the play pile, must pick the play pile and add it to their hand. The first player to run out of cards in their hand becomes the winner of the game.

Swoop Card Game Rules

The Swoop rules are simple to understand and implement in the game. Let’s review some of the important Swoop card game rules below.

If you play 4 of the same rank, then they are removed from the stacks under the matching cards from gameplay.
Use any available card in the next turn if you swoop a pile.
If you cannot match 4 cards, play a lower-rank card ending in your turn.
If the rank of the card played is equal to or lower than the top card of the play, then new cards are placed on the top of the play pile.
If the cards played are higher in rank than the top card of the play pile, players must pick up the whole of the existing play pile or use their higher cards to start a new pile.
Play any of the face-up cards in front of you or cards as long as the ranks match.
You cannot use a mystery card until you play the face-up cards on top of it.
10s and Joker cards are swoop cards that can swoop a pile at any time without even matching the 4 cards.
The hand is over once a player is out of cards or has no cards left.
There is no limit to how many cards you might have in your hand.
Whenever a player swoops the pile, they continue to play their hand until they can no longer swoop the pile.
The first player plays any number of matching cards into the center of the table.
Cards are played based on the number of the card, not the suit.
If 4 of the same cards are played, this is called SWOOP, and the stacks of the card are removed from the table.
If the player swoops the pile, they get to play the turn again. If the player plays less than 4 cards, the next person to the left plays the left hand.

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How to Play Swoop?

Players and Card Ranking

The card game Swoop can be played with a minimum of 3 players and a maximum of 8 players at a time. It is played with three decks of cards, including the jokers. The three decks are made of different colors to help players recognize the cards better and match them according to their color.

When there are 3 to 4 players, we use two decks of cards; with 5 to 6 players, we use 3 decks of cards; and with 7 to 8 players, we use 4 decks having 216 cards. The suits are irrelevant in the game, and cards rank from low to high in the order A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-J-Q-K. The 10s and Jokers are unique cards with no rank in the game.

Game Setup

The Game Setup, according to the Swoop Card game rules, starts with shuffling all cards at the center of the table in an unarranged manner.

Place all cards face down and shuffle them to mix the decks on the table.
Do not remove jokers from the decks.
Each player draws 19 face-down cards to make a complete hand.
The remaining cards in the game are kept aside in a draw pile.
Each player keeps 4 cards face down in front of them on the table.
Each player keeps 4 more cards face up on top of each facedown card.
Each player has 11 cards in their hands, with 8 face-down and face-up cards in front of them.
One deck of Swoop cards contains numbered cards, action cards, and special cards.
A scoring sheet with tokens is also required.

The Deal

Each player gets 19 cards dealt without looking at any of these cards. The player places four cards face down in front of the table. They are also known as “mystery Cards”. Then, four more cards are placed on the top of these mystery cards. The remaining 11 cards remain in the player’s hand. Players must keep these card values hidden from their opponents in the game.

The Swoop game consists of multiple decks containing a large number of cards. It is tough to distribute cards normally, as in other card games. All combinations of decks are mixed on the table face down, after which each player picks up 19 cards randomly without seeing them. The remaining cards on the table are kept aside and not used in the Swoop game, as per the Swoop card game rules.

The Objective

The objective of the Swoop Card Game is to eliminate all cards in the hand. Players “Swoop” cards from the table by matching them with cards in their hands. They continue to play hands until one of the players reaches a predetermined point, e.g., 500 points.

Some players also set a time limit in the game instead of playing for so long, and the total score is calculated when the timer runs out.

Gameplay

The first player can be chosen using any convenient method in the game. Each player picks a card from the draw pile, and the player with the highest card takes the first turn in the game. The game then advances in a clockwise direction. The player takes turns to play cards on top of a face up in the center of the table.

The dealer shuffles the deck and deals the card to each player.
A player can play a turn from their hand if it matches the value of a card or the sum of a set of cards on the table.
When playing more than one card, they must be equal in rank.
Each turn consists of one to four cards, which might come from their hand, the face-up cards on the table, or a combination of both.
If the rank of the card played is equal to or lower than the top card of the play, then new cards are placed on the top of the play pile.
If the cards played are higher in rank than the top card of the play pile, they must pick up the whole of the existing play pile or use their higher cards to start a new pile.
If the pile is empty, the cards are used to form a new play pile.
Players add all cards into the hand before playing these higher cards to begin a new pile.
A round ends when the draw pile is exhausted, and players run out of all their cards.

Turns in the Game

A turn consists of playing 1 to 4 cards, which can come either from the player’s hand or face-up cards on the table or with a combination of both cards. To play cards together, it must be of the same rank.

Ending the Turn

Choose the ending of the game after each player has a turn or set a predetermined score in the game. The turn advances in the clockwise direction unless a swoop occurs in the game or the player plays their last card while ending the game.

Swoop

A Swoop occurs when the top four cards in the play pile are of the same rank.

You can trigger a Swoop by playing a set of four cards of the same rank from your hand or by adding cards to the pile to make four cards of the same rank on the top.

The entire play pile is removed from the game, causing the swoop
The player then gets another turn immediately.
A 10 or joker can cause a swoop on any pile card combination.
The play pile and 10 or a joke are set aside, and the player gets another turn.
Players cannot play more than four equal cards on the top of the pile.
If three cards of the same rank are on the top, then only one additional card of the same rank can be played.
Multiple swoops can be played at once if the player has the necessary cards in their hand. For instance, Play four kings, four queens, and four nines in succession.

Scoring

The round is over when a player has no more cards remaining in their hand, on a table, or on mystery cards. The scoring value of each card in the game is mentioned below.

Ace: 1 points each
2-9: Numbered face value each
Jacks, Queen, and Kings are worth 10 points each
Jokers and 10s are worth 50 points each
Aces and Numbered Cards are worth 5 points

The game starts with each player having zero points. Each round the player who goes out gets zero points in the round. Each of the other players totals the points of the cards remaining in their hand, on board or mystery cards and the points are added to get the total score.

When one player has no cards left in their hand the other player sums up the value of cards remaining in their hand. Each player keeps a cumulative score over a series of rounds and the game ends when a player reaches 500 points or more. The player with the lowest score at this point wins the game.

Swoop Card Gaming Strategies

Many Swoop tips and strategies can help you play Swoop while playing the game.

Use your swoop cards strategically in the game. Avoid using them too early in the game.
Aces are worth 1 point and not 11 points in the game.
Play as many matching card numbers as you can, as this will help you reduce the number of cards in your hand.
Mystery cards or Face-down cards cannot be played until the face-up cards in the hands are not played.
Use your face-up cards when playing cards in your hand if the numbers on the card match.
Play your cards wisely, considering you do not want to use your low-ranking cards too early in the game.
Keep your cards organized in your hand to keep a good count of the cards in your hand.
Take a moment to put your cards in rank order, starting with the King and going towards the ace cards.
Pull out the Jokers and 10s and place them on one side of your hand to use it for Swoop cards.
Get rid of all high-point cards from the hand as soon as possible. Try to use Kings, Queens, and Jacks as quickly as possible.
Do not use low-point cards too early in the game. For example, do not use Aces and 2s too early in the game.
Use your Swoop cards if another player is low on cards to avoid getting stuck at the end of the round.

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Got Questions?

How do you play the Swoop Card Game?

The Swoop card game is played with three decks, with each player having 19 cards in their hand. There are 4 facedown cards, 4 face-up cards on top, and 11 cards remaining in their hand. The player with the lowest point until someone reaches 500 points in the game.

How many decks are used in the swoop?

The Swoop card game has many variations. However, the number of decks depends on the game. When there are 3 to 4 players, we use 2 decks of cards; with 5 to 6 players, we use 3 decks of cards; and with 7 to 8 players, we use 4 decks with 216 cards.

How to Win the Swoop Card game?

To win in the swoop card game you must be patient while playing the game. Keep an eye on the cards played by the opponents in the game. At last, get rid of all high-value cards in the game to win. If another player is low on card try to play your cards as soon as possible so you don’t get stuck with them at the end of the game.

What are the Swoop rules in the game?

The most important swoop rules are mentioned at certain points below.

If the rank of the card played is equal to or lower than the top card of the play, then new cards will be placed on top of the play pile.
If the cards played are higher in rank than the top card of the play pile, they must pick up the whole of the existing play pile or use their higher cards to start a new pile
If the pile is empty, the cards are used to form a new play pile.

How important is bluffing in a Swoop Card Game?

Bluffing is an essential move in the game, especially at higher level games, as it is used to mislead the opponents about the strength of the cards in your hand.

Can More than 8 players participate in the Swoop Game?

In some of the Swoop variations, up to 11 players can participate at a time.

How many mystery cards are played in the Swoop Card game?

In the Swoop card game, each player has four face-down or mystery cards. Each mystery card is covered with a face-up card, which represents four numbers.

Swoop Card Game: Rules, How to Play, & Winning Strategies