How to play 3-5-8
3-5-8, also known as Sergeant Major, gives the three seats different trick targets. Make more than your target to score and gain a favourable card exchange in the following deal. Dealer duties and targets rotate.
Start a game
- Three players receive sixteen cards each; four cards form the kitty.
- The dealer chooses trump, discards four cards and then takes the kitty.
- Aim for the seat’s target: dealer eight, next player five, third player three.
- Follow suit; if unable, trump when you can.
- Score above or below your target and play toward +10 or the nine-deal result.
Seats, trump and the kitty
The standard 52-card deck produces sixteen tricks. The dealer’s target is eight, the player to the dealer’s left targets five and leads the first trick, and the remaining player targets three. The dealer rotates next deal.
The dealer must choose one of the four suits as trump: there is no no-trump option. Choose trump, discard four cards and only then collect the four-card kitty. Do not assume you can inspect the kitty before deciding what to discard.
Following and winning tricks
Follow the led suit whenever you hold it. When you cannot follow, you must play trump if you have any. The highest trump takes the trick; if no trump is played, the highest card of the led suit wins.
Every trick above your target scores +1, and every missing trick scores −1. The three scores for a deal sum to zero because the targets total sixteen.
The next-deal exchange
From the second deal onward, players who exceeded their targets give cards to players who fell short, according to the surplus and deficits. For each card received, the recipient returns their highest card in the same suit. If they have no other card of that suit, the received card can return.
When two players have a surplus, the one with the higher target in the coming deal exchanges first. This makes a surplus valuable beyond its immediate point: it can improve the next hand.
Example: score against your own target
If your target is five and you take seven tricks, you score +2. Taking seven as the dealer would instead be −1 because the dealer’s target is eight. Always read the target shown for your current seat.
A player reaching +10 wins. Otherwise the best score after nine deals decides the match, with extra deals when the lead is tied.
Strategy and useful habits
- Use the dealer’s discard to shape a useful trump plan.
- Count tricks against your own rotating target.
- Choose exchange suits that improve the next hand.
- Take useful surplus tricks without risking the target unnecessarily.
Common mistakes
- Treating all three players as having the same target.
- Looking for a no-trump contract.
- Discarding as though the kitty has already been seen.
- Ignoring the future value of the surplus exchange.
Questions and answers
How many players are at the table?
Always three. Bots fill empty seats.
Why 3-5-8?
Those are the three trick targets, adding to the sixteen tricks in a deal.
Can I play without trump?
No. The dealer must select a trump suit.
