Sergeant Major (3-5-8)
Play Sergeant Major, also called 3-5-8, free online — a three-player trick-taking game from the British forces. Every seat has a trick target of 8, 5 or 3, the dealer swaps four cards with the kitty, and players who beat their target trade cards with players who fell short. No download or sign-up.
Overview
Sergeant Major is a trick-taking game for three players. You play against two AI opponents. It is a close relative of the Indian game 5-3-2 (Paanch Teen Do), played with a full pack and higher targets.
History
Sergeant Major is a game of the British armed forces. Accounts differ on where it started: some trace it to the Royal Engineers, others to the Royal Air Force, where it was a popular barracks game. The same idea travelled widely under number names: 3-5-8 or 8-5-3 in Britain, India and the Near East, 9-5-2 in Canada, and the 30-card Indian cousin 5-3-2 (Paanch Teen Do).
The deal
A full 52-card pack is dealt one card at a time, 16 cards to each player. The last four cards go face down on the table as the kitty.
Trumps and the kitty
The dealer names a trump suit. No trumps is not allowed. The dealer then discards any four cards face down and takes the four kitty cards in their place.
Trick targets
The targets follow the seats, not the players:
- Dealer — 8 tricks
- Player on the dealer's left, who leads to the first trick — 5 tricks
- Third player — 3 tricks
The three targets add up to the 16 tricks in a hand.
Trick rules
- The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick.
- You must follow suit if you can.
- If you cannot, you may play any card, including a trump.
- The highest trump wins, or the highest card of the suit led if no trump is played.
- The winner of a trick leads the next.
Up and down
Win more tricks than your target and you are up by the excess; fall short and you are down by the difference. Each overtrick is a point gained and each undertrick a point lost, and running totals are kept on the table.
Trading cards
The deal rotates clockwise, so the next dealer is the player who led to the first trick. From the second hand on, after the deal and before trumps are named, every player who was up trades with a player who was down: one card for each overtrick, or one for each trick short when only one player was up. The receiver hands back their highest card in each suit received, or the same card if it is their only one of that suit. With two players up, the one with the higher target this hand trades first.
If the dealer was down and had to hand over their highest card of a suit, any higher card of that suit picked up from the kitty must be shown to the player they traded with.
Winning
The game is won outright by any player who takes 12 or more tricks in a single hand.
Controls
Tap a card to pick it, then tap it again or use the button to play it. When you trade or discard, pick the cards and confirm with the button. Each seat's trick count, target and running score are shown during play.