Sergeant Major
How to Play Sergeant Major
Sergeant Major is a three-player trick-taking game. Nobody has a partner. You deal one standard 52, 16 each, leftover 4 face-down = the kitty. Bid 8 or more to be Sergeant Major. After the bid, the targets are 8, 5, and 3. First to 5 pluses wins.
This page is kitchen-table Sergeant Major. Also called 8-5-3 or 3-5-8 at some tables — CardPractice house name is Sergeant Major. Short enough to deal tonight. This is not Oh Hell. Oh Hell is exact bid, hands 7 down to 1 — how to play Oh Hell. This is not 3-hand Five Hundred. That is a 33-card pack, 10 each, a 3-card widow, Avondale to 500 — 3-hand Five Hundred. Not euchre (24-card pack, five tricks, partners, to 10). Not 5-hand Five Hundred. Three people is this game, not a sit-out. Pick it from tonight with 3 players or the 3-player hub.
What you need
- Three people. Nobody has a partner. 3 is this game. Not on chip 2, 4, or 5. Nobody sits out.
- One standard 52-card deck. No jokers. Deal 16 each. Remaining 4 face-down = the kitty.
- Paper with a column per person. First to 5 pluses.
Sit, pick a dealer, agree on the house
Sit three. Cut for the first deal, or point at someone. After each hand, the deal moves clockwise.
Say these out loud before the first card:
- 52 cards. 16 each. 4 in the kitty face-down. 16×3+4=52. If you have cards left over, you misdealt. Throw it in.
- Bid 8 or more, or pass. Left of dealer first. One round. A later bid must be higher. Highest bid wins. Everyone passes: left of dealer is forced to 8.
- Winner takes the kitty, discards any 4 face-down, names trump. Bidder is 8. Left of the bidder is 5. Remaining player is 3. Say 8, 5, and 3 out loud. 8+5+3=16.
- At least your number: +1. Short: 0. First to 5 pluses. Not Oh Hell (exact, 7 down to 1). Not 3-hand Five Hundred (Avondale to 500). Do not run the army-promotion ladder tonight.
Deal 16. Four sit in the kitty.
Shuffle the 52. Deal clockwise until each player has 16. Put the remaining 4 in the middle, face down. That is the kitty. Nobody looks yet. If someone has 15 or 17, you misdealt. Throw it in and deal again.
Three people: 48 cards in hands, 4 in the kitty. Left of the dealer speaks first.
Bid 8 or more, then take the kitty
Starting left of the dealer, each player may bid or pass. A bid is 8 or more tricks — you are bidding to be Sergeant Major, not naming a suit yet. Each later bid must be higher. Pass and you are out of this auction. One round.
The highest bid wins. That player takes the 4 kitty cards, looks, and discards any 4 face-down. Then they name trump.
If everyone passes, left of the dealer is forced to 8. They take the kitty, discard 4, and name trump. There is always a Sergeant Major.
The number you bid is the auction — who gets the kitty and names trump. After that, the targets are always 8, 5, and 3. Bid 9 and you still sit as 8.
Targets after the bid — say 8, 5, and 3
| Seat | Target |
|---|---|
| Bidder (Sergeant Major) | 8 |
| Left of the bidder | 5 |
| Remaining player | 3 |
| Total tricks | 16 |
The bidder is 8. The player to the bidder's left is 5. The remaining player is 3. 8+5+3=16. Say the three numbers out loud before the first trick.
Play 16 tricks
Left of the dealer leads first — not necessarily the bidder. After that, the winner of a trick leads the next. You play until the hands are empty. Sixteen tricks.
- You must follow suit if you have a card of the suit that was led.
- If you cannot follow, you may trump or throw off a side suit.
- The highest trump in the trick wins. If nobody played trump, the highest card of the led suit wins.
- Rank A K Q J 10–2. No jokers. No bowers. Ace high, 2 low.
You may trump when void. You do not have to. There is no “spades broken” rule. You may lead trump whenever you want. That is not Spades. Hands do not shrink 7 down to 1. That is not Oh Hell.
Scoring, in the amount you need tonight
After 16 tricks, count yours. Compare to your target. At least — not exact.
| Target | Took | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 8 | +1 — made |
| 8 | 9 | +1 — made (over is fine) |
| 8 | 7 | 0 — short |
| 5 | 5 | +1 |
| 5 | 4 | 0 — short |
| 3 | 3 | +1 |
| 3 | 2 | 0 — short |
At least your number: +1 in that person's column. Short: 0. Overtricks are fine — they still count as made. First to 5 pluses wins. Going past 5 is fine.
Optional rematch: just play one deal and see who made it. You do not race to 500. That is 3-hand Five Hundred. You do not hit an exact bid on shrinking hands. That is Oh Hell. You do not hash-mark to 10. That is euchre.
Walk through one first-night hand
You bid 8. You take the kitty. You name hearts. You sit as 8. East (left of you) is 5. West is 3. Say it: 8, 5, 3.
Left of the dealer leads — not you, unless you sat left of the dealer. Sixteen tricks. You take 9 (made, +1). East takes 4 (short, 0). West takes 3 (made, +1). 9+4+3=16.
Write +1, 0, +1. Deal again. First to 5 pluses.
Night-one habits
- 16 each, 4 in the kitty. 16×3+4=52. Leftover cards means a misdeal.
- The auction is who is Sergeant Major. Targets after that are always 8, 5, and 3.
- Left of dealer leads first — not necessarily the bidder.
- At least your number: +1. Short: 0. Over is made.
- Do not run the army-promotion ladder tonight. Paper, pluses to 5.
- Three people. Nobody sits out. Two, four, or five: pick something else from tonight.
You know enough to deal. Keep this page beside the pad. Three people is a tonight pick. There is no Sergeant Major trainer on CardPractice — this how-to is the product. If you wanted exact bid, hands 7 down to 1, that is Oh Hell — not Sergeant Major. If you wanted a 33-card pack, a widow, and Avondale to 500, that is 3-hand Five Hundred. If you wanted five tricks and hash marks to 10, that is euchre.