Ristiseiska

Ristiseiska (Finnish for "the seven of clubs") is a card game popular in Finland.

Rules

The idea of Ristiseiska is to build a rectangular grid of cards on the table, according to specific rules. At the start, the entire deck is dealt out among the players. The person holding the seven of clubs must begin, and play proceeds clockwise from there.

On a player's turn, he/she must place a card from his/her hand on the table if at all possible. The grid on the table is divided by suit, with each suit consisting of three parts: the seven, a pile growing from the six downwards, and a pile growing from the eight upwards. Aces rank low.

The first card to be put on the table must be the seven of clubs. A suit may only be started with a seven. If the seven is already on the table, a six may be added, and if a six is already on the table, an eight may be added. The two piles corresponding to the suit then grow number by number, one towards the king, the other towards the ace. If a player has any card that can be played, he/she must play it. Otherwise he/she has to take a card from the previous player, this is selected by the previous player and given face down. Upon playing a king or an ace, a player can choose to play an additional card as well.

The first player to run out of cards wins.