My family is Czech and from El Campo and Shiner, TX. My grandpa played Svick and my aunts, uncles and cousins still play weekly. It's really fun but seems to be sort of a "dead game" as there's no real information on it online. It's been years since I've played but I reached out and was given the rules for you all. As far as I know, my family is the only family that still actively plays this game so I would love to hear if someone else out there plays it still. I don't know anyone else who's played or has even heard of this game and was surprised to find this thread. It's a fun game and many people can play at once. It seems like the optimum number of people is around 4-6 but I think up to 8 or even 10 can play. There are a lot of rules so this will be pretty long but I don't know of ANYONE who still plays this game so it's nice to have it preserved somewhere online.
I looked at the rules for Zwikken and Svick is a completely different game.
For those of you who don't play card games with trumps and tricks (ie. games like Spades or Hearts etc). A trump is a suit that beats all other suits but unlike Spades or Hearts it can be any suit turned over by the dealer in Svick. You can only use a trump if you can't follow suit. Example: Diamonds are turned over as the trump.. Hearts are led, if you don't have a heart you can trump with a diamond (a 2 of diamonds would beat the ace of hearts in this situation) and the highest trump played (if more than one) would win the trick. If no one trumps the highest heart would win the trick in this example. A trick is the round played... so if 5 people are playing they all play their first round of cards, 1 card each, in the middle and whoever wins the round, takes the cards and keeps them. That's a trick and there are four tricks to be had per hand in Svick. At the end you count up who has how many tricks for dividing up the pot. Also, in this game Ace is high.. so Ace, Joker, King, Queen, Jack, 10 through 2. (the joker is always a trump and only one joker is in the deck)
The Deal:
First everyone antes up (.20 cents always makes it even). You are dealt four cards (so there are four tricks) so depending on what you ante, the dealer has to add the extra few cents to make it divisible by 4. For example if there are 5 playing and everyone antes .15 cents that's .75 so the dealer puts in a penny to make it .76 and the pot is now .19 cents a trick. You could also make the ante .19 or .07 cents to keep it even. (That's the money aspect.. divisible by 4). You could also play for chips but we always played for change. It's more fun to see actual money on the table, imo.
Knocking in or folding:
4 cards are dealt to each player then the dealer flips a card which designates the trump (spades, clubs, diamonds, hearts). The dealer can choose to keep the turned trump by knocking on it WITHOUT looking at his hand first. 10 and below he only has to make one trick, Jack and above he has to make 2 tricks or he goes 'set'. Then each player, after looking at their cards, decides if they will 'go' (play) by knocking on the table (in order, to the left from the dealer). Those who knock and are 'in' discard all cards that are not trumps in their hand and the dealer gives them replacements. (1,2 or 3 cards.. if you don't have a trump you would fold and not knock... unless you like losing money) :) You don't bid, you just ante, then knock or fold. When it gets back around to the dealer, he picks up the overturned trump (if he knocked on it) looks at his cards and makes his discards and deals himself replacements. If the dealer doesn't knock on the trump card he can look at his cards and knock in at the end of the round but can't pick up the trump card. Also, if the dealer knocks on and picks up the trump card the dealer leads the first round of play, if the dealer doesn't pick up the trump card the first person to his left that knocked begins the round of play. If no players knock (want to play their hand), the dealer cannot knock at the end.. that's the end of the round and the dealer adds 4 pennies and deals again. Once everyone has knocked or folded and has their four cards play begins...
Play:
The dealer plays first and can lead trumps if he wants (ie. the ace if he has it). If you don't have a card to match the suit that is lead you must trump it, if you don't have any trumps you can discard anything. Whoever wins that trick plays first on the next round. When all tricks have been won, play is over and the pot is divided between those who won tricks. (two tricks you get half the pot... 1/4 for one trick and obviously this is why the pot must be divisible by four). Then everyone antes for the next round or if one or more went set they pay their fines and the new dealer puts in four pennies and no one else has to ante. The new dealer must put in four pennies even if they paid a fine for going set.
Going set and fines:
If you knock into the hand you must make at least one trick or you go 'set' and have to match the whole pot (the fine) on the next round (and no one has to ante in and gets a free round if there's a fine). More than one person can go set and all people who are set must pay the fine. (so three people go set, the pot gets matched 3 times). If you are the dealer and knocked on the trump card lower than 10 (1 trick) and go 'set' you have to match the whole pot on the next round. If the dealer knocks on a face card, joker or ace, he needs to make 2 tricks or he goes 'set' and has to pay DOUBLE the pot on the next round. (everyone with me so far? haha!) OH and if the dealer knocks on a face card, joker or ace, he has the choice after looking at his cards to fold if he would like... but he has to pay the fine on the next round (which is better than matching double the pot if he doesn't make 2 tricks). Like I said before, if there is a fine, the next dealer always has to add 4 cents. Even if the dealer payed the fine. The next dealer is always the person to the left of the last dealer.
This matching the pot thing is where the pot can really grow. 5 people playing at .20 cents each the pot is $1 but if you have 2 people go set and one is the dealer who knocked on a face card the next pot is $3. Then say, two more go set on that round.. now the pot is $6). Small money but the money is what makes it fun and if it's a $6 dollar pot.. you really think hard before you knock to play!
Clear as mud right? Have fun!