Nineteen cards each
Each player gets 11 cards in hand, four face-up table cards and four hidden mystery cards. Undealt cards are not used.
Mystery-card game · 3 players
Swoop
SwipeSwooshSwish
Play equal or lower cards, reveal the unknown, and clear the entire pile with a Swoop.
W
West19 cards remaining · 0 pts
E
East19 cards remaining · 0 pts
Play pileAny card may startNo cards played yet
SWOOP!
Y
You19 cards remaining · 0 pts
Deal complete
You won the deal!
01 How to play
Play downward.
Clear with four.
This three-player version uses two standard decks with four jokers.
Equal or lower
Play one to four cards of one rank. Your rank must equal or be lower than the top card. Suits have no effect.
Playing higher
You may play a higher card, but first you must take the existing pile into your hand. Your higher cards then begin a new pile.
Make a Swoop
If exactly four equal cards become consecutive on top, remove the whole pile and take another turn. You may never make more than four.
Tens and Jokers
A 10 or Joker can be played at any time. It immediately Swoops the pile and gives the same player another turn.
Combine your cards
A matching set may mix cards from your hand and your visible table cards, provided no more than four are played.
Mystery cards
Once uncovered, a mystery card can begin a turn. Flip it first, then optionally add matching cards from your hand or visible table.
Scoring
The first player with no cards wins the deal. Others score their remaining cards. When someone reaches 500, the lowest total wins the match.
02 History & variants
A recent game shaped by local tables.
A North American shedding game
Swoop is a comparatively recent beating game recorded in North America, including the Vancouver area. Like many games taught among friends, it has circulated more through personal explanations than through a single published standard. The names Swipe, Swoosh and Swish are used for closely related local forms.
Rules that travel with the name
Groups may change the number of decks according to player count, decide which ranks are wild and use different ways to clear the centre pile. Four equal cards are commonly important, but their exact effect varies. The arrangement of hand cards, visible cards and hidden cards is more consistent and creates the game’s characteristic final surprise.