fishing / capture · North India and Pakistan — popular in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and the Punjab
Seep
Also known as Sweep · Sip · Siv · Shiv · सीप
Seep — also written Sweep or Sip (सीप) — is North India's beloved fishing card game, played 2-against-2 with a standard 52-card deck and famous across Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and the Punjab. Related to the Italian game Casino, Seep is all about capturing cards from the table (the "floor") by matching a card or by playing a card equal to the sum of several loose cards. You build "houses," defend them with a matching card held back in your hand, and chase the prized seep — sweeping every card off the floor in one play for a big bonus. Play Seep online free against smart bots or friends and learn the rules in minutes, then spend a lifetime mastering the bluffs and the counting.
2–4 players · free · no download · no signup
How to play Seep
- Sit in two partnerships of two, partners opposite each other; play and dealing go counter-clockwise (to the dealer's right).
- Deal 4 cards to the player on the dealer's right and place 4 cards face down as the floor; that player bids a house value of 9-13 from their hand.
- Turn the floor cards face up, build the first house, then deal the rest of the deck in packets of four (bidder gets 11 cards, others 12).
- On your turn play one card: capture a card of equal value, capture several cards summing to your card, or capture a whole house by matching its total.
- Or build a house by combining your card with loose cards to total 9-13, keeping a matching card in hand to claim it later.
- Clear the entire floor in one play to score a seep (sweep) — worth 50 points (25 on the first play, 0 on the last).
- When hands run out, give leftover loose cards to the team that captured last, total your spades, Aces and Ten of diamonds, and race to a 100-point lead.
Seep rules
Objective and Players
Seep is a partnership fishing game, normally played by four people in two fixed teams, with partners sitting opposite each other so the turn order alternates between the two sides. Play and dealing proceed counter-clockwise (to the dealer's right). Your team's goal is to capture point-scoring cards from the floor across the deal and to earn sweep bonuses, building a lead over the other team. The match is decided by a running score difference: the first team to lead by 100 points or more wins a baazi (a game). A streamlined two-player version also exists, dealing four hands (two played, two held in reserve) so two people can enjoy the same mechanics. Seep can feel deceptively simple at first, but the building, breaking and bluffing make it one of the richest capture games in South Asia.
The Deck, Card Values and Points
Seep uses one standard 52-card English-pattern deck with no jokers. For capturing purposes every card has a numeric value: Ace = 1, the pip cards 2 through 10 = their face value, Jack = 11, Queen = 12, and King = 13. Scoring is separate from capturing — only 17 cards carry points, and they total exactly 100 points in the deck. All thirteen spades score their own value (Ace of spades = 1 up to King of spades = 13, summing to 91), the Ace of hearts, Ace of diamonds and Ace of clubs each score 1 point (3 more), and the Ten of diamonds scores 6 points. 91 + 3 + 6 = 100. Because spades are the only suit that scores across the board, capturing spades — especially the high ones and the King — is the heart of Seep scoring.
The Deal and the First House
The dealer first gives 4 cards to the player on their right and lays 4 cards face down on the table as the floor. That player to the dealer's right looks at their four cards and must announce a house value from 9 to 13, matching a card of that value held in hand (Jack=11, Queen=12, King=13, or a 9 or 10). If they hold no card higher than an 8, they cannot bid and the cards are reshuffled and re-dealt. The four floor cards are then turned face up, and the bidder uses one card to create the first house by combining their played card with loose floor cards summing to the announced value (keeping the matching card in hand to capture it later). The dealer then deals the rest of the deck counter-clockwise in packets of four, so the bidder ends with 11 cards and the other three players each hold 12.
The Core Mechanic — Capturing and Building
On your turn you play one card from your hand, and there are three things it can do. (1) Capture by matching: a single loose card is taken by playing a card of equal value, and a set of loose cards is taken by playing a card equal to the sum of their values (e.g. a 10 captures a 4+6, or a 6+3+Ace). (2) Capture a house: a house is taken only by a card equal to the whole house's value, never piecemeal. (3) Build a house: combine your played card with loose floor cards (and even an existing house) so the pile totals a value from 9 to 13, as long as you still hold a card of that value in hand to claim it later. Capturing is compulsory in a sense — if you play a card and do not use it to build, you must pick up every loose card, set, or house on the floor that matches its value; you can't deliberately leave a matching capture behind.
Houses — Ownership, Cementing and Breaking
A house (ghar in Hindi) is a pile of two or more cards that can only be captured as one unit, by a card equal to its total value. You own any house you create, and you must always keep a card in hand matching its value so you (or your partner) can collect it. Opponents can attack an ordinary (loose/kachcha) house in two ways: break it by adding a card that raises its total to a new value from 9-13 (taking over ownership and forcing you to defend the new value), or combine it. There can never be two houses of the same value on the floor at once — if a play would create a duplicate, the houses merge into a cemented (pukka) house. A cemented house contains more than one set adding to its value (or a loose card equal to it), is fixed at that value, and can no longer be broken — only captured outright by a matching card. Defending and cementing your houses while threatening your opponents' is the strategic core of Seep.
The Seep (Sweep) and Its Bonus
A seep — the sweep that gives the game its name — happens when your play clears every card off the floor at once, leaving it completely empty. A normal sweep is worth a 50-point bonus to your team. There are two exceptions: a sweep made on the very first play of the deal is worth only 25 points, and a sweep on the last play of the deal earns no bonus at all (since there is nothing left for the opponent to lose). Sweeps are the biggest single swing in Seep, so much of the play revolves around setting up a sweep for your side while never leaving the floor in a state your opponent can clear. Store your sweeping cards so they can be tallied when the deal is scored.
Ending the Deal and Winning the Baazi
Play continues until all hands are exhausted; by then every house must have been captured. Any loose cards still lying on the floor at the very end go to whichever team made the last capture (this does not count as a seep). Each team then totals the point value of the cards it captured, adds its sweep bonuses, and the running score difference between the teams is updated. The first team to reach a lead of 100 or more points wins the baazi. There is also a knockout rule: if a team scores fewer than 9 points in a single deal, it immediately loses a baazi and the running scores reset to zero — so even a strong lead can collapse from one disastrous deal.
Strategy tips
- Spades are the only suit that scores across all ranks — prioritize capturing spades, especially the high spades and the King, since they account for 91 of the 100 points.
- Never leave the floor in a state your opponent can sweep; before you play, check whether the loose cards (or a house) can be cleared in one capture by the next side.
- Cement your houses into pukka piles when you can — once cemented they cannot be broken or stolen, only captured by a matching card you and your partner control.
- Always hold back the matching card for any house you own; if you lose that card you can no longer defend or collect the house, and an opponent may break it.
- Count the point cards as they leave the floor (especially the spades and the Ten of diamonds) so you know who is winning the deal and whether you risk the under-9 knockout.
- Play with your partner: set up captures and sweeps for whoever sits next on your side, and use builds to feed your partner houses they can defend.
Variants
Punjab 30-point version: only 7 cards score (Ten of diamonds = 12, Nine of spades = 9, Two of spades = 1, each Ace = 1, plus 4 bonus points for the team with more cards) totaling 30; the game ends at a 30-point lead and capturing all 30 card points is a 'Satthi' worth 60. · Two-player Seep: four hands are dealt — two played and two kept face down in reserve — and after the first 12 cards are played the players draw their reserve hands and continue. · 100-point North-Indian version: the standard ruleset described above, where the deck's scoring cards total 100 and a 100-point lead wins the baazi. · House values from 9 to 13: some local groups restrict or widen the allowed build values, so agree on the range before you start. · Sweep scoring variants: in some circles (notably the Punjab game) a sweep is worth the capture value of the card played rather than a flat 50.
Seep — frequently asked questions
How do you play Seep?
Seep is a 2v2 fishing game with a 52-card deck. The player to the dealer's right bids a house value of 9-13 and builds the first house from four face-up floor cards; the rest of the deck is then dealt. On your turn you play one card to capture a matching loose card, capture several cards that sum to your card, capture a whole house by matching its total, or build a new house worth 9-13 that you defend with a matching card in hand. Clearing the whole floor at once is a seep worth 50 points. After all cards are played you score your captured spades, Aces and the Ten of diamonds, and the first team to lead by 100 points wins.
What are the basic Seep rules for capturing cards?
You capture a single loose card by playing one of equal value, and you capture a group of loose cards by playing a card equal to their sum (for example a 10 takes a 4 and a 6 together). A house is captured only by a card equal to its total value, as a single unit. If the card you play matches something on the floor and you didn't use it to build a house, you must take everything it can capture — you can't deliberately leave a matching capture behind.
What is a 'house' (ghar) in Seep?
A house is a pile of two or more cards on the floor that totals a value from 9 to 13 and can only be captured as a whole by a card of that value. You create a house by combining a played card with loose cards (you must keep a matching card in hand to claim it). You own the house you build. Opponents can break an ordinary house by adding a card to change its value, but a cemented (pukka) house — one holding more than one set equal to the value — is fixed and can never be broken, only captured.
How many points is a seep (sweep) worth?
A seep is sweeping every card off the floor in a single play. A normal seep is worth a 50-point bonus to your team. A sweep made on the very first play of the deal is worth only 25 points, and a sweep on the final play of the deal earns no bonus at all. Sweeps are the biggest swing in the game, so most of the tactical play is about setting one up for your side while denying it to the other team.
Which cards score points in Seep?
Only 17 cards score, totaling exactly 100 points. Every spade scores its own value (Ace of spades = 1 up to King of spades = 13, totaling 91), the Aces of hearts, diamonds and clubs score 1 point each (3 points), and the Ten of diamonds scores 6 points. That is why capturing spades — especially the high ones — is the core of Seep scoring, and why the Ten of diamonds is a prized single card.
How do you win a game of Seep?
Teams keep a running score difference across deals. The first team to lead by 100 or more points wins a baazi (a game). There is also a knockout: if a team scores fewer than 9 points in any single deal it immediately loses a baazi and the scores reset to zero, so a poor deal can wipe out a big lead.