Other namesSatti
Satti, Sevens and Badam Satti: which game is which?
Three names built on the number seven, and at least two very different games behind them. Here is how to tell them apart, and exactly which one you play on PlayNest.
4 min readUpdated By PlayNest team
Why the names get confused
Saat means seven in Urdu and Hindi, so any card game where the 7 matters can end up called Satti. Two very different games share that root: a building game where the 7s start every suit, known as Badam Satti or Sevens, and a matching game where the 7 is an attack card, which is the Satti on our site.
If you searched for one and found the other, this page will save you a confusing first round.
Our Satti: the matching game
Our Satti is a shedding game for 2 to 6 players, from the same family as Crazy Eights and Uno. Everyone gets the same number of cards, six by default. One card is turned face up, and on your turn you play a card that matches it by suit or by rank. If nothing fits, you draw.
Three cards are special:
- 7: the next player draws 2 and loses their turn. With 7-stacking on, they can answer with a 7 of their own to pass the penalty on, growing by 2 each time.
- Jack: wild for suit. Play it on anything and name the suit the next player must follow.
- 8: skips the next player.
- The first player to empty their hand wins; everyone else is ranked by the cards they still hold.
Tip
In House rules you can deal 5, 6 or 7 cards, and switch 7-stacking and play-after-draw on or off.
Badam Satti, also called Sevens
Badam Satti is a building game. Badam is the old name for the hearts suit in some regions, and the game traditionally starts with the 7 of hearts. In English it is called Sevens, Fan Tan, Domino or Parliament.
All 52 cards are dealt. The player with the 7 of hearts lays it in the middle. Players then take turns adding one card to the layout: either another 7 to start a new suit row, or the next card up or down in a suit that is already open. A 6 of hearts can go next to the 7 of hearts, then a 5 below it, and an 8 above, and so on to Ace and King. If you cannot play, you pass. The first player to get rid of all their cards wins.
There is no draw pile, no attack card and no wild card. The skill lies in holding back cards that others need, such as a 6 or 8 that blocks a whole suit.
Side by side
The quick way to tell the two apart:
- Deal: our Satti deals 5 to 7 each with a draw pile. Badam Satti deals out the whole deck.
- What you play on: our Satti, the single top card of the discard pile. Badam Satti, a layout of suits growing out from the 7s.
- What the 7 does: in our Satti it makes the next player draw. In Badam Satti it opens a suit.
- Special cards: our Satti has 7s, Jacks and 8s. Badam Satti has none.
- Drawing: in our Satti you draw when nothing fits. In Badam Satti you simply pass.
Is Satti like Uno?
Yes, closely. Matching by suit or rank is Uno's matching by colour or number, the 7 works like a Draw Two, the 8 like a Skip and the Jack like a Wild. The difference is that Satti uses a normal pack of cards. Our comparison of Bhabhi, Uno and Getaway explains why Bhabhi, despite also being about emptying your hand, is a different kind of game.
Which one should you play?
Play our Satti for quick, noisy rounds with lots of reversals, which children pick up in a minute. Play Badam Satti at home when you want a slower, quieter game of blocking and patience.
Satti is free on PlayNest against the computer or with friends through a room link. For more card games that suit a family evening, see the best free card games to play with family online.
Questions people ask
- Is your Satti the same as Badam Satti?
- No. Our Satti is a matching game where 7s make the next player draw, Jacks change the suit and 8s skip. Badam Satti builds each suit up and down from the 7s.
- What is the Sevens card game?
- Sevens is the English name for Badam Satti: players build suits outward from the 7s, passing when they cannot play, and the first to empty their hand wins.
- Can I play Badam Satti on PlayNest?
- Not at the moment. Our Satti is the matching variant. If you enjoy Badam Satti, you may also like Bhabhi, another full-deck game that rewards remembering cards.
