Decks and Card Values
Sette e Mezzo uses a traditional 40-card Neapolitan deck rather than a standard 52-card deck. All eights, nines, and tens are removed, leaving four suits: Coins, Cups, Clubs, and Swords. Each suit contains:
- Ace (valued at 1)
- Cards 2–7 (valued at face value)
- Three picture cards — Jack, Cavalier, and King — each valued at ½ point
The King of Coins is the only special card in the deck. It acts as a Wild card, substituting for any whole-number card value needed to complete a total.
The objective is to form a hand as close as possible to 7½ without going over. Card totals are calculated by adding the values of the cards, similar to baccarat or blackjack in concept, but with fixed drawing rules that limit player decisions.
Game Rules
Although Sette e Mezzo may appear complex at first, the rules become intuitive after a few rounds. The game begins with one card dealt to the player and one to the dealer. From there, drawing rules depend heavily on the values of the first cards and on whether the King of Coins appears.
King of Coins interaction:
- If the player receives the King of Coins as their first card, they are immediately dealt a second card.
- If the dealer receives the King of Coins first, the player must automatically draw cards until their total reaches 7 or more. If the player exceeds 7½, the hand busts.
Comparing initial cards:
If the dealer’s first card has a higher value than the player’s initial hand, the player must continue drawing cards until surpassing the dealer’s total. Only after exceeding the dealer’s initial card value can the player decide to hit or stand.
Dealer drawing rule:
The dealer draws additional cards until reaching a total of 5 or more, at which point they stand.
Ties and naturals:
- If both player and dealer begin with a card valued at 5, the player receives a second card automatically.
- If both hands tie on exactly 5, the dealer wins the round.
- A hand totaling 7½ with the first two cards is a natural (Sette e Mezzo Reale).
Any hand exceeding 7½ is a bust.
Playing a Round
Before cards are dealt, players place their main bet and may optionally choose one or both available side bets: Partita Perfetta and Mano Di Poker. After betting closes:
- The dealer deals one card to the player and one to the dealer.
- If the player’s card is lower in value than the dealer’s, the player automatically draws until their total exceeds the dealer’s starting card.
- Once allowed to choose, the player may hit (draw another card) or stand.
- After the player finishes, the dealer draws until reaching 5.
- Hands are compared, and payouts are awarded based on the final totals and any side-bet outcomes.
This structure, combined with the Wild card and compulsory drawing rules, makes Sette e Mezzo fundamentally different from blackjack. Standard blackjack strategy does not apply.