Sette e Mezzo, a name that most of you have probably heard whispered around the casino floor, is a classic Italian card game. Although we cannot say that it is a card game, the two games share many similarities.
Sette e Mezzo translates to “Seven and a Half” in English, and it blends elements of chance, strategy, skill, and luck to deliver a powerful experience. Not only will you have a lot of fun, but you will also enjoy an engaging card game.
Here’s a deep dive into the history of Sette e Mezzo and let’s learn the rules of the Italian card jewel.
History of set et mezzo
As mentioned earlier, Sette e Mezzo is an Italian card game dating back to the 17th centuryy a century. One of the oldest versions of the game is Siete y Media, and the two games are very similar – they even share a name – but they are definitely not the same.
The main thing about Sette e Mezzo is the simplicity of the game as it is easy to play and enjoy. What’s more, it’s a very entertaining game, so players keep coming back year after year.
With the advent of online casinos, Sette e Mezzo stayed a little late to wait for its turn to appear in terms of the Internet. However, two years ago, Playtech announced a new product Live table Which bears the name Sette e Mezzo.
In fact, Playtech’s Sette e Mezzo Live is the first ever live dealer Sette e Mezzo table in online gaming.
Sette e Mezzo rules
Sette e Mezzo has very simple rules to remind us of Blackjack game rules. The point is more than clear – but we must start from the deck in order to get a good introduction.
So, the shoe consists of four decks of cards, but they are not the ones you are used to playing with. Instead, the decks used are Napoli cardsConsisting of:
- cups (coupe)
- Coins (dinari)
- Clubs (Bastogne)
- Swords (spade)
Each suit contains 10 cards, so the entire shoe consists of 40 cards in total. The suit contains 2-7 low cards, Jacks, Cavaliers, Kings, and Aces. As you can see, there are no numbers 8, 9 and 10 on the Naples cards.
Rate the game
Important note: All cards have specific values!
Low value cards 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 have their face value. On the other hand, the Jacks, Cavaliers and Kings are each worth half a point. Finally, an ace is worth one point.
The deck also includes the King of Coins, the game’s Wild. If it is in your hand and you reach 7.5 points, you will hit the hand of Sette e Mezzo Royal (which is like a final win and is also very rare).
Registration and dealing
- The goal is to get 7.5 points to win and get Sette e Mezzo.
- Exceeding 7.5 points is called “bankruptcy.”
- The player with the hand closest to 7.5 or equivalent is the winner.
- Cards are dealt to each player (face down).
- Players choose to either hit (get a new card) or stand (keep only the dealt cards).
- Getting 7.5 points with two cards in the hand is a special win.
How to play Sette e Mezzo
Let’s talk about the actual gameplay.
Here’s how to run a typical round of Sette e Mezzo, for example at the Playtech Sette e Mezzo live dealer table.
The dealer deals two cards to each player at the table. By looking at the cards dealt, players calculate how many points they have. If they think their count is too low, they can call a hit on the next turn, or if the hand is high and close to 7.5, they usually choose to stand.
The dealer will then ask each player to make a decision and, based on what they say, whether or not to deal more cards. Players who have King of Coins as their first card automatically get another card, regardless of whether they want to hit/stand.
If the King of Coins appears in the dealer’s hand, players will be dealt cards until they reach 7 points. Exceeding 7 points means you are broke and therefore the round is over for you.
If both the dealer and players are dealt a 5 as their first card, they are immediately dealt another card. A draw is considered a loss for the player
At the end of the day, the goal of the game is to beat the dealer by getting to 7.5 faster without going over the target. You can also place side bets if you want to have more fun.
Side bets Sette e Mezzo
Side bets in Sette e Mezzo are similar to side bets in Blackjack. The first is called Partita Perfetta, which translates to perfect pairs. The RTP for this side bet is 96.15% and is very popular at most Sette e Mezzo tables.
The other is called Mano di Poker, which means poker hand. This bet is very close to the popular 21+3 side bet. It has a slightly better RTP than Partita Perfetta – 96.32%.
You must participate in the round to place side bets!
Similarities to blackjack
So, what are the main similarities to blackjack?
It turns out that there are many things linking the two.
- Both are played against the dealer
- The goal is to reach a certain number of points before the dealer
- Exceeding the set target results in a bust
- Traders have a rule where they withdraw until their score reaches a certain point and then they must stop
- Side bets are included in the mix
- Players decide to hit or stand when they see the first two cards dealt
- RTP is very high
- The bets on both sides are almost identical in both versions of the game
The list goes on! Although Sette e Mezzo is very similar to Blackjack, these are still two different games. The nice thing about this is that you can switch to the other one when you get bored with the first game.
