Sergeant Major (3-5-8): play online for free (solo & multiplayer)

Get ready to pick your trump wisely and outplay your opponents in this exciting trick-taking game. Sergeant Major, also called Three-Five-Eight or 3-5-8, is a 3-player game much like Euchre or Twenty-Nine.

You can play Sergeant Major online for free, with no download and no registration. Practice against the computer first, then join a public table when you're ready to face real opponents. You can even set up a private table and invite your friends and family to play.

Sergeant Major by the numbers

Real totals from every game of Sergeant Major played on World of Card Games, updated October 2026.

Rules

Here's everything you need to play your first game. For the complete reference and an interactive tutorial that walks you through a real hand, see our guide on how to play Sergeant Major.

Objective

Sergeant Major is a race for tricks. Each seat has a target number of tricks to take. The first player to take 12 or more tricks in a single hand wins the game.

The deal and the targets

Three players each get 16 cards from a standard 52-card deck, Aces high. The last 4 cards form the "kitty" and are set aside. Your target depends on your seat. The dealer must aim for 8 tricks, the player to the dealer's left for 5, and the player to the right for 3. That's where the name 3-5-8 comes from. The dealer picks the trump suit, discards 4 cards face down, then picks up the kitty. The deal moves clockwise after every hand, so the targets rotate with it.

The play

The player to the dealer's left leads the first trick. Play goes clockwise and everyone must follow suit if they can. If you can't, you may play any card, including a trump. The highest card of the led suit wins the trick unless a trump was played, in which case the highest trump wins. The trick winner leads the next trick.

The exchange

After all 16 tricks, new hands are dealt and players settle up. Anyone who beat their target is an "over-tricker". Anyone who missed it is an "under-tricker". Over-trickers give cards to under-trickers. For each card received the under-tricker must hand back their highest card of the same suit. If one player over-tricked, they trade with each under-tricker, one card for every trick that player fell short. If two players over-tricked, each trades with the under-tricker as many cards as they themselves went over. The one with the higher target for the new hand trades first.

Scoring and winning

Tricks don't carry over between hands, so every hand starts the count fresh. The game ends the moment a player takes 12 or more tricks in one hand and that player wins. One extra rule keeps the dealer honest. If the dealer under-tricked and gave up high cards in the exchange, then finds a kitty card higher than a card they gave up in the same suit, they must show it to the over-tricker.

How to win at Sergeant Major

There are no partners in Sergeant Major, so every trick you take is yours alone. The two big skills are managing your trump suit and beating your target so the exchange works for you instead of against you.

As the dealer:

• Call trump in your longest strong suit. You choose trump before you pick up the kitty, so don't count on it to rescue a weak call.
• If you hold a lot of trumps, discard another suit entirely to create a void. That lets you trump that suit from the very first trick.
• Don't discard high cards, especially Aces. An Ace usually wins the first trick of its suit, because it's rare for anyone to be void in a suit that early.

Playing:

• It is often useful to play your Aces first. But be careful because they might get trumped if another player has a void in the suit of your Ace!
• Keep in mind that you probably cannot win just by playing a lot of trump cards unless you are very lucky. Plan on using cards of other suits strategically.
• It is sometimes possible to bleed out trump cards early on. In this case, if you hold enough high cards of other suits, you may be able to take many tricks because your cards can't be trumped.
• Tricks reset every hand, but keep taking them anyway. Every trick past your target feeds next hand's exchange, where you trade your worst cards for someone else's best.
• Use the exchange as a weapon. The under-tricker must return their highest card of each suit you give them, so hand over low cards in the suits where their strong cards hurt you most.
• Watch how far each player is from their target as the hand goes on. Denying an opponent one trick near the end can turn them from over-tricker to under-tricker and swing the next exchange your way.

Frequently asked questions

Why is the game called 3-5-8?

Those are the three targets. The dealer aims for 8 tricks, the player to the dealer's left for 5, and the player to the right for 3. Together that covers all 16 tricks in a hand.

What is the kitty?

The 4 cards left over after each player gets their 16. After calling trump, the dealer discards 4 cards face down and takes the kitty in their place, so the dealer effectively trades 4 cards for 4 unknown ones.

What happens if I miss my target?

You become an under-tricker. At the start of the next hand, players who beat their targets give you cards. For each one you must return your highest card of the same suit. The exchange favors them, which is why falling short stings beyond the hand itself.

How do I play Sergeant Major with friends?

Host a private table and invite your friends. Click the round yellow Play button at the table's top left to open the Play menu. Choose "Host table", turn on "Private table" and type a table name. At your new table, click "Invite players" and copy the link for your friends. Friends can also choose "Join private" in the same menu and type the same name. Two friends fill the table. With one friend, add a bot at the empty seat.

Can I play Sergeant Major against the computer?

Yes. This page starts you in a game against two bots right away, which is a good way to learn the game before facing live players. For another game, click the round yellow Play button to open the Play menu and choose "New game".

Can 2 people play Sergeant Major?

Sergeant Major is a 3-player game, so two people can't play it alone. You and a friend can share a private table and fill the third seat with a bot.

How long does a game of Sergeant Major take?

About 22 minutes on average across the games played on this site. The game ends the first time someone takes 12 or more tricks in a hand, so a strong run can finish it quickly.

Is Sergeant Major free to play here?

Yes. Sergeant Major is free in your browser with no download and no signup. You only need an account if you want to keep long-term stats or play ranked games.

What games are similar to Sergeant Major?

If you enjoy Sergeant Major, try the site's other trick-taking games, such as Sheepshead, Hearts, Spades, Euchre and Whist.