The complete guide
How to play SITA
SITA takes one minute to learn: play a card, watch the rows fill up, and never — ever — place the sixth card. This guide walks through a full game, with pictures.
The goal
Finish the match with the fewest penalty points. You collect penalty points by being forced to pick up cards — so the whole game is about taking as few as possible while your friends take plenty.
The deck
SITA uses 104 cards, numbered 1 to 104. Each card also carries penalty points — the little dots and badge in its corners. Most cards are worth 1 point, but some are traps:
Reading a card
- 1
Card number
Decides where the card lands in the rows — always in ascending order.
- 2
Penalty badge
How many points this card costs whoever is forced to pick it up.
- 3
Penalty pips
The dot count mirrors the penalty value, so danger is visible at a glance.
Penalty values
1 point
Most cards
2 points
Cards ending in 5 (15, 25…)
3 points
Cards ending in 0 (10, 20…)
5 points
Doubles (11, 22, 33…)
7 points
The 55 — a double AND ends in 5
Setting up
Every player is dealt 10 cards. Four more cards are placed face-up on the table — each one starts a row. A match lasts as many rounds as you have cards, so every card in your hand will be played.
2–10
players per table
10
cards in your hand
4
rows on the table
Each round
A round, step by step
Choose a card in secret
Everyone picks one card from their hand at the same time. Nobody sees your choice until every player has locked in — so read the rows, guess what your rivals need, and commit.
Reveal simultaneously
All chosen cards flip face-up at once. They are then placed one by one, from the lowest number to the highest.
Cards join the closest row
Each card goes to the row whose last card is closest below it. A 43 joins the row ending in 38 rather than the one ending in 12 — always the nearest lower neighbour.
The sixth card takes the row
If your card would be the sixth in a row, you take all five cards beneath it as penalty points, and your card starts that row fresh. This is the moment SITA is named after — avoid it at all costs.
Too low to place?
If your card is lower than the last card of every row, it can't be placed anywhere. You must pick up a full row of your choice — take the cheapest one — and your card starts that row over.
Scoring & winning
Every card you pick up adds its penalty points to your score. When all hands are empty the match ends, and the player with the fewest points wins. Play multiple matches and keep a running tally for a proper tournament.
Three tips from the table
01
Burn dangerous cards early
Rows are short at the start of a round cycle. Play cards that sit just above a row's last card while it's still cheap to be wrong.
02
Count the gaps
If a row ends in 30 and you hold 31, you're safe there — nothing can slip between. Cards one above a row's end are gold.
03
Sacrifice small, save big
Sometimes taking a cheap 2-point row on purpose beats gambling and eating a 15-point one later. Lose the battle, win the match.