Short answer: Sakla is a traditional Filipino banking card game played with a Spanish-suited deck, in which bettors wager on pairs of cards and a banker turns cards over until one pair is complete. It is almost always played for money, at wakes and fiestas, and that makes it illegal gambling in the Philippines unless it runs under a licence. This guide explains how the game works and what the odds look like, and why we do not recommend playing it for stakes.
Last verified: October 2026. Sakla has no official rulebook, and the descriptions we found come mostly from gambling websites that disagree on small details, such as the exact deck. We say below where we are describing the version most often reported, and where a number is our own calculation. This is general information, not legal advice.
What Sakla Actually Is
Sakla is not a rummy or matching game, which is how many casual guides describe it. It is a banking game in the same family as Spanish monte: one person (the banker or dealer) runs the table, everyone else bets against the banker, and nobody builds a hand. The cards are Spanish-suited, which is why you will see swords (espada), clubs (basto), cups (copa) and coins (oro) rather than hearts and diamonds.
The game is best known as a fixture at Filipino wakes, where the bereaved family typically receives a share of the money wagered. Reporting by Reuters has described exactly that arrangement, and it is a large part of why the game is so widespread and so often tolerated.
The Deck and the 20 Pairs
Most descriptions agree on a 40-card deck: a Spanish deck of 48 with the 8s and 9s taken out. Each suit then has ten cards: Ace through 7, plus the jack (sota), horse (caballo) and king (rey). Some sources mention 48 cards or jokers, so a given table may differ.
The table layout is built around 20 fixed pairs, five in each suit:
- King and Ace
- Four and Five
- Two and Three
- Six and Seven
- Horse and Jack
That list uses every card in the suit exactly once, which is a good sign the 40-card description is right: ten ranks times four suits gives 40 cards, which pair up into exactly 20 combinations.
How a Round Is Described
- Players place bets on any of the 20 pairs, usually up to a table limit set by the banker.
- When betting closes, the banker shuffles and turns over cards one at a time.
- The first pair to be completed, meaning both of its cards have appeared, is the winner. For example, if the Two and the Three of coins have both been turned, that pair wins.
- Bets on that pair are paid at a fixed rate, commonly reported as 18 to 1. All other bets lose.
There is no skill in a round once bets are down. Nothing a player does influences which cards come up, and there is no strategy that changes the odds.
The Odds: What 18-to-1 Really Means
This part is our own calculation, based on the rules as described above. With 20 pairs and a shuffled deck, every pair has the same chance of being completed first, so each bet wins 1 time in 20. A fair payout on a 1-in-20 chance would be 19 to 1. At the commonly reported 18 to 1, the table keeps about 5% of everything wagered over time, similar to the house edge on American roulette (5.26%). If the quoted “18” includes your stake, the edge is closer to 10%.
At a wake, the real cost can be higher: the banker may pay less than the standard rate or take a cut of the pot, and the game runs with no regulator, no tested equipment and no way to dispute a result. For a plain explanation of how a small built-in edge becomes a predictable loss, see our guide to RTP and house edge.
Is Sakla Legal in the Philippines?
Not when it is played for money without a licence. Presidential Decree 1602, the law on illegal gambling, covers card games where money or other valuables are staked, and it names games such as blackjack, lucky nine, poker, monte, baccarat, cuajao and panguingue, along with “other card games”. Sakla is a banking game played entirely for stakes, so it falls squarely inside that description.
Enforcement is uneven, but it is real:
- In February 2020, Metro Manila police announced that gambling at wakes would no longer be spared, naming card games such as sakla, tong-its and pusoy. The Inquirer reported the announcement.
- In 2020, police in Quezon raided a gambling den and arrested 23 men playing a card game called “sakla” (also “baklay”), according to the Inquirer.
- The law reaches more than the players. Bankers, organisers and people who let their property be used can also face charges.
The legal line is the stakes. Playing a card game for fun, with no money on the table, is a different thing from betting on it, and a report on a Tong-its arrest in 2019, published by Interaksyon, shows that even small stakes of a few pesos have led to arrests.
What About “Online Sakla”?
You will find many pages offering “online sakla”, “sakla live” and similar. Treat them with caution. The traditional game depends on a physical banker and a board, and the online versions are usually side games at unlicensed sites. Before you put money anywhere, check who licenses the operator. Our guide on how to check whether an online casino is safe walks through the steps, and our licensing page explains what a PAGCOR licence does and does not cover.
Games You Can Learn Instead
If what interests you is Filipino card-game culture, there are plenty of games that are fun to learn and play without any money involved: Tongits, Pusoy Dos and Lucky 9. Not sure where to start? Our comparison of which Filipino card game to learn first helps you choose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sakla legal in the Philippines?
Not when played for money without a licence. Sakla is a banking game played for stakes, and Philippine law on illegal gambling (Presidential Decree 1602) covers card games with money at stake. Police have raided Sakla games, including at wakes.
What cards are used in Sakla?
Most descriptions say a Spanish-suited deck of 40 cards: swords, clubs, cups and coins, with the 8s and 9s removed. Each suit has Ace to 7 plus the jack, horse and king. Some sources describe 48 cards or jokers, so tables vary.
What does Sakla pay?
The payout most often reported is 18 to 1 on a winning pair. Because each of the 20 pairs wins about 1 time in 20, that works out to a built-in edge of roughly 5% for the banker, before any cut taken at the table.
Why is Sakla played at wakes?
It is a long-standing custom that keeps mourners awake through the vigil. Reporting has described the bereaved family receiving a share of the money wagered, which helps with funeral costs. The practice is widely tolerated, but it is still illegal gambling and police have acted against it.
Is Sakla the same as Tongits or Panguingue?
No. Tongits and Panguingue are rummy-style games where players build melds from the cards in their hands. Sakla is a banking game where players bet on which pair will come up first.
Final Thoughts
Sakla is an important part of how Filipino communities gather and mourn, and it deserves to be described accurately. It is also a negative-expectation bet with no skill element and no consumer protection, and playing it for money outside a licensed venue can lead to arrest. If you enjoy Filipino card games, play ones where the only thing at stake is bragging rights. If you gamble, do it only with licensed operators, set a budget you can afford to lose and read our page on responsible gaming. This site is an independent guide, not a gambling operator, and players must be 21 or older.